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2.1 About Laser Editor

1. DATALOGIC Lighter 6 LASER EDITOR USER S MANUAL RELEASE 6 2 0 DATALOGIC 2010 2013 Datalogic Automation S r l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Protected to the fullest extent under U S and international laws Copying or altering of this document is prohibited without express written consent from Datalogic Automation S r l Datalogic and the Datalogic logo are registered trademarks of Datalogic S p A in many countries including the U S A and the E U All other brand and product names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners Published 18 October 2013 Printed in Donnas AO Italy Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual 2 DATALOGIC REVISION INDEX u Number of added or Revision Date edited pages 18 02 2013 18 165 18 10 2013 28 51 54 55 76 92 3 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC SUMMARY REVI ION INDE erer eenn E ee E ee ee ee 3 SUMMAR T oee EN EE ce alae sn E E rong EE E E E E EE E A E 4 1 WELBOME nn ee EA EE ee ee ee eee 6 1 1 ADOUT this Help SySlemuaa a nn en ne iaai aaa iaa a ain alaaa 6 1 1 1 Using the Help System cccccccccccccceeesseeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeseeeeeesessaeaeeeseeeeessauaaaeeeeeeeesseangesss 6 1 1 2 G ntenis of ihe Hei ee ea 6 2 GETTING STARTED WITH LASER EDITOR uuusssssssssnnnssssnnnnnnnnn
2. Lighter Help Online Manual 122 DATALOGIC 4 9 7 3 Starting nodes editing To edit vector shapes you must go into node editing mode This is done in two ways 1 by double clicking a vectorial object 2 by selecting the vectorial object and then clicking the aN Edit nodes button You can use the mouse to drag the nodes or you can use the Edit nodes toolbar as it is described below For further information on how to make a string or a code vectorial see section Making an object veciorial To edit the nodes 1 Click a node s to select it Select multiple nodes by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking the nodes you want to select If you select multiple nodes you can move them simultaneously 2 The following table provides several examples using the Edit nodes toolbar Action Result Click Ww Angular nodes to create an angular node so that you can manage separately the two control points Click SS Asymmetric nodes to make a node that allows you to manage an individual control point To change the shape drag the control point Click ane Symmetric nodes to make a node that allows you to move simultaneously and symmetrically the two control points To change the shape move a control point 123 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJATALOGIC 6 Select multiple nodes and click shi Join nodes to manage them as a single node Click away from the shape to re
3. cccccsescceceeeeeeseeeeeeceeeeeecseeeeesaaeeeseeeeessageeessaneeeeseeseeenaaes 177 6 6 2 Using the X Y or Rotor Axis tabs for axis MANAGEMEM eecccceccseeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeseeeeeeseeeas 178 6 6 3 Using the Z Axis tab for axis management and laser teSt cccccecssseeeeceeeeeeseeseeeeeeeeeeens 179 6 7 Correcting lens CISTOMIOMN u a eier 181 6 7 1 Using the Lens Cormection Ward aan aa 181 6 8 Sending documents to MAarking ssccccccccccecccccccccssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeecocsseseeeeeeeeeeeeseesseecoaseess 186 6 9 Viewing the Device Status ccccccecscceesseeeeeeecccccessceeeesccccesseeeeeeesscccaeseeseeessccceseneeesenseeesceeses 187 6 10 Understanding the log file u an 189 6411 Testing iNe Sy SR essen ee een 191 5 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 1 WELCOME 1 1 About this Help System This Help System is designed for users who will be using Laser Editor to create graphics layouts for laser engraving operations 1 1 1 Using the Help System You might access the whole contents by choosing Help gt Help from the Laser Editor s menu bar or pressing F1 in the main screen of the application Furthermore you can take advantage of the context sensitive Help that is you can display a Help topic based on what you are doing e Pressing F1 or the button in a window s title bar opens dialog or window level Help e clicking a properties title in the Propert
4. 7 Circular references are not allowed If a circular reference is being introduced an error message will be displayed Lighter Help Online Manual 64 DATALOGIC To use IDs to connect and dynamically update text strings 1 Select the string whose content you want to enter in another string 2 Associate an ID to the string In the Properties window under Geometry click the text box beside ID and then enter the desired alohanumeric string Note that the ID appears below the string 3 Add to the document the string that must share the same content as the above string See Adding a Text string 4 In the Properties window under String click the text box beside Text and enter St1 followed by the text of the new string as it is illustrated below l gg ee a In this way when the string IDTest changes the second string will be also dynamically updated 4 7 3 7 Working with ligatures What is a ligature A ligature occurs where two or more letter forms are joined as a single glyph Ligatures usually replace consecutive characters sharing common components For example in the Arabic alphabet historically a cursive most letters take a variant shape depending on which they are followed word initial preceded word final or both medial by other letters From the point of view of an engraving layout the ligatures would appear as letters that is vectorial data overlapping each other as a result
5. Grid Step Sets the dimension of the cells on the grid 4 If it is set to True enables the snap to the objects in the grid that is when you move objects on the grid they will be aligned to the closest grid line Default False The default origin for the Cartesian coordinates x y that are used as the reference point Their origin is set by default to 0 0 Center The position of the objects refers to this point The dropdown list allows you to select an origin other than Center such as Left Top or Right Bottom Furthermore you can set a Custom origin in this case you should enter new values for the X Y coordinates nu X Position Sets the X coordinate horizontal of the new origin in relation to the default Origin position that is the Center of the document Y Position Sets the Y coordinate vertical of the new origin in relation to the default position that is the Center of the document Invert X If it is set to True inverts the X axis so as to change the field orientation Axis Default False Invert Y If it is set to True inverts the Y axis so as to change the field orientation Axis Default False Snap grid Lighter Help Online Manual 40 DATALOGIC Note In order to mark a ring document you must install and configure on your device a rings separator Furthermore the Rotor axis must be enabled Enable axis property in your Laser Configuration settings See Setting the X
6. Laser configuration Lens correction E Leap RER Start in remote mode Quit The User management function allows you to set and mange the users rights on the system By default Laser Editor does not request any login and any user can access and manage all system s functions To change this setting you must first enable the Users management function by entering a unique password that gives you administrator privileges then you can specify the rights on the system s functions for specific classes of users Note Gi This function is also accessible and usable at the Laser Editor level by clicking the gt Manage device users button on the toolbar or by choosing Manage device users from the Laser menu To enable the users management and to set the access rights 1 Right click the Laser Engine icon on the Windows applications bar 2 On the shortcut menu that appears click User management 3 The dialog box for typing the password is displayed Please enter password 77 x Please enter password bo confirm operation Do not remember C Remember until program is closed ok _ me Lighter Help Online Manual 150 DATALOGIC 4 Type a unique password of your choice Note If the password you specify is not unique in the system an error message will be displayed 5 Specify whether and how long the system must remember your password You can specify either a specific time
7. To do this the Get and Go item verifies the input bits as they are set by the PLC and then uses this information to proceed jump to label or continue If the If Set option is selected it verifies that the input bit is activated before jumping to the associated label Otherwise ignores the jump and executes the next operation that follows See the example below Properties The Jump to property is an editable field for you to enter the associated label s fa name which will then be displayed in brackets next to the Get and Go item Bit 0 to Bit 15 properties allows setting the conditions that the Get and Go item must verify before proceeding into the execution Possible options are O Don t care Ignores the bit It indicates an unconditional jump that is the jump will be executed in any case O If Set Verifies that the bit has been activated True O If Reset Verifies that the bit has been disactivated False Clone document It allows cloning a document that is already into the sequence that is adding KE one or more copies of an existing document oe Properties The Name property allows you entering a new name for the cloned document m Delete sequence item It allows deleting from the sequence an item that you have previously an added To delete an item select it and then press this button The example here below shows a sequence where Get and Go is used to repeatedly mark two documents The figure also shows how
8. 39 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 3 2 4 Geometry properties Document plane When creating a new document the default parameters that have been set in the Default configuration parameters window for Laser Editor are used For further information see Setting documents parameters Geometry page You can use the document s Property browser to set parameters other than the default ones Note All measurement units that are used in this page depend upon the units that you have selected at the application level See Setting language measurement unit and graphical effects General page Group Property Description It corresponds to the surface to engrave The size of the work area is a fundamental parameter The maximum size that can be used is based on several parameters including the focus height installed on the engraving laser and the model of lens SeeSetting the Work Area work area Width Sets the width of the work area Height Sets the height of the work area x Sets the distance between left and right margins of the work area Margins M Sets the distance between top and bottom margins of the work area If it is set to True default the grid is displayed and the relevant properties are available The grid is a series of traced lines which intersect They can be used to precisely align and position objects in the drawing window See Using the document s grid
9. In order to enable this function all documents have to be closed By default Laser Editor uses standard fonts but you can use this function to import any kind of fonts You will then be able to select the fonts from the Font property list under the Style property group Furthermore two non standard single line fonts are provided namely Roman s and Standard that allow optimizing the marking time To import fonts 1 Choose File gt Import fonts from the menu bar The Font import dialog box is displayed The System font area on the left lists all the fonts that are currently installed on your system by selecting a font a preview is displayed on the left pane 2 Select the font s you want to import in Laser Editor and then click gE to enter the font in the Laser fonts list on the right 3 Click 22 to import all existing fonts 4 7 3 3 Using special character sequences You can use the Text string tool to create variable texts that include dates and or times To do so you will use special character sequences To create dates and times by using special character sequences 1 Add a text string to the document see Adding a Text string 2 In the Properties browser under String select the Text box and then enter the desired special character sequence depending on the date and or time format you want to use Use the following table as a reference Table 1 Special character sequences for dates and times Special char
10. Lighter Help Online Manual 100 DATALOGIC Step 2 Automatically edit vectors to correct imperfections 1 Select the object and then do one of the following o From the Actions menu select Advanced Processing o On the vertical toolbar click D Object operations and then FA Advanced Processing The following will be displayed There are three options that you can use in association o Sort Edges amp Close Polygons It operates on areas it tries to locate areas that are enclosed into polygons and then close them eliminating any double line o Join Open Polylines It operates on the distance between nodes and it tries to close them at the maximum distance That is it tries to join polygons that are near enough and then close them o Split in Polygons It allows dividing a vectorial object into individual polygons This is particularly suitable in the case of an imported object that is made of more polygons placed on different layers using this option you can see how objects are grouped on each layer ungroup them and then operates on polygons separately Example of usage Let s take our example of imported object above to describe how the Advanced Processing options can be used in association to fix all problems 1 Select the object and then from the Actions menu select Advanced Processing or click D Object operations on the vertical toolbar and then Advanced Processing 2 Apply the first option So
11. Lighter Help Online Manual 132 DATALOGIC 5 1 Setting custom laser parameters The engraving parameters must be set before engraving the graphic layout Correct engraving parameters are essential to ensure engraving quality When setting laser parameters you should consider the laser source you are using the material to mark and the required process Engraving parameters can be the same for all graphic objects by default each graphic object uses the laser parameters properties of the document However you can set different laser parameters for each object this will result in the object s colour changing to blue To set laser properties for all objects 1 Create or open a document see About documents Be sure that no object is selected in the work area 2 In the Properties window under Geometry set the Laser properties as required Please refer to section Laser properties for documents for information on how to set the parameters To set laser properties for individual objects 1 Select the object s in the document See About graphic objects 2 Inthe Properties window set to True the Custom Laser property 3 Set the properties that appear as required Please refer to section Custom Laser parameters for Objects for information on how to set the parameters Note that after editing the object s colour changes to blue For further information see e Using more engraving runs e Using the Wobble function to engrav
12. LogMars ranges for a number of variables include density ratio bar height and size of the human readable interpretation line The modulo 43 check digit which is optional for Code 39 is defined and recommended in the specification If it is set to True enables a terminating checksum True or False codewords Code 93 was invented 1982 by INTERMEC to achieve better information densities compared to Code 39 Code concatenation is possible if the first encoded character is a space subsequent barcodes are concatenated by the scanner Encodes 43 characters A Z 0 9 space and Based upon Code 93 but encodes the complete ASCII character set One of the four available control characters is used to shift into the ASCII character table This barcode is used by the Australian Post for marking shipments Special code variants are available for redirections replies and so on The barcode height is between 4 2mm and 5 8mm The module width should be adjusted to 0 47 mms Usual no readable text is displayed The length will depend on the use of additional bars code variants Customer 2 and Customer 3 This is the same barcode as the Australian Post Standard Customer but with additional 5 characters for customer specific data The first 8 characters must be digits This symbology is also calledAustralia Post 52 CUST Due to its 52 bars This is the same barcode as the Australian Post Standard Customer 3 Re
13. Minimize Shan Aways on bop Liser management Global variables View log System test Lens correction v Start in auto mode This chapter describes the laser configuration parameters that you can set to configure the laser devices for optimal engraving performance To access the Laser configuration window 1 Right click the Laser Engine icon on the Windows applications bar 2 On the shortcut menu that appears click Laser configuration Attention If users management has been enabled and access to this function has been limited on see Managing users and access rights you will be prompted for a password with proper rights 3 The Laser configuration window is displayed allowing you to set all the properties for the laser devices you are connected to 4 To set parameters use the following tables as a reference o setting the head scanner parameters Setting the laser parameters Setting the correction parameters Setting the aiming parameters Setting Input Output parameters Setting the X Y Z and Rotor Axes parameters Configuring the Marking on the Fly function O O O O O O 157 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 5 1 Setting the head scanner parameters The Scanner page of the Laser configuration window is used to set the scanner speed and the waiting times for adjusting the engraving quality with respect to running times Properties o a Property Descript
14. QRCode Version 3 e He Best Fit Version 1 65x65 modules Lighter Help Online Manual 74 DATALOGIC 4 7 4 8 Setting the error correction level Note 7 This option applies to Two dimensional 2D codes and some others Please consult the Barcode Reference pdf for specific information about each simbology supporting this feature The error correction capability allows restoring data if the code is dirty damaged or partially unavailable Many codes allow setting different error correction levels Different error correction levels are available for users to choose according to the operating environment the amount of data that needs to be encoded the size and the amount of symbol damage that could occur each corresponding to a different data restoration rate for total codewords Raising this level improves error correction capability but also increases the amount of data and QR Code size You can use the Error Level properties in the Property browser to set the error correction See Codes properties To set the error correction level 1 Select the code in the document The Property browser is displayed for the code 2 Under Encoding in the Code properties group select from the Error Level dropdown list the desired value 4 7 4 9 Balancing the black and white ratio This capability allows adjusting the ratio between white and black elements when marking very small elements This fe
