Co2 Laser Alignment | Beam Alignment | Mirror Alignment

Co2 Laser Alignment
Key points:
- mirrors 1 and 2 do not need to be centered
- going into the laser head you want to be perfectly centered left to right
-90 degree corners at every mirror and beam parallel to the rails is the goal
- DO NOT skip third mirror alignment, this is the most important step.
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[@davemajor8288]

One of the best alignment explanations I have seen.

[@flamingomtn]

I really appreciate seeing you use the American Photonics tool. I've had it for years and the manufacturer's video is useless as far as showing me how it's supposed to work. He squirrels out so badly that I can't even finish watching. I feel like I can now finally use the tool. Thanks so much!!!

[@MetalWoodCreations]

Your content is the best by far in helping people learn what’s really needed with alignment. I’ve wasted hours trying to fill in the blanks that others left in their attempt to educate on this topic. Thank you for helping me get my sanity back.

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Glad it was helpful! Now back to kicking but with your machine!

[@tessaprater]

Thank you so much!! I have watched so many videos to figure this out and yours is the only one I've found that explains it so simply and thoroughly.

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

You’re welcome!

[@modernwoodcreationz2901]

Best alignment video out there!! By far thanks mate your saving time for alot of people

[@jackiekelley]

Thank you for showing me how to get my laser aligned! I watched so many videos but yours made the most sense to me. Thank you!

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

You’re welcome! Glad it helped!

[@victorgreen4993]

Great job showing two different methods for alignment.

[@loriarnett9800]

This is so helpful! Thank you for taking the time to educate us!

[@MrKaremoller]

This was a really good alignment video! Helped me allot to get a really clean cut! Thanks!

[@hawkingoh]

You sir are a treasure... Thank you!

[@davidspears1662]

Good learning video for us who struggle with mirror alignments thank you. I also purchased a reverse alignment tool

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Glad it helped!

[@angelanewingham3690]

awesome video thanks a bunch, never could understand the reverse alignment tool

[@marouaneladjel1907]

Fabulous 👌

[@sanhtwe4000]

Thank

[@madr8b]

Very cool video. It looks like it would take a bit to get use to using the tool. I may have to pick one up just to have incase i need it some day.

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Thanks! It does take some understanding but really if you are using the tool you can just start at the second part of the video and go straight from there.

[@FrankTank7777]

Thank you so much for this video. I do appreciate the time and detail in creating this video. For newcomers to the world of laser cutting this is by far the best video I have seen on alignment. Even the previous video on the theory was very helpful. There is just one issue, the link to the reverse alignment tool is not working. Have they stopped manufacturing it?

[@afbigfish1]

so when using the tool. the laser looked like it was centered pretty good on mirror 1 to start with. Why would you not just adjust mirror two to match the burn hole on mirror 1? that seems like the easier better method if your tube is already centered on mirror one. so basically these steps 1. center tube on mirror 1 and leave tape with burn hole in place 2. install reverse laser tool 3. adjust mirror 3 at near/far points to center laser on mirror 2 4. now adjust mirror 2 at near/far points to center laser on burn hole made in #1 5. Beer

[@richardokeeffe8375]

Fantastic info! What/how would you shim the tube and with what material is safe?

[@JohnnyWilliams-og4xw]

Awesome vid! Should the lens tube be pushed all the way in?

[@jmoreno125]

Hello! Thank you for your video. However, once I finished following all the steps my co2 laser w2 90wats is not giving me the same power results. I have change the max power and min to 0-90 on the mother board but once I give it a go to cut for example paper on 40 speed 30 power it wont cut. Even if I put the laser on the Max power it still doesn’t cut. Any suggestions on what I might be doing wrong? Would appreciate your help

[@amandaphillips9370]

Any suggestions on a video showing how to align a dual laser?

[@braveapuertorico5098]

Hey ! Do you know why the dot coming from the laser tube to the 1st mirror doesn’t looks solid? It’s like a ring , not a solid point

[@tylergillespie6888]

My 2nd to 3rd mirror alignment is high left when I make it parallel. 1st to 2nd is spot on in terms of precision. How do I get the 2nd to 3rd mirror burn to be centered?

[@markcarr868]

Your video has helped so much.! i have one question at 19:12 you talk about the mirror mount can be moved. I moved mine prior to watching your video. How do i re align this? is it done with the reverse alignment? Mine for sure is way out. any help would be greatly appreciated thank you!!

