Testing laser engravers is a mix of objective and subjective measures. We spend time measuring speed and accuracy as well as usability and the overall look of the finished product. These tests are conducted over a month in our labs and workshops to ensure the lasers can endure proper use.
Speed is tested with a good old-fashioned stopwatch. I created a simple CNET logo design that can be cut on multiple materials. We time how long it takes to complete the cut. We use 3mm basswood, 3mm black acrylic and 3.5mm cardboard for our testing materials, to give us a good overall view. We then compare the speed with the software to see how accurately it calculates the cutting speeds.
The engraving is done with an image of my beautiful dog, Indiana Bones. I import that image into the workspace and use 3mm basswood for the material. I use the standard engraving settings from each machine to engrave Indy onto the wood. My CNET colleague Russell Holly and I then examine the wood laser cut for image quality. We’re looking at contrast, the level of detail captured, and how grainy the surface engraving is, as well as considering our opinion on the overall quality.
I created an accuracy test for laser cutters with cameras by designing a file with 10mm and 5mm increments. The file is printed on standard paper and imported into the laser cutter software. From there, we use the laser cutter camera to align the physical marks to the digital and set the laser to cut. Once the laser is finished, we measure the offset using a micrometer to see how accurately the camera represents the paper image. This is especially helpful for lasers with fisheye lenses.
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