15. Y Z and Rotor Axes parameters Ring documents are used when you need to engrave a cylindrical surface The document s work area represents the whole linear development of the surface to be engraved 360 The document s area corresponds to the engraving laser work area It is where you create the layout by drawing and editing graphics objects or importing raster or vectorial image files such as a logo see About graphic objects When you create a new document the default parameters that have been set in the Default configuration parameters window for Laser Editor are used See Setting the default behaviour of Laser Editor You can use the document s Property browser to set other parameters For further information see e Creating the document e Common documents properties e Geometry properties Ring document 4 3 3 1 Creating the document To create the document 1 Do one of the following o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt New gt Ring Document o From the Laser Editor standard toolbar click the down arrow next to the ER button and then select Ring Document 41 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Note that the displayed work area represents the linear development of the surface to be engraved and the Properties window contains the default parameters that have been set for Laser Editor 3 To create the ring engraving layout complete the following operation
16. You can operate on individual cells by unlocking the array and selecting the desired cell s To select deselect individual cells 1 Select the array and then click the pushpin shaped handle 2 at the top left The handle changes to and the cells in the array becomes unlocked allowing you to select them 2 To select one or more cells do one of the following o Click one or more cells You can select as many cells as you want o Right click a cell to display a menu that allows to select deselect all cells or to invert the selection between selected and deselected cells o Click the rows or columns blue indicator to select deselect the whole row or column 3 When acell is selected and enabled its colour changes to bright yellow To deselect a cell click on it 4 Furthermore in the Properties window under Array the new Cells group is displayed that allows you to o enable disable one or more cells o define custom offset settings and rotation o link a document to the cell see Creating the contents of individual cells When a cell is disabled its colour changes to light yellow 5 Click the mouse handle to lock the cells and operate on the whole array Tip amp For further information on mouse operations please refer to Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects 91 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJDATALOGIC 4 7 5 7 Creating the contents of individual cells You
17. decimal format It can be associated to a specific string String 0 Counter octave format It can be associated to a specific string Ee YE Counter hexadecimal format lower case e or upper case E It can be associated to az a specific string YN lev A lt allows using a global variable see Using global variables Lighter Help Online Manual 62 wJDATALOGIC 3 Press Enter The string changes to the specified counter format Set the required Counter properties 4 Use the following table as a reference Counter property Description Start i The minimum value for the counter Stop The maximum value for the counter Current The current value of the counter as it appears in the string Step Increment value positive or negative Cycles The number of times the counter will be marked before it is incremented by one step Digits The minimum number of digits to be displayed Example e Entering n in the text box and then setting the parameters as follows Current 1 Start 1 Stop 10 Steps 2 Cycles 2 Digits 3 would result in the format 001 to become 003 005 007 009 002 004 006 008 010 001 An increment would occur every two engraving jobs 63 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 3 5 E
18. e Adding viewing or editing a global variable e Using special character sequences to associate global variables to a string 4 8 1 Adding viewing or editing a global variable Follow this procedure to add view or edit global variables You will then be able to associate them to objects by using special character sequences 1 Be sure that you are connected to the laser device see Connecting to the laser device 2 Doone of the following o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Laser gt Edit device global variables o On the Laser Editor toolbar click oF Edit device global variables 3 The Device variables is displayed for you to add or manage variables remotely Lighter Help Online Manual DATALOGIC To add a global variable 1 In the Device variables window do the following o Click on Add new counter to add a counter variable type o Click on Add new string to add a string variable type The new variable will be added in the table using the default parameters 2 To edit the parameters select the variable and then double click the field you want to change Use the following table as a reference Table 3 Global Variables Parameters Field Description _ The unique identifier for the counter This is the name that is to be used into the special Variable character sequence to refer the counter The current value of the counter This value will be displayed when the global variable is
19. function please see Displaying the limits 7 Click on Mark now to mark the shape 8 The fields in the grid on the left that correspond to the square s horizontal and vertical lines will be enabled for you to enter the actual size of the lines as they were marked measure each marked line and then enter the value into the corresponding field Note When you select a field the corresponding line within the square on the right is highlighted as it is shown in the following Ei e Note When you select a field the corresponding line within the square on the right is highlighted as it is shown in the following _Lens correction Miniscan8 f 160mm 120 x 120mm 9 When you have entered all the measures click Validate to access the second step of the wizard 10 The First measure tab is displayed which allows marking a more complex shape in order to check and fine tune further the correction precision 183 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJDATALOGIC Lens correction Ministan f 160mm 120 x 120mm Mermscone SxS points Mensa Ta pearls Note that the laser parameters as well as the square size are the same as Set in the previous step 11 From the dropdown list select the correction precision you want to obtain To each option corresponds a level of precision Once you select a precision level
20. industrial applications Not every laser has a red diode The different wavelength of the visible red diode with respect to laser light causes a different refraction inside the objective lens AS a consequence the coordinate generated when displaying layout limits must be corrected to match layout engraving This page allows some tuning on limits placement if the result appears still wrong please contact the technical support team a ae Group Property Description Scanner ar s Speed Scanners speed used when tracking limits expressed in Kspots s Offset X pts Alignment offset expressed in points applied to X coordinate when tracking limits This value is limited to 1 of the coordinates range Offset Y pts Alignment offset expressed in points applied to Y coordinate when p tracking limits This value is limited to 1 of the coordinates range Correction ne Scale X Scale applied to X coordinate when tracking limits This value is limited to cale X 145 95 105 a Scale applied to Y coordinate when tracking limits This value is limited to Scale Y e 145 95 105 165 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 5 5 Setting Input Output parameters The Input Output page of the Laser configuration window is used to set durations and delays of laser Input signals in relation to engraving Properties a Start time ms Sets the minimum duration in ms of the start engra
21. is a production line with a PLC Programmable Logic Controller that manages automations and that is connected to the I O PCI card The sequence feature allows interacting with the PLC in order to execute a specific order of marking operations Using a sequence you can e define a specific order of marking operations that will be automatically executed e create or import plane or ring documents to be marked e interacting with the PLC by setting outputs or reading inputs e moving axis if enabled Tip In addition to creating sequences in order to automate marking procedures you might also A use Project Editor which is a programs editor integrated into Laser Editor To access it choose File gt Project Editor Default programs and easy to use examples are provided with the tool as well as a context sensitive Help 4 6 1 Creating and executing a sequence To create a sequence 1 Do one of the following o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt New gt Sequence aTh o From the Laser Editor standard toolbar click the down arrow next to the button and then select Sequence F Sequence 47 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 2 The following appears in the Laser Editor s work area File Edt View Actions Laser Window Help l Y Tre Tgi B Wait Start _____ Properties pane Note that the Sequence items toolbar is displayed next to th
22. it lists the available laser sources to which you Target Laser can remotely connect Note If this field is empty it means that you are not connected to any laser source If you are operating on a network you must launch the Laser Engine at least once in order to see the relevant laser source listed in the list L It contains a list of available optical lens that you can install on the scanner head ens and it allows selecting the default lens to be used 4 Click OK to implement your settings 25 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 3 4 Importing Materials Database This function is used to import into Laser Editor database materials that you have created using Smartist You can import e Materials Database ini DB files To import a materials database from Smartist 1 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Import Materials Database to display the Choose a materials database to open window 2 From the Type of file dropdown list select the proper type of file There are two available options o ini files o DB files 3 Browse to locate the desired file and click Open 4 After completing the import operation a number of information messages will be displayed providing information on imported file s Lighter Help Online Manual 26 DATALOGIC 3 5 Open Smartist Projects Is possible to open into Laser Editor any project or document that you have created using
23. the corresponding shape is displayed into the right side of the window whose complexity depends on your selection Available options are described in the table that follows Note Ki A higher level of precision results in a more complex shape to be marked and consequently in more measures to be taken Precision Behavior Corresponding shape By choosing this precision level the laser will mark the shape as it is shown on the right Medium After marking the sample you can measure the 10 marked lines and then enter the actual values into the system Lighter Help Online Manual 184 DATALOGIC By choosing this precision level the laser will mark the shape as it is shown on the right in addition to the 10 horizontal and vertical lines it allows measure diagonal lines in order to adjust other distortions such as for example the diamond effect Good Microscope provides the higher precision level It requires a microscope with a micrometric table By choosing microscope you will mark a grid whose number of measures or lines depends on the option you have chosen After marking you place the sample where the grid has been marked on the micrometric table then center the table s origin 0 0 point so as to match the intersection of the median axis of the marked grid Finally you can measure the coordinates of all nodes in the marked sample Typically micrometric tables are con
24. the overlapped areas would not be filled as expected To fix the problem the Contour property is used which allows merging the letters while keeping the string from becoming a vectorial object 65 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Using the Contour property to merge the letters 1 Select the text with ligatures letters that overlap each other 2 From the Properties window select Filling and then from the dropdown list choose the desired filling value For further information see Filling properties for Objects The overlapped areas will appear as follows 3 Under Geometry select the Contour checkbox to set the True value As a result the overlapped areas will be filled and the object will be kept as a String 4 7 3 8 Text String properties The Properties window supports context sensitive Help During layout editing selecting a properties title for example Geometry and then pressing F1 opens the context Help for those properties The following properties appear when a Text string object is selected in the work area see Using Text strings Tips For a quick rough sizing rotating and positioning of a string you might use your mouse amp See Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects The Property browser allows more precise operations Refer to section Common operations on objects for further information on how to use properties to perform speci
25. 2900 2 mm s Note Waiting times are all expressed in microseconds us The following example shows how to engrave the word LASER Thick lines indicates actual marking thin ones a jump of the mirrors that is a movement of the mirrors between marked vectors The following examples will better illustrate how incorrect technical waiting time setting can affect the result 6 5 1 2 TFirst us Waiting time for the scanner to actually reach the required position before switching the laser on e If the delay is lower than the optimal value notice how the first vector of each polygon is distorted and longer than the correct length e f the delay ishigherthan the optimal value the engraving process will be slower but no effects will be visible 159 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 5 1 3 TNext us Waiting time for the scanner to reach the correct position before tracing the vector after the first with the exception of the last This waiting time is according to the engraving speed and depends on the angle between the two consecutive vectors If the angle is equal to 180 the waiting time will be equal to zero while the waiting time will increase as the angle decreases the time being maximum when the angle is equal to zero degrees e lf the delay is lower than the optimal value notice how the polygon vectors are rounded and not sharp e If the delay is higher than the optimal valu
26. 7 8 9 A B C D E F lt is also called base 16 The value 10 in base 16 will be marked OA Strings Va able The unique identifier for the string This is the name that is to be used into the special character sequence to refer the string Value The content of the variable that is the text string The figure below shows an example where one counter and two strings variables have been added Figure Device Variables dialog 109 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Global variables 3 When you are finished click Apply and then OK to close the dialog and return to Laser Editor The global variable will be saved to the device and stored into the Laser Engine managed database You will then be able to retrieve it from Laser Editor in order to check or edit it To view edit or delete an existing global variable You can use Laser Editor to display a global variable that has been saved to the device so as to be able to check or edit the values 1 Be sure that you are connected to the laser device see Connecting to the laser device 2 Press the Wk Edit device global variables button on the toolbar to make the Device variables dialog appearing that lists the variables that are currently stored on the device 3 Do one of the following o To edit the parameters select the variable and then double click the field you want to change Use Table Global Variables Parameters as a reference o To d
27. DataBar but the height Truncated should be at least 13X Omni directional scanning may not be Subtype possible GS1 DataBar RSS 14 ee This symbology is similar to the GS1 DataBar Stacked and Omni Directional ee l supports omnidirec tional scanning This symbology is similar to GS1 DataBar but it is split into 2 rows to make the symbol smaller It is used for pharmaceutical packaging Omni directional scanning is not Stacked possible me This symbology is similar to GS1 DataBar but it is smaller in Mol Datapel Lyne size and limited to a packaging indicator first digit O or 1 This is a variable length symbology It encodes up to 74 numeric or 41 alphabetic characters Data should be encoded with Application Identifiers Als Omni directional scanning is possible Han Xin Code is a 2D matrix symbology which is used for encoding large amounts of data and provides a special Fan SI Oude support for encoding Chinese characters character set GB18030 HIBC bar codes are commonly used by the health industry HIBC standards do not really describe unique symbologies but a family of data structures These data structures may be HIBC represented by several symbologies There are two categories of HIBC e Label Identification Code LIC specified by the Supplier Labeling Standard e Provider Applications Standard PAS ISBN is the abbreviation of International Standard Book Number It uses the symbology EAN 13 and
28. Help Online Manual 54 DATALOGIC Advanced This property is used to specify how the laser performs the filling operation e Bidirectional The laser marks parallel lines first lines from left to right then right to Direction left or vice versa according to the value that has been set for the Angle and so forth This allows reducing the markingtime Default e Unidirectional The engraving is done only in one direction increasing the marking time This property is used to specify how the outline is to be marked relative to the filling Outline e No outline The outline of the object will not be marked option e Filling first The filling of the object will be marked first Default e Outline first The outline of the object will be marked first Tolerance Sets the distance between object s outline and filling lines This property is used to specify how the laser marks the filling of objects that are composed by more polygons such as strings e Object The laser marks horizontally using parallel lines across all the vectorial data that compose the object for example a string will be marked from bottom to top Fill by scanning all letters with a single run This filling option results in longer marking times but it is recommended when marking on plastic cards because it ensures a uniform result e Polygon The laser marks polygon by polygon for example letter by letter in a string or bar by bar in
29. ST 77 Sets the width of the object Dimensions H Sets the Sets the height of the object 0 of the object A aes the rotation angle in degrees of the object on the engraving area It does not apply to ngle the Array object Scale X By default is set to 1 00 Increasing decreasing this value results in the object s width changing It does not apply to the Array object Scale Y By default is set to 1 00 Increasing decreasing this value results in the object s height changing It does not apply to the Array object Sets a skewing for the object if you set a positive value the object is skewed to the right Skew while with a negative value is skewed to the left Default 0 It does not apply to the Array or Code objects 4 7 1 2 Custom Laser parameters for Objects The following properties are displayed when you select an object in the work area and then set to True the Custom Laser parameter in the Properties window By default this parameter is set to False because when you add a graphic object to a document the object inherits the laser parameters that have been set for that document You can still set different laser parameters for each object in this case the object s color changes to blue Group Property Property Description lt allows saving your layout s laser settings in a materials database You can set the parameters for a specific object based on a specific material e g plastic Mater