[@nicknolan8254]

Hey do you know how to get SHX fonts onto a MacBook? Or know a video to see the process? Thank you, love the videos

[@Brianp1982]

Great video. Question, when you pulsed mirror 1 straight from the tube I saw your pulse looks like a pretty small sharp dot. My pulse from my tube comes out more like a wider 3-4mm circle. How is your pulse so small? Almost looks like its a focused pulse out of the tube.

[@phototec]

This is one of the better alignment videos I have seen for the first part doing the conventional alignment, however, the second part using the red dot alignment tool was a little confusing to me. It seemed like in the first part of the video you got the alignment pretty right on without moving the laser tube. I have two questions, in the second part of the video using the red dot tool as you were moving the laser head left from right the red dot was bouncing around, what causes that? Is that an indication your track has some imperfections in it? Have you tried to rotate the alignment tool while in the nozzle tube and see if the red dot moves out of being concentric? When I rotate my alignment tool, the red dot also moves in a circle, indicating the laser dot is NOT centered in the tool. Thanks for making the video.

[@barkster]

mine does the same thing but even worse, I would assume it's from the rails but haven't ever found exact reason.

[@user-hk1eb1bn3t]

Thank you so much for this video. I haven’t found one I could really understand and most of them just show you a perfect alignment situation versus troubleshooting I do have a questions, after years of not having my laser aligned or being successful at aligning it perfectly I got the reverse alignment tool and followed all your instructions. I’m good all the way up to the very end, I cannot for the life of me get mirror 1 aligned to 2. I marked where the dot is on Mirror 2, I pulsed closest to mirror 1 and then furthest from mirror 1. My pulses are on complete opposite edges of the circular opening. Taking your recommendation I adjust mirror 1 while mirror 2 is furthest, until the pulse is just slightly over/past versus exactly matching up. When I bring mirror 2 back close to mirror 1 to pulse, my beam is so far off it’s not even hitting the frame never mind within the circular opening of mirror 2 😩 Any other tips that could help me to bring these pulses together at both front & back

[@frankabbott2326]

What to you suggest in this case. I adjusted mirror 1 without properly reading/watching a video and now basically i am at the point where I cannot get it adjusted to save my life. I can get the beam in the middle of mirror one but mirror 2 is so far off and mirror 3, forget about it. there must be some adjustment to mirror 1 to get it back to working again. Had i not adjusted mirror one i would have had no issue. I am beyond stumped now. Thanks

[@phantienhung93]

Hi, I have a question my mark from the tube to the 1st tape is kind of blurry and thick, not clear and small like your. Is it effect anything? Thank in advance

[@saeedabdulwahid3830]

I just bought one , in the first step from mirror 1 , laser comes in a bigger circle rather than a dot , do i have to move the tube , or it is fine ?

[@michaelwenman2348]

reverse alignment tool: At no time did you adjust the knobs on mirror 2. Why wouldn't you adjust them to move the red dot down to where the laser pulse was before even shimming the tube etc and then adjust mirror 1 to fine tune the laser pulse to the red dot location on 2?

[@justbeachydesigns]

What are you moving on the laser head?

[@lynncosta3838]

Hell yeah I'm going to spend the $40 to align that 3rd mirror. I've been messing with that thing for like 2 years and it still won't cut front right.

[@Alluvian567]

To be clear, if you have the reverse alignment laser tool, you would just do the second part and not have to do the initial part, right? I am surprised that the front co2 laser bracket does not have left/right up/down threads to fine adjust the tube alignment on these machines. Sure shimming kinda works, but often people are sticking postit notes or paper as shims and over time things like that will compress and get thinner and the alignment will drift. I guess the same thing would happen with rubber grips touching the glass as well, but it would be easier I think to periodically align it.

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

You will align with the revers alignment tool and then you would need to match that patch with the actual laser beam.

[@stevewoodrich3876]

is there a way you could send me the file to cut that alignment board you used at the end of this video?

[@kadencetouchet5588]

Great video! I do have a question here though. I can get mirror 3 centered when it is nearest to the tube, but once I bring the axis down to the bottom of the machine, it is no longer aligned. I am basically getting a different hit on each of the corners of the bed. Any insights?

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Align the pulses first and then adjust the tube to center.

[@justinjonsson9238]

I want to buy that laser aligment tool. What is the diameter of the K40? I need a 14mm.

[@RobSandstromDesigns]

Thank you for the explanation. It wasn't clear to me at first, but I think you are showing two different methods for doing laser alignment. The first was more of a traditional method I have seen in one or two other videos, while the second half of the video was a completely different method. It was confusing because if the first method was right on - which I thought it was after watching the video, it would seem the second method (reverse alignment tool) shouldn't have resulted in as much needs for change - such as a need to actually manipulate the tube, which doesn't really have any adjustment methods - other than the shim process you fabricated. At the end I think you are indicating that the reverse alignment method actually gave you better alignment than the method without the tool - i.e. discussion about test card. Is that correct? Do you have a file you share for your test card. I need to get a test card fabricated and your's looked good.