30. Smartist You can open e Smartist projects prj files e Smartist documents LDX LDC files To open a Smartist project or document 1 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Open to display the Choose a document to open window 2 From the Type of file dropdown list select the proper type of file There are two available options o Smartist projects prj files It allows importing a Smartist project which can be composed by one or more graphic layouts o Smartist documents LDX LDC files It allows importing a specific document that you have created using Smartist 3 Browse to locate the desired file and click Open 4 After completing the import operation a number of information messages will be displayed providing information on imported file s Smartist version and so forth Any opened document will be displayed in a tab within the Laser Editor window for you to manage or edit as any other Laser Editor document Tip Note that if any script or formatter file was included in the project a message tells you in amp which folder on your PC it has been saved during the import operation You can use Project Editor to open or edit it Project Editor is a tool that allows creating custom programs which includes his own Help system To access it choose File gt Project Editor from the Laser Editor menu bar 27 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 3 6 Automatic conv
31. To zoom a certain element select the element and then click the 4 Selection button This button is unavailable if no object is selected in the graphic area 3 To revert to the standard view click Page 4 To zoom a specific area in the drawing click the Window button and then trace a rectangular window around the perimeter Laser Editor sets the zoom level so that the specific rectangle fills the window 125 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJATALOGIC 4 9 9 Specifying the filling patterns You can specify different filling patterns for objects that is filling the object with filler lines To this purpose the Filling properties in the objects Properties window are used See Filling properties for Objects The figure below shows some examples Filling EEE EE PEEPLES eee Ome ote i eae ce So ee ode eo e oaa aaa oe HEE a be eee ee EHE FE ee eee eT BS ode od i ibe odie is es fis Se ke as eis ds EI EIS LEER CERO LR Lee ee The Filling properties do not apply to Arrays or Imported Raster images To set the filling properties 1 Select the object in the graphic area The properties for the object are displayed in the Properties window 2 Select from the Filling property dropdown list the desired pattern By default this value is set to None meaning that no filling is set for the object 3 More properties are displayed below that allow customizing the filling patt
32. Value referenced into a string object through the appropriate special character sequence Start The minimum value for the counter Stop The maximum value for the counter Step The increment value positive or negative Cycles The number of times the counter will be marked before it is incremented by one step lt allows keeping track of the number of markings that have been executed within the required Cycles Cycles number This parameter is reset to 0 when the number of engravings has been reached Count and the Counter has been incremented It only applies if the Cycles parameter has been set to a value other than 1 Digits The minimum number of digits to be displayed The numeral system that the Counter will use to represents the numbers The following values are allowed O 2 The marked number will be converted to binary form Binary uses only 2 digits 0 and 1 and is also called base 2 The value 10 in base 2 will be marked 1010 O 8 The marked number will be converted to octal form Octal uses 8 digits which are 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and is also called base 8 The value 10 in base 8 will be Base marked 012 O 10 The number will be marked in decimal form Decimal has 10 digits which are 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and is also called base 10 The value 10 in base 10 will be marked 10 O 16 The number will be marked in hexadecimal form Hexadecimal is made up of 2 parts which are hex 6 and decimal 10 which are 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
33. Z Axis tab to check and manage the axis Using the Home Search command button results in the axis motor moving so as to reach the proximity sensor 1 Select the Z Axis tab of Laser Engine 330 00 330 00 Press an Arrow Key for continuous movement or Lo SCTRL Arrow Key For pulse movement 2 Please refer to the previous section To manage axes for further information on the Home Search button and parameters underneath Executing the laser test for focus This function allows searching the focal plane For optimal performance when engraving the laser head must be at the correct focus distance from the item to be engraved The laser test allows engraving a geometric shape with predefined parameters and position the axis at the same time To execute the test 1 Select the Z Axis tab of Laser Engine 2 Under Laser Test set the following parameters o From the Type dropdown list select the required geometrical shape for the test Square Line Circle or Dot o Specify the Size for the shape and the laser output Power expressed in percentage according to your device s maximum power o Specify the laser output Frequency This parameter is used to adjust the laser output frequency by directly operating on the Q switch 3 Click si to launch the test A greater interaction of the laser with the material under examination indicates that
34. a lower resolution in relation to the image reduces the display quality Lighter Help Online Manual 96 DATALOGIC About vectorial graphics plt hpgl dxf dwg Vectorial graphics describe the images using lines and curves called vectors which all include properties related to color and position The image is described by points through which lines pass creating the form of the outline Note that laser engraving is monochromatic Raster vs Vectorial marking Raster The raster engraving technique allows marking a vectorial object as if it were a raster object The image is split into rows and rows are marked sequentially as the laser brushes the image across the surface in a back and forth slowly advancing linear pattern that reminds one of an inkjet or similar printer The laser moves at a fixed speed and the level signal modules continuously according to the darkness of the pixel being drawn This technique can be performed only on materials whose response changes deeply with the power of the investing beam polycarbonate and PVC can behave this way with the use of proper additives while metal cannot In general raster engraving on plastic cards produces best results In laser engraving a raster graphic is slower in engraving and less defined in terms of outline lines and filling lt can be used with appropriate conversions for engraving digital photographs Vectorial In vectorial marking the laser foll
35. a toggle button if the Manual Mode is activated the tooltip says Switch to Auto Mode and vice versa 2 There are two possible scenarios o If you are not connected to a device pressing F5 or clicking E Send Marking will automatically activate the simulator o If you are connected to a device the Simulator button is enabled and you must press it or choose Laser gt Simulator from the menu bar to activate the graphic simulator The following picture shows an example E Dsp Simulator Lighter Help Online Manual 138 wJATALOGIC 3 To interrupt the marking simulation use the a Stop marking toolbar button or choose Laser gt Stop Marking form the menu bar Related topics e Setting custom laser parameters e Displaying the limits e Connecting to the laser device e Marking preview e Send marking 139 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 5 4 Connecting to the laser device Attention EM The following connection procedure only applies to users who have a Supervisor installation SH of Laser Editor For further information see section Installation types and connection modes In Laser Editor the laser device that is used for marking graphic layouts is managed by the Laser Engine interface and can be either local in the case of a stand alone marking solution or remote in the case of an unattended marking solution typically on a production line In particula
36. are typically used by who installs and sets the step motor for axis management For further information see Mechanical axis management en Group Property Description These two parameters set the conversion between motor steps and axis movement The number of steps to move the motor to the distance given a the Units Steps steps ee The distance to move the axis when the motor moves the specified number of steps The units value depends on the axis you are Units managing if this is a rotary axis the value is in degrees e g the Imm inch deg number of steps to rotate of 360 if this is a linear axis the value is expressed in a linear unit of measure which is the one you have set for the application lt it is set to True default enables the axis management The relevant mabamcleys Shane oul tab will appear in the Laser Engine window Conversion Lighter Help Online Manual 166 DATALOGIC It only applies to the rotor axis R Axis It allows managing up to 4 axis totally independent of each other To this purpose a new outputs set can be managed Dedicated I Os lfsetto True check the I Os documentation related to your control board and then connect the R Axis to the dedicated outputs set If set to False check the I Os documentation related to your control board and then connect the R Axis to the outputs set used by the X Axis The following parameters allow the user to set a speed
37. besssuzescnssenemensdemsssmseselssssessancbsenuemnen a ee Er BE BER BE eee ees Colour Meaning Red The graphic object is NOT correctly placed within the graphic area A red colored object will NOT be engraved The graphic object is correctly placed within the graphic area and is enabled for engraving Its engraving parameters are NOT the standard ones of the document special laser engraving Blue parameters have been set which are only relative to this object seeCustom Laser parameters for Objects There can be various blue colored objects within the graphic area their laser parameters may differ from each other Gre The graphic object is correctly placed within the graphic area but is NOT enabled for engraving y and will NOT be engraved The Enable property in the property browser is set to False The object is correctly placed within the graphic area and is enabled for engraving Its engraving Black parameters are the standard ones of the document 107 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 8 Using global variables Attention In order to view and manage global variables you must be connected to the laser device For further information see Connecting to the laser device This function is also accessible at the Laser Engine interface level For further information please see Laser Engine User Interface Purpose of the functionality Global variables are strings or counters tha
38. can enter any content into individual cells to compose your layout as well as define custom offset settings and rotation You can create a document with graphics or strings and then link the document to a cell To create the contents of a cell 1 Click the array and then click the pushpin shaped handle at the top left J 2 Click to select the desired cell s The colour of the selected cell s changes to bright yellow Note that all cells are named Plain 0 3 You might set a different Plain number In the Properties window under Array gt Cells select the Linked Plain property and enter a Plain ID The Plain number of the selected cell changes accordingly 4 Double click the cell A new document representing the Plain with the same ID number opens By default it would be 0 as the selected cell Lighter Help Online Manual 92 wJDATALOGIC 5 Enter any object you need as you would do in a plain document See Creating a document for plane engraving and About graphic objects 6 When your layout is done from the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Save to save the plain as an xIp file 7 Return to the array 8 Select the cell s to which you want to link the Plain you have just created You might select an entire row or an entire column by clicking on the blue indicator 9 In the Linked Plain property enter the number of the Plain that you have created See
39. enables the search of the home sensor mechanical zero at the speed that has been specified for the Reset parameters IM S l we aa ee These parameter allows moving the axis in the desired position Move to units Commands The following parameters are read only and depend upon the three parameters above Home flag If checked indicates that the home position mechanical zero has been reached Current position T It shows the last position the axis has reached steps or units accordingly Current position tO the Move to parameters units Lighter Help Online Manual 168 DATALOGIC 6 5 7 Configuring the Marking on the Fly function A Attention The Marking on the Fly function is only available on iMark control boards When this option is enabled all objects are automatically ordered so that they will be marked in the opposite direction of the roller In this way we take advantage of the movement to extend the marking field This feature is typically used on a production line where a conveyor roller is connected to the laser system and both are controlled by a PCI control board You might connect an encoder to the system for best performances or set the Continuous marking mode to mark repeatedly the same content A Wizard is provided that you can access from the Marking on the Fly configuration window which helps you to properly configure and use this function 6 5 7 1 When using an Encoder When high q
40. import in a new layout After setting your parameters according to a specific material and its reactions to the marking procedure and once your layout is ready you can store it for a later re use The same operation can be done for each individual object in the document for graphic objects the Materials property is available under the Laser custom parameters To save a materials database 1 Under the Laser properties click Materials 2 Click the Save button to display the following dialog Save material 3 Enter a meaningful Material name e g plastic and click OK to save the database Note that the dropdown list contains the materials databases that you have created previously 4 Use the Delete bution to delete existing databases To re open a previously saved database 1 From the Laser Editor menu select File gt Import Materials Database 2 Inthe windows that is displayed navigate to Data_Lighter5 gt Database and then select the desired file ini file if the layout was created in Smartist db if it was created in Laser Editor Lighter Help Online Manual 38 DATALOGIC 4 3 2 3 Setting the work area The size of the work area is a fundamental setting The maximum size that can be used is based on several elements including the focus height installed on the engraving laser and the quality of the lens As a general rule increasing the focal length will result i
41. information refer to Installation types and connection modes For further information Launching Laser Engine Click here Laser Engine s user interface overview e Main window elements Click here e Menu buttons SEELE e Shortcut menu commands Managing users and access rights Click here Using the global variables function Click here Switching between working modes Local Remote or Auto Manual Click here Configuring the laser device parameters Click here Using the Marking on the Fly function to mark objects in movement Click here Displaying the marking limits Click here Managing axis and executing the focusing test Click here Correcting lens distortions Click here Sending documents to marking Click here Viewing the device status Click here Using the log file to fix problems that might arise Click here Testing the system s connections Click here Note Laser Engine can now be integrated into customers applications as an ActiveX server Developers can now write their ActiveX clients and build highly customized user interface for 7 their clients using Laser Engine to control the laser To this purpose a new object has been created as entry point in the ActiveX server For further information see the Project Editor online documentation Language Reference chapter This feature must be licensed Lighter Help Online Manual 144 DATALOGIC 6 1 Launching La
42. objects see Creating graphic layouts or Opening existing layouts 2 Doone of the following o On the vertical toolbar click on the Insert objects button and then in the horizontal ee IE toolbar that is displayed click on kts Code o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Insert gt Code 3 The Code is displayed in the work area By default the last code type is used but at first installation the linear bar code type 128 is displayed To change the symbol in the Property browser under Code symbol select Encoding gt Type then choose from the dropdown list the option that best fit your requirements See Codes properties for more information on the available codes 4 Use the Properties window to set other code parameters and the mouse and toolbars buttons to operate on it Tip or a quick reference on using toolbars in Laser Editor see Using toolbars tools amp Clicking a properties title in the Properties window and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties For further information on how to operate on objects see Common operations on objects 73 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 4 6 Setting the data restoring capability Information encoded on 2D codes can be recovered even if the mark is damaged and missing a portion This capability depends on how much redundant information your code contains and on the error correction level t
43. of the polygons based on both the scan head configuration X polygon Y Axis and the direction of the object to mark ordering Use the Scan Head Position window of the Wizard to set this parameter mm OF Measure unit either in mm or ms for the Start Delay parameter Distance in mm or delay in ms between the center of the marking field and the Proximity sensor Use the Start Delay window of the Wizard to calculate this value Start Delay mm or ms Settings Select this option if you want to mark the same layout repeatedly at a specific Continuous distance marking If an encoder is being used this value is in mm If you are using the simulation this value is in ms Distance The distance in mm between markings when the Continuous marking mode is mm enabled in 175 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 5 8 Setting the network parameters The network configuration window contains the following parameters Properties a Group Property Description Specify the name of the device used by Lighter in a Device Network remote mode environment It is useful when many Name laser are connected to the same network and you Ineed to recognize them Updates Send l Date Time Date T me the device Network If Use DHCP is set the IP address is assigned automatically check if your network support this capability a ai ea If Specify IP address m
44. or the Actions menu to quickly align flip space and dimension graphic objects Most of these functions are only enabled if more objects are selected in the graphic area In particular the spacing tools are only enabled if at least three objects are selected To adjust graphic objects e On the vertical toolbar click D to display the Adjust objects horizontal toolbar All commands are also available from the Actions menu e Use the following table as a reference Button Action Io Select at least two objects then click this button to align all objects to the leftmost i gt Align left one mi Select at least two objects then click this button to align all objects to the top level Align top one Select at least two objects then click this button to align all objects to the rightmost C Align right one Mu Select at least two objects then click this button to align all objects to the lowest Yu Align bottom one Select at least two objects then click this button to align all objects along the X axis Align center X eh Align center Y Select at least two objects then click this button to align all objects along the Y axis Select one or more objects then click this button to flip the object s horizontally If you select more objects they will be flipped both individually and in relation to each other Select one or more objects then click this button to flip the object s vertically If you sel
45. properties was set for the Get and Goes items Example Sequence Label Start 00 Wait Start hen See Ei Get and Go to P2 gt set and so gt Document Plane1 Sr rS EZ Get and Go to Start 2 Label P2 gt Document Plane2 fr Get and Go to Start 49 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJATALOGIC The following diagram shows how the program will be executed based on this sequence Wait Start Waits for users confirmation IfBitO is activated If Bit 0 is disactivated EE MERE REPRE S 2 ee ee ee ee ee EEE DER HERE Pee SE EER HERE M HE Jumps to Label P2 Ignores jump and marks Plane2 and marks Planet Jumps unconditionally to Start to Label Start To execute a sequence Sequences are executed as projects that is after you save a sequence to the device it will be executed at the Laser Engine level by activating the Auto Mode see Auto Manual working mode For further information on saving a sequence follow the instructions as described in section Saving layouts Lighter Help Online Manual 50 DATALOGIC 4 7 About graphic objects Once you have created a document you can compose the layout for laser engraving by e adding shapes circles rectangles or polygons e importing the following raster or vectorial graphics o vectorial PLT HPGL DXF DWG o raster B
46. rotation direction in rotary axis Mechanical zero Zero Logic zero 6 6 2 Using the X Y or Rotor Axis tabs for axis management Attention These tabs are only available if axes are enabled at the laser configuration level see Setting the X Y Z and Rotor Axes parameters Fields on the tabs are only available if the Local control and the Manual mode are activated See Switching between working modes X Y and Rotor axis are the linear and rotary mechanical axes used to position objects under the laser via step motor control See Mechanical axis management for further information By using these tabs you can control axes movements and objects position on the working plane To manage axes The example below describes how to use the X Y Axis tab to check and manage the linear mechanical axes Using the Home Search command button results in the axis motor moving so as to reach the proximity sensor The meaning of the fields on the Rotor Axis tab is identical Lighter Help Online Manual 178 DATALOGIC 1 Select the X Y or Rotor Axis tab of Laser Engine depending on which axis you are moving Dewice Status XYAis Zax Rotoraxs emess C XAK Z 0 00 Y 0 i Home Flag Minimum Position 200 Maximum Postion 300 Current Position 0 00 T A Home Flag Pinimur Position 1 000 Maximum Postion 1000 Current Position 0 00 ie The example above represents a
47. supported e acomplete Array feature specially designed for Integrated Circuits IC marking e interactive marking time evaluation function e marking order optimization feature e mark preview capability implemented at scripting editor level too e undo redo capabilities For further information see Creating graphic layouts 2 1 1 2 New advanced features have been added e 4 axis motor control for rotary indexers Z axis Rotor axis X Y tables and so forth e Built in I O module for external equipment control e On the fly marking capabilities with a configuration wizard e Remote control of the marking process over Ethernet e User control and password management Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 2 1 1 3 A fully programmable application e Project Editor a new powerful programs editor has been added You can create your own programs and automation tools o update the layout contents at runtime o load and mark documents o collect data from external sources or database systems o build a custom user interface o use advanced debugging functions o and much more Project Editor is supplied with source files samples reference material and a context sensitive Help system 2 1 1 4 ActiveX interface licensed feature ActiveX interface has been added to Laser Engine This provides users that are familiar with Smartist ActiveX programming a similar way to easily write custom graphic interface on top of
48. that best fits the mechanical characteristics of the motor in use so as to prevent the motor from sliding You can use either steps or units as the unit of measure Start speed steps s Start speed units s Speed steps s The motor speed at the end of the acceleration ramp Speed units s The time employed by the acceleration ramp to go from minimum speed PAMP IMENE Start speed to working speed Speed The motor speed at the beginning of the acceleration ramp If set to True the same speed that you have set above will be used for Reset atsame axis reset home search speed If set to False some properties will appear below allowing you to enter a different soeed for the home search Reset start De ku Isteps s The motor speed at the beginning of the acceleration ramp during reset operation These parameters are displayed if the Reset at same speed Reset start value is set to False speed units s Reset speed l Des The motor speed at the end of the acceleration ramp during reset operation These parameters are displayed if the Reset at same speed Reset speed value is set to False units s The time employed to accelerate from minimum speed Reset Start Reset ramp time Speed to working speed Reset Speed Axis reset is performed at a ms different speed to seek for maximum precision These parameters are displayed if the Reset at same speed value is set to False Electromechani
49. that ranges from 21x21 to 177x177 modules This property allows setting the error correction level for the code which allows restoring data if the code is dirty or damaged To Size QRcode Size each level corresponds a higher data redundancy and a different restoration rate Default M evel L 7 of codewords can be restored evel M 15 of codewords can be restored evel Q 25 of codewords can be restored 0 evel H 30 of codewords can be restored B FE m O s D lt D r i ai alia gt W W D D 2 1 T T Lighter Help Online Manual 84 DATALOGIC Portable Data File 417 PDF417 is a multirow variable length stacked linear bar code It has high data capacity and high density and is widely used in the automotive industry A data density of up to 900 characters per square inch is possible The input data is always analyzed and the appropriate encoding mode is chosen automatically Mode switching is done as required to produce the most efficient encoding tandard lt has control bars on both left and right sides runcated It omits the right hand portion in order to save space to 30 columns Sets the number of data columns for the symbol This property allows setting the error correction level for the code which allows restoring data if the code is dirty or damaged To each level corresponds a higher data redundancy and a different restoration rate PDF 417 uses Red Solomon er
50. the Fly function to work properly it is mandatory that you set the A following parameter Laser Configuration gt Scan parameters gt Standby Position Center 169 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wWDATALOGIC By clicking Marking on the Fly in the Laser Configuration window the following configuration window opens Marking on the Fly Confipuration Note that a Wizard is provided that guides you through the correct setup of hardware connections and parameters that control this function See Parameters description for a description of all parameters The following describes how the Wizard is to be used 6 5 7 4 Using the Wizard 1 In the Marking on the fly configuration window click Wizard The first window displays that allows checking the hardware and cable connections Hardware and cables connection Welcome to he Mark on Fy configuration wizard This wizard will drive you trough the system configuration for optimal marking on moving targets This page will help you check that hardware and connections are working property Follow the instructions in this box to complete the set up procedure a Power on the transport beit I the encoder is properly connected the gear image should animate If it does not check the connections b F your system does not have an encoder select the checkbox to simulate encoder signals c Activate the extemal start signal and verify that the LED tums gr
51. the output button is still grey something is wrong in your connections e When the Ready button is green and activated it indicates that the device is ready for the marking operation 193 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wDATALOGIC Lighter Help Online Manual 194 DATALOGIC 195 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Headquarters Via Lavino 265 40050 Monte San Pietro Bologna Italy Tel 39 051 6765611 Fax 39 051 6759324 Purchasing Dept Fax 39 051 6765499 info automation it datalogic com Laser Marking operation officies Donnas Reg Gurey via Le Gorrey 10 11020 Donnas AO ITALY Tel 39 0125 8128201 Fax 39 0125 8128401 Sesto Calende Via dell Industria 20 21018 Sesto Calende VA ITALY Tel 39 0331 9180601 Fax 39 0331 9180801
52. time see Delays parameters is applied only on the first engraving pen down diode sources e Always Power Change Time is applied to every level variation lamp sources Base ink It allows enabling disabling the communication with the external device so as to check its state before marking If it is set to False the check is not diagnostic performed Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC If this property is set to True you will then be able to set to 0 the Frequency parameter The Frequency parameter is used to adjust the laser output Enable frequency by directly operating on the Q switch it can be set at documents continuous or objects level See Laser properties for documents emission The Q switch is an electro optical system which controls the opacity of a lens making it possible to change the laser beam frequency Setting to O the Frequency parameter prevents the emission from being discontinuous Power level signal controls the electrical current fed to the laser diode the higher the current the higher the power emitted It is expressed as a percentage of the maximum Min Level Minimum allowed power level signal This is the value the software uses when the user sets to 0 the laser power Thermal l Levels i V Level Level signal the laser moves to when standing by Max Level Maximum allowed level signal This is the value the software uses when the user sets 100 la
53. tools allow assembling objects either if they overlap or not into a single object so they can be moved or transformed as a group Single objects keep their properties The Ungroup tool can be used to reverse the grouped object back to individual objects 2 The Union Intersection Difference and Exclusion tools allow assembling vectorial objects so that their constituting polygons are merged into a new vectorial object You can edit vectors The Undo button can be used to reverse the operation The filling properties of the resulting object is taken from the first selected one If this filling can t be applied to all the objects in the selection it is taken from the next one If none of these fillings is possible it will be the first one from the common filling list Other options are disabled by the user interface To use the grouping tools e Select more objects in the graphic area e On the vertical toolbar click D to display the Objects operations horizontal toolbar e Select the desired toolbar button All commands are also available from the Actions menu The following table shows examples of how tools are used Grouping tool Result In this example we have two overlapping objects The black star is the first selected object We drag the mouse to select both objects amp Group selection As a result the two stars are assembled in a single object so that they can be moved or transformed as a group The single obj
54. used to encode large quantities of data The input data is always analyzed and the appropriate encoding mode is chosen automatically Mode switching is done as required to produce the most efficient encoding The MSI Code is a variant of the Plessey Code MSI uses various check digit calculation methods Lighter implemented the 2 most common used MicroPDF417 NVE stands for Nummer der Versandeinheit a German term for tracking number This code uses an EAN 128 symbology with a prefixed Application Identifier Al 00 The Al 00 is inserted automatically and must not be included in the input data It is similar to SSCC 18 This code was invented by Laetus It is used in pharmaceutical Pharmacode Ere ae The data for the bars spaces is encoded directly in the property Text lt lt m e 0 is used for a narrow bar the width of these bars are enlarged after a color change according to ratio 1C One Track 1 is used for a wide bar the width of these bars are Subtype enlarged after a color change according to ratio 2C b is used for a narrow bar c is used for a wide bar Pharmacode assigns numeric values to the bars It is used for Two Track lmedicine packing in pharmaceutically area for small labels Usually Pharmacode is printed without a human readable text This code was developed for the United States Postal Services It is a 3 of 5 variant of the Postnet barcode I
55. variable text that includes an incremental counter To do so you can e Use special character sequences to associate a counter to a specific string Note Use of this type of counter is maintained for legacy software support only You should avoid using A it in new projects This counter is deprecated in favour of global variables Using such counters from the Editor may result in a value presentation not aligned with the one in use from the Engine e Create a global variable so as to save the counter at the device level and then use proper special character sequences to associate it to more strings and or documents See section Using global variables To use special character sequences to create a counter This procedure describes how to use special character sequences to associate a counter to a specific string into a specific document To create a variable that you can share between more strings and or document as well save at a device level please refer to section Using global variables on page 133 1 Adda text string to the document see Adding a Text string 2 In the Properties window under String select the Textbox and then enter the desired special character sequence depending on the type of counter you want to create Use the following table as a reference Table 2 Special character sequences for counters Special character C lt Mn Counter decimal format It can be associated to a Counter
56. 128 It has an FNC1 character at the 1st position after the start code This allows scanners and data processing software to differentiate EAN 128 from other symbologies The EAN 128 code is in wide spread use retail logistics food and beverage etc It is used for marking transport units in supply chains Besides the article number it encodes quantities weights prices dates and other information in a structured way This is supported by the use of so called Application Identifiers Als see chapter 5 Subtype 28 et a SE N gr CO Q3 79 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Text String 5 set to True displays and marks the human readable Flattermarken This is a special barcode used for recognizing the correct sequence of pages in print shops GS1 DataBar is used to encode the GTIN Global Trade Item Number with Application identifier Al O1 The GTIN consists of a packaging indicator 0 9 followed by a 12 digit number taken from the EAN 13 article number system followed by a check digit The check digit on the 14 position is computed automatically if not provided in the input data The height of the symbol should be at least 33X in order to Standard support omnidirectional scanning X module width TEC IT software prefixes the barcode data with the Al 01 automatically do not provide the Al 01 with your input data This symbology is similar to GS1
57. 181 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC About the precision level you can reach This wizard implements a mathematical algorithm model for the scanner lens system Data provided by the user is used to fine tune the algorithm parameters in order to best fit desired precision results Obtainable precision depends on multiple factors mechanical tolerances quality of lens dimension of the area being tuned precision of the instrument used for taking measures and finally type of layout engraved Lens quality affects its deformation especially at field s margins The higher the quality of the lens the more linear its behavior in the entire field Non linear lens are more difficult to model and show unexpected responses at filed margins The smaller the area being tuned the higher the precision This depends on two factors lens behavior is more linear in the center of the filed and all other things being equal a higher data density is provided to the algorithm after measurement Precision of the instrument affects precision of the data used by the algorithm this is the reason why the most complex layouts are described as microscope a microscope with micrometric X Y positioning or similar instrument is suggested if you want to use these layout To launch the Lens Correction Wizard Tip During the wizard you can use the Correction menu of the wizard e Choose Correction gt Restart to cancel what you ha
58. 3 mms usually no plain text is displayed The newer USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode or IM Barcode 4 State Customer Barcode additionally includes a 20 digits tracking code Encoded are a 5 digit ZIP code and 4 to 9 additional digits The check digit is calculated automatically It cannot be specified in the input data The barcode height should be adjusted to 3 2 mms the module width to 0 423 mms usually no plain text is displayed The newer USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode or IM Barcode 4 State Customer Barcode additionally includes a 20 digits tracking code Same as Posinet 11 but the check digit can be specified freely Postnet 12 the 12 digit To be used only ifthe check digit is already part of the input data Postnet 11 83 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC VIN FIN Code is used for vehicle identification It is based on Code 39 but does not contain start and stop characters The set of valid characters consists of digits and upper case letters The letters I O and Q are not allowed because they could be easily mixed up with the digits 0 and 1 VIN FIN VIN FIN Code is implemented differently in Europe and North America Both kinds are compatible but the North American version is defined more strictly So the check digit calculation method is only valid for the North American implementation of the code Linear bar code with multiple thickness It is
59. DATALOGIC 2 1 About Laser Editor Laser Editor is the ultimate laser marking software suite that allows users to easily mark etch or engrave product identification information such as 2D matrix codes linear barcodes postal codes stacked bar codes text including any industry standard font formats alpha numeric serial numbers date codes part numbers graphics and logos in any production environment Laser Editor represents an evolution of the development undertaken with the previous program Smartist Laser Editor is a complete laser marking system that can be used for e graphic layouts editing e laser devices fine tuning and control including an integrated I O module for axis management that allows integration into a production line or other marking equipment e fully customization by creating automated procedures e easy integration into assembly lines with or without PC 2 1 1 What s new in Laser Editor Laser Editor has a new smart and intuitive graphic interface which has been localized into several languages A context sensitive help system guides you through the procedures for creating and marking your layouts Furthermore new powerful and flexible features have been added 2 1 1 1 New graphic editing features have been added including but not limited to e improved vectors editing capabilities e advanced vectorial processing features for automated editing of nodes e new import filters e advanced filling patterns are