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Yes there are two methods in this video. What you can see if the angle of the beam coming down the laser head. The better you can get that to a 90 the better results you will get. This is the sole purpose of the reverse alignment tool. Want you will run into is that making the adjustments with the reverse alignment tool will most likely show the imperfection of the original alignment and then require the adjustments with the tube. Here are links to the cards facebook.com/groups/1364016877267714/permalink/1464898480512886 facebook.com/groups/1364016877267714/permalink/1464898167179584

[@TheOilers71]

your tube is a lot farther away than mine, the instruction video for installation said 1/2 inch and how do you hit the pulse 5 times to see a pin hole...if i did that it would catch fire..lol I get a bigger hole with just one pulse

[@calfborg]

When adjusting the tube, does it matter whether you make the moves at the front or the rear of the tube when aiming for a parallel beam at the head?

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

It does not matter

[@calfborg]

@@BeardedBuildsCo Thanks for the response! Going to tackle an alignment project this week with the reverse alignment tool.

[@TwistedHLeatherworks]

which reverse laser tooldid you use?there are several to choose from on the website.

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

You have to measure the tube that inserts into the laser head and buy the corresponding size.

[@crystalbrewer9736]

Question my laser beam from my mirror one to mirror two is a solid round beam/dot when I put tape on it .. then from mirror two to mirror 3(head) it’s like a scatters Sqaure mesh of red not a solid lil dot ? What’s wrong I still can cut in certain areas but not the whole bed

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Your beam is likely hitting something like the mirror frame on mirror number two.

[@randysarmiento8842]

where can you buy that alignment tool laser?

[@missymarth1322]

so im needing to move my dot to the left but the left screw is out all of the way if that makes sense so what would one need to do then

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

It’s hard to give accurate advice without seeing what you are talking about. Likely you will need to screw all three screws in equally to get extra movement from the mirror without running out of threads.

[@Brianp1982]

Hey, another question for ya! I just watched you do a whole traditional alignment and it was spot on. But then you started a reverse alignment with the AP tool and you had to completely redo the alignment because the red dot wasn't hitting your traditional alignment marks? I have the reverse alignment tool and the beam seems to be nowhere near my current traditional alignment.

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Traditional alignment is getting you in a general best position. Using the reverse alignment tool you are actually able to see if you are getting true 90 degree angles and a flat beam all the way around so that you can then get the tube down into alignment with the perfect path.

[@Brianp1982]

Good info! I guess I was just confused as to why the reverse alignment tool was so far off from the traditional beam alignment. Im giving the reverse alignment a shot today. I just noticed when I put the tool into the barrel it has a tiny bit of wiggle. When I mark where the laser hits on mirror 2 and take the tool out and put it back into the barrel it’s not always in the same spot.

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

@@Brianp1982 make sure to tighten down the collar around the alignment tool

[@Brianp1982]

Yes sir. I tightened it as much as I could. It seems to seat itself slightly in a different position when reinstalling it as needed. I’ll give it another shot

[@Brianp1982]

Hey. So I attempted the reverse alignment. Everyone I put the alignment tool in and tighten it, it points at a different spot on mirror 2. It does not go into the barrel the same way every time. So this makes it extremely difficult to get an accurate alignment since I mark with a Sharpie where the dot is, then remove the tool so I can pulse. Then we I reinsert the tool it’s not in the exact same spot because of tolerances. Any suggestions? To me there’s no way to get a perfect alignment if the tool can’t be pointing in the same angle every time. It has a very minute wiggle that causes a angle change causing the dot to not be consistent

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Put the tool on a flat surface and point it at something next to it that is at a 90 degree. Roll the tool and see if the beam dances up and down. The tool might be faulty.

[@Brianp1982]

@@BeardedBuildsCothat was the issue with my first tool and AP was awesome with customer service and sent me a new one. I wish I could show you a video of what I am experiencing. The tool has a flat spot on it and I always face it towards me so the tool goes in the same way every time. However, it just doesn’t seat itself perfectly in the same place everytime. I can even take my fingers and wiggle the tool with a bit of force and it changes location on mirror two. Not sure how this tool can work well if it can’t stay in the same spot and doesn’t reinstall in the same place with consistency. I appreciate your videos and help by the way! Not sure how to approach this from here.