60. Editor menu bar choose File gt Save to Device or press on the toolbar 2 In the Save document as window that is displayed select from the Devices dropdown list the device you are sending the layout to 3 Enter a name for the document and click OK This is the name that will be used in the Project Editor to write a program to upload the document send it to the engraver in an automated way Note The Project Editor is a tool integrated into Laser Editor that allows creating customized A programs To access it choose File gt Project Editor The tool has its own context sensitive Help and it is used to automate marking procedures or to update the layout contents at runtime Default programs and easy to use examples are provided with the tool Lighter Help Online Manual 142 wJATALOGIC 143 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual w JATALOGIC F 6 LASER ENGINE USER INTERFACE This chapter describes how to use Laser Engine which is an application that is provided with Laser Editor and allows operating on the laser device The interface allows previewing how a document or project that was saved to the device will be marked as well as performing many other fine tuning operations before marking Laser Engine can be installed with Laser Editor or independently and available buttons or functions may differ depending on the installation type that you have chosen when installing Laser Editor For further
61. GS1 Databar Omni GS1 Databar Stacked GS1 Databar Expanded Lighter Help Online Manual 72 DATALOGIC 4 7 4 4 About two dimensional 2D codes A two dimensional 2D code also known as matrix code is built on a true 2 D matrix It is a two dimensional way of representing information whose primary advantage is the ability to encode a lot of information in a small space A 2D code contains information in both the vertical and horizontal directions whereas a bar code contains data in one direction only Information encoded in a 2D matrix code symbol can be recovered even if the mark is damaged and missing a portion This capability depends on how much redundant information your code contains and on the error correction level see Setting the data restoring capability Matrix codes are made up of a pattern of cells that can be dot square as in the Datamatrix 2D code here below hexagonal or circular in shape like the MaxiCode code shown here below 123456abcO Available 2D codes in Laser Editor The Encoding Type property of the Code allows selecting the desired 2D Code from the dropdown list Note 7 For further information on properties and for a description of the available codes select the Encoding properties title and press F1 to display the relevant Help topic e Datamatrix e QRcode e MicroQRcode 4 7 4 5 Adding a code To add a code 1 Create or open a document to enable the insertion of
62. Help that relates to what you are doing as well as to display information on each properties group as illustrated in the following example where a String object has been added to a plane document re ee oo oe er mn at Ee Ta I T TEF S Press these buttons to displa the toc bars ae ae he rh ol ia ol Lighter Help Online Manual 32 DATALOGIC 4 3 About documents In Laser Editor a document can be referred to as a container for graphic objects that compose the layout to be engraved The document s area corresponds to the engraving laser work area Laser Editor provides two types of documents that you can use depending on your engraving needs e Plane documents are used for vectorial or raster engraving on flat surfaces e Ring documents are used for vectorial or raster engraving on cylindrical surfaces When you install Laser Editor it is necessary to be connected to the Laser Engine that is to a laser source in order to be able to create new documents If you are operating in a standalone station the Laser Engine is launched automatically while if you are operating on a network you need to manually connect to the Laser Engine at least once Otherwise you will only be able to edit existing documents When creating e new document default parameters are used to set the laser source the dimensions of the graphic work area and so forth these are the parameters that have been set fo
63. Icon Device Device Status Meaning o FF The laser is OFF or disconnected This status means that the VLASE is connected no error is detected but it cannot be used Possible reasons are WARNING e key sequence is incorrect e emergency has been activated e the laser is warming up amp Tip For a detailed description as well as for troubleshooting warnings please refer to the manual provided by your laser source s manufacturer war The laser is waiting for input amp BY orl READY The laser is in stand by or it is ready and the shutter is closed 6 READY The laser is ready to be used BUSY The laser device is in an error status ERROR When the error status is detected neither documents nor projects can be sent to marking The laser is currently marking G Tip For a detailed description as well as for troubleshooting error conditions please refer to the manual provided by your laser source s manufacturer Lighter Help Online Manual 188 DATALOGIC 6 10 Understanding the log file Minimize Show Aas on top Liser management Global variables View log System test Laser configuration Lens correction v start in auto mode Start in remote mode The View log shortcut menu command of the Laser Engine interface lists all actions that have occurred so allowing to correct any problem that might occur The default size for the log file is set at Laser Editor level
64. If selected inverts the X axis so as to change the field orientation Default Invert X deselected If selected inverts the Y axis so as to change the field orientation Invert Y Default deselected Diameter Sets the size of the external or internal diameter for a ring document ana Note You will then be able to change the settings at a document level by editing the Properties window for the active document See Setting language measurement unit and graphical effects General page 4 Click OK to implement your settings Lighter Help Online Manual 24 DATALOGIC 3 3 3 Setting the laser parameters Laser page This window allows you to specify the laser device to which you are connecting as well as the lens and marking technique Important note The parameters that you set in this window will be the default parameters for Laser Editor However you can still set different parameters at a document level see About documents Liai To set the laser parameters 1 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Configuration The Default parameters configuration window is displayed 2 Inthe left pane of the window select Laser 3 Set the appropriate parameters using the following table as a reference Group box Parameter Description If you have a Stand alone installation it lists the laser source to which you are currently connected If you have a Supervisor installation
65. Laser Engine without dealing with the details of low level laser controlling Note A Plugins are not available when using ActiveX For more details please refer to the Project Editor online documentation chapter Language reference 2 1 1 5 Related topics e Laser Editor s User Interface quick reference Lighter Help Online Manual 10 CHAPTER 2 2 2 Laser Editor s User Interface quick reference This section provides an overview of the Laser Editor User Interface to be used as a quick reference and in particular e Work environment How the Laser Editor s environment is organized e Using toolbars tools A quick overview of the available toolbars buttons 2 2 1 Work environment The picture below shows the main window of Laser Editor when you access it C Edt Wiem Adions Loser Window Hep ag D ER rE B U TEN KA a undalrede commences lest 2 x O bmects ma krg order ex Properties a x Property Ya For a more detailed description of how to display hide or dock the components of the work environment of Laser Editor please refer to Setting your work environment Area Description Menu bar with all the Laser Editor commands Toolbars with the tools that allow you to e draw and manage the engraving layout see Using toolbars tools e interact with the laser device see Laser toolbar e manage user rights on the system functions see Laser En
66. Left Top or Right Bottom Furthermore you can set a Custom origin in this case you should enter new values for the X Y coordinates X Position Sets the X coordinate horizontal of the new origin in relation to the default position that is the Center of the document Y Position Sets the Y coordinate vertical of the new origin in relation to the default position that is the Center of the document Invert X If it is set to True inverts the X axis so as to change the field orientation Axis Default False Invert Y lf it is set to True inverts the Y axis so as to change the field orientation Axis Default False Origin 43 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Defines the width of the sector The sector represents a portion of the working area to be engraved within a single movement of the rotating axis The 0 value default provides the highest level of quality to each polygon is associated a movement of the rotating axis so that the portion being marked is Advanced Secors ze always placed on the center of the marking area Greater value results in a shorter total marking time but might impact quality Note that the sector size can t exceed the portion of the area which is in focus this is based on the laser s depth of focus If you set a greater value the application ignores it and uses the maximum allowed value instead based on the depth of focus of your laser It is used in associ
67. MP JPEG GIF PNG TIF e creating text strings matrix codes bar codes or arrays For further information The following sections describe how to work with objects in Laser Editor e Common objects properties e Working with simple vectorial objects e Using Text strings e Using Codes e Using Arrays e Importing graphic objects e Using the tiling function e Understanding objects colour in the work area e Common operations on objects 4 7 1 Common objects properties Tip The Properties window supports context sensitive Help During layout editing selecting a properties title for example Geometry and then pressing F1 opens the context Help for those properties For further information on how to operate on objects using properties see Common operations on objects Properties that are specific to each object or to documents are described in the relevant section The tables that follow describe the Geometry Laser Filling and Clone properties which are common among graphic objects 4 7 1 1 Geometry properties for Objects The following table describes the Geometry properties that allow enabling disabling objects resizing rotating and skewing them as well as changing the objects position These properties are displayed when an object is selected in the work area Notes For a quick rough sizing rotating and positioning of an object you might use your mouse See Using the mouse to select and manipulate o
68. Optimizing the objects marking order for more information 17 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 2 2 2 6 Zoom toolbar This toolbar is displayed after pressing the A Zoom button on the vertical toolbar It allows displaying the whole graphic area on the screen or a greatly enlarged detail of a particular part See Zooming for more information Button Description In It allows gradually zooming the whole graphic area Same as menu command View gt In Out It allows gradually reducing the zoom Same as menu command View gt Out _ Selection It allows zooming in the selected object s so that it fits the entire graphic area To return to the original graphic area click on Zoom page Same as menu command View gt Selection Q Page It allows restoring the original graphic area Same as menu command View gt Page Window Window It allows zooming a specific area in the drawing Same as menu command View gt 2 2 2 Laser toolbar This toolbar is always displayed It allows interacting with the laser device For further information see Performing the engraving operation for more information Button Description Connect to device This button is only available if you have a Supervisor installation of Laser Editor see Installation types and connection modes It displays the window that allows you to connect to a laser device either locally or remotely Same as
69. PS OneCode Solution Barcode The barcode data consists of Routing Information and Tracking Information The Routing Information is optional It is not printed in the human visible text and consists of e Postal Code Application Identifier Al always 420 e Destination ZIP Code 5 or 9 digits Encoded are a 5 digit ZIP code The check digit is calculated automatically It cannot be specified in the input data The barcode height should be adjusted to 3 2 mms the module width to 0 423 mms usually no plain text is displayed The newer USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode or IM Barcode 4 State Customer Barcode additionally includes a 20 digits tracking code Same as Postnet 5 but the check digit can be specified freely the 6 digit To be used only if the check digit is already part of the input data Subtype Encoded are a 5 digit ZIP code and 4 additional digits The check digit is computed automatically it cannot be specified in the input data Posinet 9 The barcode height should be adjusted to 3 2 mms the module width to 0 423 mms usually no plain text is displayed The newer USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode or IM Barcode 4 State Customer Barcode additionally includes a 20 digits tracking code Encoded are a 5 digit ZIP code and 4 additional digits The check digit is computed automatically it cannot be specified in the input data Posinet 10 The barcode height should be adjusted to 3 2 mms the module width to 0 42
70. Width _ between the thickness of the wide element and that of the narrow one The Zu higher the ratio the bigger the symbol which impacts on the scanner s reading capabilities Default 200 If it is set to True enables the bar code engraving in reverse Reverse bar code engraving should only be done on those materials where the laser marks white or black The bar code standard does not include reverse coding Visible only if Reverse is set to True Immediately preceding the start character and following the stop character is an area of no markings called the quiet zone The quiet zone helps the scanner find the leading edge of the bar code so reading can begin The Counter group enables creating a variable text that includes an incremental counter see Making a text string to include an incremental counter tart The minimum value for the counter top The maximum value for the counter Counter urrent The current value of the counter as it appears in the string Reverse True or False Quiet zone tep Increment value positive or negative The number of times the counter will be marked before it is incremented by one step The minimum number of digits to be displayed Cycles AAA Q Formatters are source files that are supplied with Project Editor These files can be used as functions libraries Their purpose is to make it easier for developers to create custom applications For example as an
71. a code This filling option results in faster marking times and it is recommended in industrial environments 4 7 1 4 Clone properties for Objects The following properties are displayed when you select an object in the work area Notes Ei n Clone properties do not apply to the Array object or the imported graphics Cloneproperties Description This property is used to repeat graphic object to a different position Inparticular the clone can be done with e Number of clones e Offset Clonesnumber Sets the number of clone objects in X and Y coordinates Offset Sets the distance between objects in X and Y position Clones 55 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 2 Working with simple vectorial objects Window iente Coke che si iF Sequence Lae Group selection at Merge selection The Circle Rectangle Poly and Lines toolbar buttons as well as the Actions menu allow inserting in your layout simple vectorial shapes that can be easily manipulated by editing the vectors See Starting nodes editing A vectorial object like this uses lines and curves called vectors to describe the image In laser engraving a vectorial graphic is faster in engraving and more defined in terms of outline lines and filling Furthermore you can use the Properties window the toolbars or the mouse to resize adjust group space shear tile fill the shapes and so forth Tips Fo
72. a self checking PC i numeric code Checksum required C Subtype f selected the code can contain up to 10 digit numeric f selected the code can contain up to 6 digit numeric True or D x ep gt TI m D If it is set to True displays and marks the human readable string Two dimensional matrix code consisting of black and white square modules arranged in either a square or rectangular pattern lt can encode up to 3 116 characters from the entire ASCII character set with extensions This property allows setting the Datamatrix size to fix the code dimension For further information see Setting the data restoring capability Square Best Sets the smaller squared dimension according the information to i be encoded Rectangular Sets the smaller rectangular dimension according the information i to be encoded 10x10 to Allows specifying a dimension that ranges from 10x10 to 48x48 48x16 modules for the squared size and from 18x8 to 48x16 modules for the rectangular size Quick Response QR code is a two dimensional matrix code Large capacity small printout size high speed scan This property allows setting the QRCode size for redundancy purposes Each version has a different number of modules For further information see Setting the data restoring capability Sets the smaller dimension 21x21 for the information to be encoded Version 1 to Allows specifying a dimension
73. acter Result sequence a A Day of the week abbreviated a or full A 0 of the week abbreviated a or full A b B Month of the year abbreviated b or full c Date and time according to current location lod Day of the month decimal number 01 31 H Time 24 hour clock format 00 23 ll Time 12 hour clock format 01 12 j Day of the year decimal number 001 366 m Month of the year decimal number 01 12 lM Minutes decimal number 00 59 p A M P M indicator S Seconds decimal number 00 59 Lighter Help Online Manual 60 DATALOGIC U Week of the year decimal number 00 51 Sunday is the first day of the week w Day of the week decimal number 1 7 Sunday 1 W Week of the year decimal number 01 52 Monday is the first day of the week ox Date according to current location man X Time according to current location y Year two digit decimal number 00 99 Y Year four digit decimal number mw lez L Time zone name Z or abbreviation z 3 Percentage sign mama Percentage sign followed by an ID string that allows copying the content of a string into ID another string for dynamic update See Dynamically managing strings that share contents for further information Onto Long date and time representation appropriate for current locale For example i Tuesday April 1 2008 12 41 29 5 Long date representation appropriate for current locale Fo