[@angeladelreal9046]

My laser tube is very close to my ring in front of mirror 1 (the ring that I put the tape on). Is that normal or should I move my tube back?

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

That distance doesn’t really matter as long as you can align the tube to hit the mirror correctly.

[@angeladelreal9046]

@@BeardedBuildsCo Thank you for answering! Ok I don’t have a problem aligning my tube. It has been dead center since I got my laser 1 year ago. You’re videos are awesome!

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Thanks!

[@tomfoolery8468]

hello, i'm getting a weird halfmoon burn when I align my laser, not a dot ? What am I doing wrong ?

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

At what point in alignment are you seeing this?

[@tomfoolery8468]

@@BeardedBuildsCo right out of the tube, to the first mirror

[@nathanturner8761]

I'm seeing the same. Or like a ring. On every mirror

[@speedybeak]

How far is your laser tube set apart from the first mirror

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

That distance in unimportant. As long as you are easily hitting mirror 1 and have enough room to work then you are good.

[@LifeofTy-ql5lb]

You say mirrors 1 and 2 don't need to be centered but if they are not centered, do they need to pulse in the exact same position. For example, if mirror 1, the pulse is 2mm to the left of center, should I try and get the pulse on mirror 2 to be perfectly centered, or should it also be 2mm left of center?

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

No the goal is to make sure no matter where mirror 2 is at the pulse hit the same spot on that mirror.

[@LifeofTy-ql5lb]

@@BeardedBuildsCo Sorry - the answer is a little confusing. Can you clarify that a little bit. If mirror 1 is left of center, should mirror 2 also be left of center?

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

No

[@natederr1163]

any chance you got a new link for the alignment tool? i’m getting a 404 error

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Just updated it americanphotonics.com/collections/lp-engraving-and-marking-accessaries/products/copy-of-co2-laser-red-dot-position-5mw-650nm-3-5vdc-diode-engraver-cutter-machines/?ref=BEARDED

[@reynoldsnegrin7108]

@@BeardedBuildsCo$587 is a bit overpriced. 😂 Great video, thanks for all the detail, clarity and work you put into it!

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

@@reynoldsnegrin7108 not sure what you are talking about that is $587….

[@reynoldsnegrin7108]

@@BeardedBuildsCo never mind..the price was in another currency.🫣

[@richardcouturier7852]

I watched the video twice and something is not clear. You never made any adjustments with the thumbscrews of mirror #2. What if you had lowered the beam of the alignment tool with these screws? You may have not been obliged to realign the laser tube? OR you aligned it all prior to that like in the first half of the video and the gave you the perfect alignment. Please respond. 🙏

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

It’s a combination of both scenarios. You need to look at this video as to separate examples. The first half is traditional alignment and the second half is an alignment using the tool. There is no way to cover every possible case that could present itself with doing an alignment. Work from one mirror to the next check and making adjustments.

[@johnnymullins9237]

I guess I am a bit confused. It seems that if you align it all the "traditional" way, then using the reverse alignment tool method would give the same results. Why is alignment different going FROM tube to head or FROM head to tube? If it is aligned, then the light should hit the target no matter which direction it is going.

[@StephenBoyd21]

The reverse method is just easier. The low power laser is just more immediate. The result will be the same.

[@tttuberc]

Wondering the same thing. Why is the red dot way off after the whole alignment is already done?

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Because dialing in by pulses alone doesn’t not show you if you are getting a true 90 through the laser head.

[@tttuberc]

@@BeardedBuildsCo thanks for your reply. That makes sense.

[@Brianp1982]

This is very confusing. When you align traditionally you pulse to the axis of travel, hence making your beam flat as can be from mirror to mirror as it travels. At the end you are completely aligned. Putting the reverse alignment tool in just does this exact same thing in reverse and the beam is visible this time making it easier. So the confusing part is why is the reverse beam so far off but somehow can be a perfect alignment in comparison to doing it from the tube ? I wish I could understand this. I would love to see a video with a “beam combiner alignment vs a reverse alignment tool. I feel there is a variable we are all not understanding.

[@JoshColeHD]

Once I’ve got my 1-2nd mirror perfectly aligned, and then pulsed on the laser head ( back left ) closest to the 1st mirror it’s off centre but my back right pulse is perfectly in centre, how do I go about this to get that first one in centre?

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

You first need to align them. Once they are aligned then you adjust the laser tube to get the pulse centered.

[@DeeLoStuff]

Why is mine creating a big ole hole? 😂

[@BeardedBuildsCo]

Tap the pulse button quickly don’t hold it.

[@dishatechno7793]

Hello sir very good video i like iam subscribe your channel nice to meet to you i have a small channel