74. adus as Z axis position Logic Zero Rotor For correct operation set the logic zero of axis Z in the revolution center Logic zero is the focus position on the item to be engraved Lighter Help Online Manual 44 DATALOGIC 4 4 Opening existing layouts You can open layouts that is x1p Laser documents that you have previously saved for further editing or for sending them to the engraver You can open a layout that was saved locally or a layout that was saved to a device For further information see e Opening a layout on your PC e Opening a layout from a device 4 4 1 Opening a layout on your PC 1 Do one of the following o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Open o From the Laser Editor standard toolbar click the jr Open button 2 In the Choose a document to open window that is displayed browse to locate the x1p Laser document you want to open 3 Click on Open The selected document is displayed in the work area of Laser Editor 4 4 2 Opening a layout from a device This function allows you to open a laser document that you have previously saved to the laser device for further editing 1 Do one of the following o From the Laser Editor toolbar click the gt Open from device button o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Open from device 2 In the Choose a document to open window that is displayed select from the Devices dropdown list the device to which the docume
75. aligning the selected objects along the Y axis Same as menu command Actions gt Align gt Align center Y es Flip horizontally It allows flipping the selected object s horizontally Same as menu command Actions gt Flip gt Flip horizontally Flip vertically It allows flipping the selected object s vertically Same as menu command Actions gt Flip gt Flip vertically Ati Space horizontally It allows spacing the selected objects evenly across Same as menu DA j JHA command Actions gt Spacing gt Space horizontally E Space vertically It allows spacing the selected objects evenly down Same as menu command gt Actions gt Spacing gt Space vertically Make same size It allows making the same size for the selected objects Same as menu command Actions gt Size gt Make same size Make same width It allows making the same width for the selected objects Same as menu command Actions gt Size gt Make same width Make same height It allows making the same height for the selected objects Same as menu command Actions gt Size gt Make same height g Restore transformations It allows restoring the selected object s to its original size or orientation J Same as menu command Actions gt Size gt Restore transformation Marking order It allows optimizing the order in which the objects will be engraved Same as menu command Actions gt Marking order See
76. all double lines 11 Make the object vectorial by double clicking it and check the nodes again All nodes will now be closed and double lines will not exist anymore 12 To check the marking results apply the fillings again and then select Mark preview from the Actions menu The following pictures show the results of both fillings Marking result with Pocketing filling The object will now be marked as expected showing closed and well oriented polygons 103 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 6 5 Imported graphics properties The Properties window supports context sensitive Help During layout editing selecting a properties title for example Geometry and then pressing F1 opens the context Help for those properties Tips Refer to section Common operations on objects for further information on how to use properties to perform specific operations on the object Refer to section Importing graphic objects for more information on imported objects Group Property Description eee Brightness It allows adjusting the brightness of a bitmap Contrast It allows adjusting the contrast of a bitmap Resolution It allows changing the resolution of the image expressed in dots per inch If itis set to True specifies the reverse engraving for the imported bitmap Reverse Image Gray tones Converts the image in dithering to gra
77. amelels rennen 133 5 1 1 USA More engraving TUNS nee ae nee 133 5 1 2 Using the Wobble function to engrave with thicker lines s 44444444nee nn nennen 134 5 2 ISDA VIG TNS TIMMINS esse ae ea ee eu ee Renee 136 5 3 Simulating the Marking OPELAatiONS ccccceeeseccceeeccsseeseeeceeeeeceaeeeeceeeeeseaeseeceeeeessseaaeeeeeeeeessaaageses 138 5 4 Connecting to the laser device riccictvcsnusbsasasaanerivnnnedusarmopaisannuriansnvans cdavertonmasadidvsauaeteigecranendvdebentwexs 140 5 5 AT KIO ee ee ee ee ee E 141 5 5 1 Auto mode vs Manual OCS sense ea aan 141 5 5 2 Sending the layout to marking cccccccccecceessseeceeeeeseeeeeeceeeeeeseeeseeeeeeesssaeeeeeceeeesssseageeeeeeees 142 6 LASER ENGINE USER INTERFACE een nein ee ee 144 6 1 Launiching Laser ENGINE a nannte een meine 145 6 2 User interface OVEIVICW cccccssesccccceseecceccseueececccsausececeeseaeeeeeeeaueeecessuuecesessaueceessaeeeeessananeeeeseaas 146 6 2 1 Main window elements 02222420024000000000n0 nennen nnnnnnnnnnnnnn nennen nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnennennnnnn 146 6 2 2 MENE OO NS Sec nee ee ee ee 148 6 2 3 SHOFLCUL MENU COMMaNndSszarsen nee ee enge 149 6 3 Managing users and access SIQHtS cccccccseeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeeeeeeeeeeeaeeaeeeeeeeeseaaeaceeeeeeesaaaceeeeeeseeseaeaas 150 6 4 Switching between working Modes ccccccssssssecceeeeeesseeeceeeeeeeeausceeeeeeeseaeseeeeeeeessneaeeeeeseeessaaaaaees 154 6 4 1 LOCA REMOTE control
78. ameters for the documents that you will create 3 Make the desired changes using the following table Group box Parameter Description Width Sets the width of the work area for a plane document Plane Height Sets the height of the work area for a plane document IMarginX Sets the width of the margins in the work area for a plane document MarginY Sets the height of the margins in the work area for a plane document Thickness Sets the height of the ring or cylinder for a ring document Margin Y Sets the width of the margins in the work area for a ring document Enable grid lf selected displays the grid in the work area Default selected Grid settings Snap to grid lf selected enables the objects snap to the grid Default deselected Grid step It allows setting the grid spacing The default origin for the Cartesian coordinates x y that are used as the reference point Their origin is set by default to 0 0 Center Origin The dropdown list allows you to select an origin other than Center such position as Left Top or Right Bottom Furthermore you can set a Custom origin in this case enter new values for the X Y coordinates Origin and Origin X Sets the X coordinate horizontal of the new origin in relation to the i default position that is the Center of the document Oriain Y Sets the Y coordinate vertical of the new origin in relation to the default I position that is the Center of the document
79. anipulate objects amp For information on how to operate on graphics please refer to Common operations on objects Clicking a properties title in the Properties window and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties The following sections describe how to work with imported graphics Raster graphics vs Vectorial graphics Importing a file into Laser Editor Setting the Filter Options DwG and DXF fles Using Advanced Processing options Imported graphics properties 4 7 6 1 Raster graphics vs Vectorial graphics Laser Editor allows editing and importing two dimensional vectorial graphics and also importing and editing bitmap graphics created with other applications About raster graphics bmp gift Jpg Ping tit Raster graphics describe images using colored dots called Pixels located within a grid The image is described by the specific position and color of every pixel in the grid and the creation process is very similar to that of a mosaic When you edit a raster graphic the pixels are edited rather than the lines and curves The raster graphics change with resolution as the data which describes the image is fixed in a grid with specific dimensions Editing raster graphics can change their quality In particular resizing may make the edges of the image irregular since the pixels within the grid are redistributed In addition displaying raster graphics on an output device with
80. anually is set you have to ask your network administrator for the appropriate IP settings tocala IP Address IP Address of device connection Subnet Mask Subnet Mask Default in Default Gateway Preferred DNS Preferred DNS Server Server Alternate DNS Alternate DNS Server server Lighter Help Online Manual 176 DATALOGIC 6 6 Managing axis and executing the laser test Note The X Y Axis Z Axis and Rotor Axis tabs of the Laser Engine interface are only available if the A laser is compliant and properly configured that is if axis have enabled at the laser configuration level see Setting the X Y Z and Rotor Axes parameters In particular the Rotor Axis tab is only available if a rings separator is installed on your device Laser Engine provides you with a graphical user interface for directly manage axes movements which are controlled by step motors You can move an axis either by setting axis parameters or by using the arrow keys on your keyboard For further information Topic Contents Mechanical axis management A brief technical description of how the software manages axis j s s oing the AY or Rotor Axis tabs the A 1 01 Mole AXIS IALS How to manage the linear or rotary mechanical axis of your device or axis management Using the Z Axis tab for axis How to manage the mechanical axis that allows focusing on different management and laser test level
81. as menu command Actions gt Insert gt Rectangle F Poly It allows inserting a polygon into the current document Same as menu command J Actions gt Insert gt Poly A Lines It allows inserting a line into the current document Same as menu command Actions gt Insert gt Lines 15 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJATALOGIC 2 2 2 4 Objects Operation toolbar This toolbar is displayed after pressing the m Objects Operation button on the vertical toolbar It allows operating on objects such as for example grouping ungrouping objects editing vectors and so forth See Grouping merging or joining objects for more information Button Description Group selection It allows grouping the selected objects in a single object Single objects keep D their properties but the transformation and movement operations involve all grouped objects i Same as menu command Actions gt Group selection Merge selection It allows assembling two or more objects in a single object Single objects keep amp their properties with the exception of laser and filling properties Same as menu command Actions gt Merge selection 2 Ungroup selection It allows disassembling grouped or merged objects so they can be moved or changed individually Same as menu command Actions gt Ungroup selection Union It allows assembling vectorial objects so that their constituting polygons are m
82. ased on the laser s depth of focus The 0 value default provides a high level of quality A single movement will be made for each polygon and the polygon will be centered in its belonging sector With tilable objects you might set a value smaller than O for high precision needs Note that smaller value results in longer marking time b The Sector Gap property allows to further fine tune the tiling operation If it is set to O default only one cut will be used for both the left and right objects If the value is lower than 0 two cuts will be used to either overlap the polygons left and right borders or to leave a space between them Note that this setting is based on the laser s depth of focus as well as on the mechanical precision of the rotor 6 Save your layout Lighter Help Online Manual 106 DATALOGIC 4 7 8 Understanding objects colour in the work area The objects in the work area can take on different colours depending on their status or characteristics as illustrated in the picture Laser Editor hasr Editor i E 1 i i 4 i 1 i E i i i i i i i i i J i E E E E E ii E ii 1 1 i il E 1 1 i E i i 1 i P i i i i i i i i E 1 E E E i E i i u 1 1 1 i 1 i 17 i 1 Eee Hmm mm mm m m om Hm HE HE ME SS SS gt SE N EM HET HM MM HH Me a SYS SS N MC FT MH SMS Om n Laser Editor BEB aE EEEn Em a a a a a u ee
83. aser Engine will appear on the list of available laser sources for remote connection e From Laser Editor an authorized operator with a Supervision installation clicks the Connect to device button and then selects the laser source from the list that is displayed See Connecting to the laser device 6 4 2 Auto Manual working mode Notes This button is only available if the Local control has been activated see Local Remote control The Auto Manual button of the Laser Engine left Menu allows switching between working modes The button is toggle Move the pointer over it to see the current selection In the figure below the Manual mode is activated 155 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJATALOGIC For further information please see chapter Performing the engraving operations section Auto mode vs Manual mode You can set the Auto mode as the default working mode that is as the mode that will be used at Laser Engine startup To set the Auto mode as the default working mode 1 Right click the Laser Engine icon on the Windows applications bar 2 On the shortcut menu that appears click Start in auto mode to set it as the default mode Note that the menu command is now checked View log System test Laser configuration 3 To deselect the default mode click it Lighter Help Online Manual 156 DATALOGIC 6 5 Configuring the laser parameters
84. aser device e Send marking 137 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC F 5 3 Simulating the marking operations Laser Editor can be used to simulate the engraving results that is when you are finished creating the layout you can test the engraving via a video graphic simulator before sending it to the device for marking Tip amp To verify the final result of your layout as well as its marking time you can use the Mark preview function menu File gt Mark preview For further information see Marking preview If you are not connected to a device pressing F5 or Send Marking which would otherwise start the laser engraving results in a graphic window being displayed which simulates the engraving operation The simulation maintains all the speed filling wobble or other parameters set in the document Attention The simulation can only be done in Manual Mode In Auto Mode the feature is not available and hs the laser engraving is managed automatically through the Laser Engine see Auto mode vs Manual mode Note that when in Auto Mode the Simulator button is pressed meaning that the device is working in simulation To simulate the engraving 1 Be sure that you have activated the Manual Mode To activate it do one of the following w o Select co Switch to Manual Mode from the toolbar of Laser Editor o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Laser gt Switch to Manual Mode Note This is
85. ation with the Sector Size property and the Tilable property for vectorial objects It allows fine tuning the marking results When you apply the Tillable property to an object the following occur e The object is separated into its constituting polygons e Ifa polygon is larger than the sector and it is closed algorithm won t work Sector Gap if the figure is open Laser Engine will try to slice it in portions whose dimension is equal to the ring s sector to be marked If it is set to 0 only one cut line is used between the two sectors left and right borders while if it is lt 0 two cut lines are used allowing you to overlap or separate the borders as needed For a detailed description of how the Tillable property works see Using the tiling function The slant angle of the rotating axis expressed in degrees Possible values 0 to Angle 60 Reset axis at the end of lf itis set to True it brings the rotor to its initial position at the end of engraving execution If it is set to True allows setting the focus as ring radius independent This means that being the rings separator fixed if the ring radius changes the Z axis must change accordingly in order to focus the area to be engraved Enabling this function you only need to focus the revolution center then the system will automatically control the Z axis so as to set the focus accordingly to the ring dimensions Mechanical Zero proxy zero Use ring r
86. ature is also referred as Bar Width Reduction BWR Bar Width Correction BWC Pixel Shaving In this case the dimensions of the spot might have an effect on the black and white dimensional ratio and you might need to balance the ratio The engraving elements black must be identical to the empty ones To balance the ratio 1 Select the code in the document The Property browser is displayed for the code 2 Under Encoding in the Code gt Advanced properties group set the Black White ratio value to the desired percentage The default is 100 meaning that black and white elements are identical 3 Seta lower percentage to compensate the dimension of the spot laser 4 7 4 10 Codes properties The Properties window supports context sensitive Help During layout editing selecting a properties title for example Geometry and then pressing F1 opens the context Help for those properties The following properties appear when a Code is selected in the work area Tips amp Refer to section Common operations on objects for further information on how to use properties to perform specific operations on the object Refer to Usual Codes terminology for a description of the technical terms 75 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC The string to be engraved in the TEXT field of the code or the value which represents it See Special character sequences for dates and times and Special character sequences
87. bjects The Property browser allows more precise operations 51 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Geometry ee properties Description To each object loaded in the graphic area can be assigned an unique alphanumeric ID that identifies the object in the layout If it set to True default it enables engraving of the selected object If the object is not enabled False it will not be engraved and the object s color in the work area changes to Qray If it set to True it locks the object preventing any editing The selection handles around the object disappear and the handle appears Click it to unlock the object Default False If it set to True default Keeps the proportions between width and height It does not apply Keep Aspect u the Code object It only applies to vectorial objects on ring documents that is on cylindrical surfaces It is suitable for high precision markings typically in jewellery lt allows cutting the object s polygons having dimensions that exceed the sector size into tiles whose dimension is equal to the ring s sectors For a detailed description see Using the tiling function This property is used in association with the ring document s Sector Gap and Sector Size properties that define the sector s dimensions If it set to True it allows merging the vectors that compose an object In the case of a string this property is particularly useful when w
88. cal brake release time This is the time that elapses between the brake release signal activation and the start of mechanical movement Settlement time between the end of the axis movement and the marking start After the motor especially rotating ones reaches the position a time must elapse to stop vibrations this time depends on system inertia After move delay ms The direction of home search It can be set to Auto Decreasing motor Home search steps or Increasing motor steps direction In particular the Auto option allows to directly search the home in the correct direction based on the current position of the axis 167 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC The following parameters refer to the minimum and maximum limits in steps that the axis can reach Minimum steps Minimum funits motor position limit Minimum Minimum units IM mum Bu ul else Marni ee motor position limit Limits Maximum Maximum units Position of the logic zero in relation to the mechanical zero Each Zero steps movement of the axis is considered in relation to the logic zero Conversely home search locates the mechanical zero home sensor The True value sets the reverse of axis logic It can be used when axis Reverse axis orientation is reverted so that the mechanical zero is placed where the operator expecis The following parameters can be used to test the settings during setup phase aa lt
89. can be optionally extended with 5 Add On Digits The add on is used for additional pricing information For more information please refer tohttp www isbn org ISMN stands for International Standard Music Number The ISMN is a standardized international code which identifies printed music The ISMN is preceded by the digits 9790 The ISMN EAN Th I u u 7 _ E GS1 DataBar Expanded 13 check digit is calculated and appended automatically For more information please referhttp www ismn international org Lighter Help Online Manual 80 DATALOGIC ISSN stands for International Standard Serial Number The ISSN is a standardized international code which identifies any serial publication inde pendently of its country of origin its language or alphabet or its frequency medium etc The ISSN is preceded by the digits 977 The check digit of an 8 digit ISSN code the last of the 8 digits must be omitted A two digit price code almost always 00 is added to the end Finally the EAN 13 check digit is added Optionally the issue number can be appended as 2 digit add on For more information please refer tohttp www issn org Italian Postal Code 2 of 5 is based upon Code 2 of 5 Interleaved but it is limited to 12 digits 11 usable digits 1 modulo 10 check digit This code is used by the Japanese Postal system You can encode 7 digits followed by block and street number uppercase alp
90. changes to the shapes See About nodes and control points Laser Editor allows adding simple vectorial objects to your layout see Working with simple vectorial objects and provides the Make vectorial function for you to make any string or code a pure vectorial object This way you can edit their shape by manipulating control points and nodes either using the mouse or the Edit Nodestoolbar In laser engraving a vectorial graphic is faster in engraving and more defined in terms of outline lines and filling A vectorial graphic cannot be used for engraving digital photographs See the sections that follow 1 About nodes and control points 2 Making an object vectorial 3 Starting nodes editing 121 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Note If you are working with elaborate objects for example imported drawings consider using the Advanced Processing function button also available from the Actions menu which provides an automated way to edit vectors See Using Advanced Processing options 4 9 7 1 About nodes and control points When you double click a vectorial object nodes appear as small boxes connected by green lines You can then drag the node or edit the type of node using the Edit Nodes toolbar for example you can make a node symmetric or asymmetric see Starting nodes editing When you do this a line with two small circles at the ends will appear over the node These are called co
91. cts or importing raster or vectorial image files such as a logo see About graphic objects When you create a new document the default parameters that have been set in the Default configuration parameters window for Laser Editor are used See Setting the default behaviour of Laser Editor You can use the Property browser to set other parameters For further information see e Creating the document e Saving a Materials database for a later re use e Setting the work area e Common documents properties e Geometry properties Document plane 4 3 2 1 Creating the document To create the document 1 Do one of the following o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt New gt Plane Document o From the Laser Editor standard toolbar click the ri button 2 The document appears in the Laser Editor s window where the engraving layout is represented MEME WRN Whee me A Note that the Properties window contains the default parameters that is the parameters the have been set for Laser Editor Lighter Help Online Manual 36 DATALOGIC 3 To create the engraving layout complete the following operations o Set the properties for the document that best fit your engraving requirements Refer to sections Common documents _ properties Geometr roperties Document lane and Saving a Materials database for a later re use for further information In particular when setting the document s work area refe
92. d graphical effects General page e Setting documents parameters Geometry page e Setting the laser parameters Laser page 3 3 1 Setting language measurement unit and graphical effects General page This window allows you to specify the user interface language the linear measurement unit and the graphical effect for your application To set the General parameters 1 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Configuration The Default parameters configuration window is displayed 2 Inthe left pane of the window leave General selected 3 Set the default parameters using the following table as a reference Group box box Parameter Parameter Description lt lists the available languages for the user interface Select the Lanodade language you want to use guag Note that by default the language is set to Autodetect meaning that it depens upon the language of your operating system Sets linear measurement unit Available options Linear Units are mm or we Decimals tw Sets the number of decimals to be used Admitted values are 0 to 5 lt specifies the maximum disk space for log files The log file is compiled at the Laser Engine level and lists all actions that have occurred allowing you to correct any problem that might occur For further information on how to use and manage the log file please see Understanding the log file Graphical a E It allows increasing the font dimensions This is particularly u
93. de only an even number of digits If the number of digits is odd a leading zero Interleaved Subtype will be inserted automatically This is a self checking code Start stop characters are identical to Code 2 of 5 Industry It supports distance reading gt 1m and can be printed with very simple printing techniques It is used for baggage handling in air transport applications International Air Transport Agency IATA Datalogic This symbology is proprietary variant of Code 2 of 5 Standard If it is set to True enables a terminating checksum code words Checksum True or False n ee N li af gt Lighter Help Online Manual 76 DATALOGIC Code 39 is in heavy use in industry organizations and commerce It was developed 1974 by INTERMEC and got standardized by ANSI MH 10 8 M 1983 and MIL STD 1189 Linear bar code with two thickness It is a self checking medium density alpha numeric bar code variable length tandard Encodes 43 characters A Z 0 9 space and This version is rarely used because Code 128 offers much better compression It uses the same symbology as Code 39 F but encodes also lower case letters and special characters ull i A results in a lower case a when scanned Scanner must be configured correctly for decoding Code39 Subtype Full Extended This is a special variant of Code 39 used by the U S Department of Defense This standard defines acceptable
94. device you want to connect to Note that all the available devices are listed both local and remote devices In the case of a remote device the IP Address is also displayed 3 Click OK Note that the status bar of Laser Editor shows both the status of the connection and Information on the connected device Related topics e Simulating the marking operations e Send marking e Laser Engine User Interface Lighter Help Online Manual 140 DATALOGIC 5 5 Send marking Laser Editor allows two ways for sending a graphic layout to marking e In Manual Mode By pressing F5 or choosing Laser gt Send Marking If you are operating on a stand alone marking unit and are interacting directly to the laser device you can either use the simulator to test the layout or send it to marking See Simulating the marking operations e In Auto Mode By saving the graphic layouts to the device The layouts will then be sent to marking based on the programs that have been created via Project Editor Note The functions described in this section are also accessible via the Laser Engine interface For further information see chapter Laser Engine User Interface 5 5 1 Auto mode vs Manual mode By default the Auto Mode is selected but you can switch between working modes The main difference between these working modes is that in Auto mode the command for sending documents to marking can be external that is can be execut
95. diting a string as a pure vectorial object This procedure involves making the string a pure vectorial object This way the string looses its specific properties and changes to a vectorial object that you can edit by using the Edit nodes function of Laser Editor See Editing objects vectors To edit the vectors 1 Select the string you want to make vectorial 2 Doone of the following 1 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Make vectorial 2 On the vertical toolbar click and then click Make vectorial in the horizontal toolbar 3 To enable the edit nodes function click the Edit nodes button This will result in the Edit nodes horizontal toolbar being displayed and in the color of the outline changing to green 4 Click the string to display nodes and control points that you can use to edit the characters For detailed information on how to edit nodes please refer to section Editing objects vectors gt 5 To exit the Edit nodes operating mode click the Insert objects button 4 7 3 6 Dynamically managing strings that share contents Laser Editor allows for dynamically managing strings contents Suppose that you have two strings that share the same content and that you want to keep their content aligned if a change occurs To do this you can connect the strings content to each other by means of their ID which is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies the object into the layout Note
96. does d Start the transport the transport must be running when you press Next Next to continue 4 Follow the instructions and complete the test as described in the window until the arrow points correctly 171 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 5 Click Next The Speed conversion window is displayed that allows calculating the Scale Factor that defines the speed of the transport belt This way you do not need to use specific instruments to calculate this value Markyne on Fly Configuration Speed conversion This page computes the transport speed a Power off the transport beit b Place two or more objects at the same distance on the transport belt c Set the distance between objects in the editbox d Power on the transport belt The speed editbox will display the computed transport belt speed Press Nat to continue 6 Follow the instructions as described in the window The value that is displayed in the Speed box after completing the test is the value that is to be used to calculate the Scale Factor that must be entered in the Marking on Fly Configuration window counts mm if you have an encoder mm sec if you are using the simulation The speed corresponds to the number of pulses that elapse between the objects to mark Lighter Help Online Man
97. down list Note For further information on properties and for a description of the available codes select the Encoding properties title and press F1 to display the relevant Help topic 4 7 4 2 2 Bar codes with two thickness Bars and spaces of code 2of5 or 39 can just assume two thicknesses in a print ratio between 2 and 3 which is the standard compliant ratio To set this parameter use the Advanced gt Print ratio property in the code s Property See Codes properties There are other codes in this category Codabar code 32 etc but their print ratio is fixed 4 7 4 2 3 Bar codes with multiple thickness There are many code symbologies whose bars and spaces can assume more than two different thickness Some examples of them are EAN UPC code 128 code 93 DPD code etc 4 7 4 2 4 Postal codes This kind of symbologies is built with same bars having same width but varying height Bars are regularly interspersed since also the the distance of consecutive bars equals the bar width Where bars have two different heights short and long bar they share the same base line growing bottom up Examples are US Postal CEPNet Planet Where codes uses three different heights consist of long bars and short bars either growing bottom up or to down and short bars One example is the Pharmacode 2 Track Barcodes with four different heights consist of long bars medium sized bars either growing bottom up or to down and short bar
98. e Corrections Files for lenses correction mw Database Databases of passwords materials and global variables Fonts List of the fonts that can be used in Laser Engine eae Log files that were generated from Laser Engine and Laser Engine Service g Controller Docs Layouts Documents that are loaded while executing scripts ace en List of the temporary documents that are sent to the marking in Manual mode p directly from the Laser Editor Prolecie Folders containing the projects that are saved to the device The default folder J must always include the default project Plugins Plugins that are registered when launching Laser Engine 29 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 CREATING GRAPHIC LAYOUTS This chapter is divided into the following sections Topic What you will learn j setting ____your __waork our work How to set your work environment in terms of panes and toolbars environment Graphics editing overview An overview of how graphic layouts are managed in Laser Editor How to create and manage documents as objects containers for plane or ring About documents l l laser engraving and how to set their properties Abou eannences How to create and manage sequences that allow defining a sequence of ABOUT Sequences actions to be executed at the Laser Engine level What objects properties are intended for How to add and manage graphic About graphic objects objects that compose
99. e notice how the polygon vectors are more marked and deeper than they should be 6 5 1 4 TLast us Waiting time for the scanner to reach the correct position before switching the laser off Scanning the last vector of a polygon e lf the delay is lower than the optimal value notice how the last polygon vectors are shorter and incomplete e If the delay is higher than the optimal value notice how the vector end points are more marked 6 5 1 5 TDraw Diode Laser us Time the system takes to actually start emitting Even if low the system can have a sort of inertia that is a response delay between the emission signal and the actual emission This time does not depend on speed only constant component in the formula is required e If the delay is lower than the optimal value notice how the first vector of each polygon is shorter e lf the delay is higher than the optimal value notice how the initial vector points are deeper Note Tdraw is usually smaller than Tfirst Since they both deal with the starting point of the first vector the first is usually neglected Lighter Help Online Manual 160 DATALOGIC 6 5 1 6 TJump Diode Laser us Time the system takes to extinguish the laser emission This is the complementary phenomenon to the one originating Tdraw This time does not depend on speed only constant component in the formula is required e f the delay is lower tha
100. e Standard toolbar of Laser Editor and a sequence with the default item is displayed in the work area 3 Click the buttons on the toolbar to add items to your sequence using the following as a reference see also the Example below Item Description Label It is a placeholder It is required in order to use the Get and Go item The Label tells the Get and Go item where it must jump after verifying the specified condition 2 Properties The Label property is an editable field where you can enter a text for the label The typed text will then be displayed in brackets next to the Label item Move Axis This item is only enabled if at least one axis is enabled on the laser Execution of this item result in one or more axes being moved execution is completed when all axes target CO positions have been reached See also Setting the X Y Z and Rotor Axes parameters mie Properties Set to True to enable one or more axis The Position parameter is then displayed for you to specify the axis position The Home Search parameter is used to move the axis in home position Document It allows creating or importing a plane or ring document into the sequence Do one of the following o To create a new document double click the Document item that you have add to the sequence If ring documents management is enabled a window is displayed prompting you to specify which type of document you want to create See About documents for informat
101. e feature Marking on For best practices in setting this feature so as to follow your needs see When the Fly using an Encoder and When using the Continuous marking mode Seien If this option is selected Encoder is simulated by the iMark control board that is the laser will chase the target at the given speed The conveyor roller or the target moving speed There are two possible scenarios e If an encoder is being used this value corresponds to the number or pulses for millimeter as measured by the encoder e lf you are using the simulation you must specify a value that corresponds to the average roller soeed based on the time in mm sec Encoder Scale factor Use the Speed conversion window of the Wizard to calculate this value Re a It allows reverting the signal to the encoder so reverting the marking direction The axis along which the targets are marked on the conveyor roller relative to the Position head scanner Use the Scan Head Position window of the Wizard to correctly determine the direction An additional offset that can be used to fine tune the marking operation Negative offsets will move the layout in the direction that the target is coming from Use this parameter to adjust layout position and take full advantage of target movement to extend marking field The following picture shows how this parameter affects the marking operation Direction Offset mm Reverse It sets the ordering
102. e that the variablename value is case sensitive so be sure that you type it exactly as you ai did in the Device variables dialog 3 Press Enter The string changes to the specified format When the string is sent to marking the counter increments accordingly to the parameters that were specified when creating the variable Example In the example shown below we have associated the same counter with two different strings that are located into different documents After sending to marking the two documents at the laser device level the global counter has incremented e In the following figure a string object has been associated with global variables string1 value Marking and counter1 see figure Device Variables dialog e In the following figure a second string object which is located in a different document has been associated with global variable string2 value Laser Editor and to the same global variable counterl1 111 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJDATALOGIC e After sending the two documents to marking the global counter has incremented as you can see in the Device Variables dialog box here below Global variables Lighter Help Online Manual 112 wJDATALOGIC 4 9 Common operations on objects This section describes all the operations that you can execute on graphic objects either by using the mouse or the Properties window or the toolbars buttons To
103. e with thicker lines 5 1 1 Using more engraving runs The Laser properties allow you to set the number of runs of the laser light on the object to engrave You might set up to 3 passages each with different laser parameters This option may be particularly useful to make several light engraving runs to clean the workpiece after a more incisive engraving process Warning Be sure to select the best parameters according to the material used and the required processing type To carry out a good cleaning run it is important that the speed is the same as an engraving run To set more passages 1 Click a blank area on a document to set the parameters for all objects or select an individual object see To set laser properties for individual objects 2 In the Properties window under Laser or Custom Laser for an object select the number of Passages that is the number of runs of the laser light 1 to 3 The parameters for each passage will be displayed allowing you to set different parameters 3 Set the other parameters as required Please refer to section Custom Laser parameters for Objects for information on how to set the parameters 133 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 5 1 2 Using the Wobble function to engrave with thicker lines Wobble is a function integrated in Laser Editor that allows engraving the single lines of vectorial graphics either True Type characters or imported figures
104. ecifier has to be encoded by the user The barcode data is used to program the barcode reader IPI a1 S 8 amp gsl g SS 3 2 O D v D MM U elias gt Sie 3 O 3 e S oO 3 5 k D D D DPD Code is used byDeutscher Paket Dienst It is based on Code 128 and is limited to 28 encoded characters The encoded data and the human readable text differ slightly Linear bar code with multiple thickness It is a self checking numeric code This symbology is reserved for the European Article Numbering EAN The number is maintained by EAN and encodes manufacturer and product The check digit is calculated automatically if not specified in the input data that is when only 7 digits are used for creating the code If selected the code can contain up to 8 digit numeric It s used for marking small articles with restricted space This symbology extends EAN 8 with 2 add on digits which are mainly used for encoding the price or the weight 2 This symbology is also used for bar coding paperbacks or newspapers In this case a 2 3 digits country code and a 4 5 article code are encoded This symbology extends EAN 8 with 5 add on digits which 8 5 l i are mainly used for encoding the price or the weight If selected the code can contain up to 13 digit numeric 3 2 This symbology extends EAN 13 with 2 add on digits 3 5 This symbology extends EAN 13 with 5 add on digits The EAN 128 code is based upon Code
105. eck digit calculation DotCode is 2D dot code symbology designed to be reliably readable when printed by high speed inkjet or laser dot technologies The encoding modes of DotCode are based on the Code128 data encoding with modes A B and C Brazilian CEPNet Brazilian Postal Code Leitcode Subtype Identcode Dotcode extended by a so called Binary Mode The default interpretation for DotCode data is ECI 000003 representing the Latin character set The DotCode symbology does not have absolute capacity limits but a maximum symbol size of 124x124 dots is recommended u E Bu E E _ E Lighter Help Online Manual 78 DATALOGIC ce If the data starts with 2 digits barcode has GS1 format otherwise generic format is used l Barcode data does not fulfill any special format if it starts with 2 digits FNC1 is inserted The internal data must start with 2 digits and has to apply to a format of an so called application identifier ndustry A peculiar industry format which adds FNC1 at 2nd position Macro 05 The data is prefixed with gt RS 05 GS and suffixed Subtype with RS EOT Macro 06 The data is prefixed with gt RS 06 GS and suffixed with RS EOT Macro 12 The data is prefixed with gt RS 12 GS and suffixed with RS EOT The data is prefixed with gt RS and suffixed with RS EOT the rest of the format sp
106. ect more objects they will be flipped both individually and in relation to each other Adh Space Select at least three objects then click this button to space objects the same horizontally distance apart horizontally a LA Flip horizontally E Flip vertically S l Select at least three objects then click this button to space objects the same Space vertically distance apart vertically emi Make same size Select at least two A then click this button to make them the same size ary Make same width Select at least two Select at least two objects than click this button to make them same width than click this button to make them same width Qu Make Select at least two objects than click this button to make them same height same height restore Reverses any change you have made that is restores the selected object s to its transformations original size or orientation Lighter Help Online Manual 118 DATALOGIC You can use the Objects operations toolbar or the Actions menu to assemble objects in the graphic area so as to form a single object as well as to edit object nodes either manually or using the advanced processing functions see Editing objects vectors The assembling functions are only enabled if more than one object is selected in the graphic area These tools can be used on all objects However it is not possible to merge or intersect bitmap pictures In particular 1 The Group and Merge
107. ectors Same as menu command Actions gt Advanced processing See Using Advanced Processing options for further information Edit nodes It allows editing the nodes of a vectorial object When you press this button i the aS clo oo oo Edit Nodes toolbar is displayed that allows you to edit the object s shape Same as menu command Actions gt Edit nodes Lighter Help Online Manual 16 DATALOGIC 2 2 2 5 Adjust Objects toolbar This toolbar is displayed after pressing the By Adjust Objects button on the vertical toolbar It allows aligning spacing flipping or resizing objects as well as fine tuning the marking order See Aligning flipping or spacing objects for more information Button Description Align left It allows aligning the selected objects to the left Same as menu command Actions gt Align gt Align left pei Align top It allows aligning the selected objects to the top Same as menu command Actions gt J Align gt Align top B Align right It allows aligning the selected objects to the right Same as menu command Actions gt c Align gt Align right Align bottom It allows aligning the selected objects to the bottom Same as menu command Uo Actions gt Align gt Align bottom Align center X It allows aligning the selected objects along the X axis Same as menu command Actions gt Align gt Align center X Dee Align center Y It allows
108. ects keep their individual properties as well as their custom laser and filling properties The outline of the overlapping area will be marked twice en Use the Ungroup selection button to disassemble the grouped object into individual objects so each can be moved or changed individually 119 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Cy u Merge selection As a result the two stars are assembled in a single object so that they can be moved or transformed as a group The single objects keep their individual properties with the exception of the laser and filling properties This button can be disabled if the selection contains a raster object an array or if the fillings of the objects have no common acceptable values The merged object takes the filling and outline attributes according to these rules in this order O The filling and the outline of the first selected object the black star if all the selected objects allow such parameters O The filling and the outline of the first object in the list whose parameters are in the intersection parameter list of all objects O If none of the filling or the outline already set for the objects are in the intersection parameter list and this list is not empty the first filling in the list is applied Vectorial data that compose the objects are merged into a single object In this case the common area will not be considered when engraving S U
109. ed from the PLC whereas in Manual mode the operator has full control and no external signals are considered Here below a short description of how each mode works is provided 5 5 1 1 Auto mode The Auto mode is the default operating mode When the application starts in Auto mode the document or project that is saved to the device and is set as the default is automatically sent to marking External signals from the PLC are also executed In the case of a project documents that will be sent to marking depend on how the program was written See Project Editor s Help for further information For example a program can be used to automate operations such as updating a counter Note that in order to use Laser Editor for interactions with the laser device that is setting the laser configuration parameters or sending documents directly to marking you must switch to the Manual mode The Auto mode is particularly useful in work environments where the operator assigned to engraving is not authorized to edit the engraving layout or where complex projects are to be executed 5 5 1 2 Manual mode In this mode the operator has full control that is he she selects the document to be marked and no external signals are considered 141 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Note that you must activate the Manual mode in order to create and test a layout before saving it or if you want to change the laser configuration param
110. ee Resizing arrays or cells 4 7 5 3 Resizing arrays or cells The Dimensions and Cells size properties allow you to resize the objects as needed Tip For information on other Array s general properties select the Geometry title and press F1 to display the relevant Help topic To resize the objects 1 Click on the array to enable the Properties window 2 To resize the array Under Geometry gt Dimensions set the Width and Height properties as you want You can also use the mouse with the object selected drag the handles that surround it gt S H to the desired position 3 To resize the cells of the array Under Array gt Cell size set the Width and Height properties as you want Lighter Help Online Manual 88 wJDATALOGIC 4 7 5 4 Changing the distance between cells The Pitch and Extra Pitchs properties allow you to increase or decrease the distance between rows columns individual cells and or group of cells To enable the Properties window click on the array object To change the distance between rows and or columns 1 Under Array gt Pitch set the following properties o X Sets the distance between columns o Y Sets the distance between rows To change the distance between cells or groups of cells You can group cells and define additional distances between them both horizontally and vertically 1 Under Array select the Extra Pitchs property and enter the number of ins
111. eeeeeeeaesseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesaaaaeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseesaaaaaeagees 113 4 9 1 Using the document s grid ccccccccceesceeeceeeeeeeeeeeaeesceeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseaeeeeessaeaseeeesssageeeeeneas 114 4 9 2 Enabling disabling objects 2222400000400n0nnennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnennnnnnnn 114 4 9 3 Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects 24u0s0444ene nenne nnnnnn nennen nenne 114 4 9 4 Copying pasting Cutting OF removing ODJECHS cccccecceeeeeeeeeeaeesseeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenaaaags 117 4 9 5 Aligning flipping or spacing objects ccccecceccseeeseeeeeeeceeeeseeeeeeeeesaaaaadeeeeeeeesaaseeeeeeseesaaas 118 4 9 6 Grouping merging OF JOINING objectS sun04044unneeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn 119 4 9 7 Editing OD OCIS VS CONS ee see nee een 121 4 9 8 ZOOMING eee a E E 125 4 9 9 Specifying the filling Patterns c cc cccecccsssseeeceeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeesseeaeeeeeesessaeaeeeeeeeeess 126 4 9 10 Setting the Origin of AN ODJOCt cee ccccccccssssseseeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeseceeeeeseeseeeeeeeesssaasseeeeeeeees 127 4 9 11 Optimizing the objects marking OFeL cceeecccceeceeeseeeecceeececaeeeseseeeeeeeesseeseeeeeesssaaaeeeeeeeees 128 4 9 12 Galeulaling tne marking TINS nu ee 129 4 9 13 MKAO TOVO W near ee euere 129 5 PERFORMING THE ENGRAVING OPERATION une 132 5 1 Selling CUSIom laser Dar
112. een Press Next to continue Lighter Help Online Manual 170 DATALOGIC 2 Follow the instructions as described in the Wizard to check that everything is connected and working properly and that the photocell is correctly mounted a Ifyou have an encoder after powering on the transport belt ensure that the blue gear in the window animates If you do not have an encoder connected to your system select Simulate Encoder Signal c After activating the external start signal ensure that the Start Signal led in the window turns green Input O to15 turn green to indicate currently active input signals if any otherwise they are grey if not in use or inactive Tip If you only need to check hardware and cables connections you might close the Wizard 3 Click Next The Scan Head Position window is displayed that allows defining the origin of the object to mark relative to the marking field in order to determine the correct marking direction Markyne on Fly Configuration Scan Head Position This page will help you set the correct onentation parameters of the laserftransport system a Tum the laser on and achvate the aiming beam if itis off b Press the Run button The laser wil draw an arrow with the red aiming beam Place a white paper sheet under the scan head in case you cannot see It c The arrow should point the same direchon the beit is mowing If not press the Rotate button untill it
113. eep engraving by executing a series of concentric markings starting from the object s outline so as to obtain countersunk shapes The Islands allows to avoid crossed path so each etched surface is exposed to the laser only once which is particularly useful when engraving on delicate materials Filling e Spiral It only applies to Codes It is used to fill rectangles with a continuous laser beam emission This setting is not compatible cannot be applied together with Pocketing offset and Contour geometry setting e Dot It only applies to 2D Codes It allows treating a square as a dot This filling type is tailored for marking microelements such as for example objects whose size is as big as the laser spot on the surface In this case the Dot filling allows marking directly a dot rather than filling a square e Raster It allows marking a vectorial object as if it were a raster object that is using the raster engraving technique for more information see Raster vs Vectorial marking This setting is particularly suitable for plastic cards because constant scanning speed allows for better quality Interline Sets the distance between filling lines The angle 0 360 that defines the direction of the engraving parallel lines Setting an angle Angle results in the engraving lines changing direction 0 horizontal left to right default 90 vertical bottom to top 180 horizontal right to left Lighter
114. elete a global variable from the Laser Engine database select the variable and then click on Delete counter s or Delete string s depending on which variable type you are deleting Click Yes to confirm your choice 4 When you are finished click Apply and then OK to close the dialog and return to Laser Editor Lighter Help Online Manual 110 DATALOGIC 4 8 2 Using special character sequences to associate global variables to a string Follow this procedure to associate a global variable string or counter to one or more strings You can associate the same variable to strings that belong to different documents See also Adding viewing or editing a global variable To associate a global variable to a string 1 Add a string to the document and then select it see Adding a Text string 2 In the Properties window under String enter in the Textbox the desired special character sequence depending on which global variable you are using It can be a string a counter or both see the example here below o vi stringname or V stringname Where stringname is the name that you have assigned to the global variable string when you created it that is the Variable field of the Device variables dialog V forces the uppercase o Y v countername Where countername is the identifier that you have assigned to the global variable counter when you created it that is the Variable field of the Device variables dialog Not
115. en deselecting selecting the items from the shortcut menu 2 2 2 2 Standard toolbar This toolbar is always displayed Button Description Plane Document It allows opening a new document in the work area either Plane Ring or Sequence Click the button to open a new Plane Document opens click the down arrow to display the dropdown list that allows you to select the desired document Project editor It launches the Project Editor application which allows creating programs in order to automate marking operations Same as menu command File gt Project editor Open It opens the window that allows choosing an existing layout Same as menu command File gt Open i Save It opens the window that allows saving a layout Same as menu command File gt Save Mark Preview It allows checking the final result of the marking process of your layouts directly in Laser Editor This button is made available after creating or opening a document in the work area Same as File gt Mark Preview E Cut It allows cutting the selected object Same as menu command Edit gt Cut Wa Copy It allows copying the selected object Same as menu command Edit gt Copy A Paste It allows pasting the object Same as menu command Edit gt Paste A Undo It allows undoing the selected command Same as menu command Edit gt Undo A Redo It allows redoing the previously undone command Same as menu command Edit gt ac
116. enn 24 3 Setting the laser parameters Laser PAGE ccccccccsseesseecceeeeecaeeeeeeceeeeeeseaeeeeeeeeessaeaseeeeeees 25 3 4 Importing Materials Database uus0040040000BRnennnnnnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnn nn nennnnnn 26 3 5 OBEN omakrlist PIOJECIS unse ee een eier 27 3 6 Automatic conversion Smaktist Piojetis ea ae 28 3 7 Janno dTa a E er eee eee eee 29 4 GREATNGEGRAPFIELAYOLUT ses anne en ee ee 30 4 1 Selling your Work ENVIIONMENL nennen 31 4 1 1 Hiding Displaying windows OF Toolbars een ae aa 31 4 1 2 Docking UndOcKing Pane S nereeerennrere 31 4 2 Graphics editing OVervie W ee nennen 32 4 3 PUD OU MAO UMEN nee een ee 33 4 3 1 Common documents properties ccccccccccsseseeceeceeeceaeeeeceeeeeeeaeeseeeceeeeessuaeaseeeeeeesseaeeeeeeeees 33 4 3 2 Creating a document for plane engraving cccccecceessececeeeeseeeeeeaeeeceeeesaeeeeeeessneeeeessageeeees 36 4 3 3 Creating a document for ring engraving cccseeecececceeeseeeeccaeeeeeeeesueeeeeesseaeeeeessaaeeeeeessaeeeeees 41 4 4 Opening ex SIE YOUNG ee ee ee OE EAE E 45 4 4 1 Openinga layout on your PO nee 45 4 4 2 Opening a layo t from a device seinen 45 4 5 SANNO TAVO eoe ne ee ee 46 4 5 1 Saving a layout on your PO ae esse 46 4 5 2 Saving a layout 10 d EVIC E nee ee eine 46 4 6 ADOUL SEHLIEMOE Sa sonne ee ee ee ee ee een Denen 47 4 6 1 Creating and executing a sequence uuueessnssnnneennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
117. enu command Laser gt Edit device global variables See Using global variables Manage Device Users It allows you to set and mange the users rights on the system you to connect to a laser device either locally or remotely See Managing users and access rights yE System Test It allows accessing the dialog where you can test the Laser system and check your System s connections In particular you can test allInputs and Outputs as well as the external Start and Stop signals 19 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJATALOGIC 3 PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS Before you begin working with Laser Editor you have to complete the following procedures e Registering your product e Installation types and connection modes e Setting the default behaviour of Laser Editor e Importing Smartist Projects e Opening the data folders Lighter Help Online Manual 20 DATALOGIC 3 1 Registering your product While Laser Editor does not need to be licensed Laser Engine that is the runtime component of the marking system can be installed as a trial version for 30 days after which it will no longer engrave However Laser Editor will still functioning as a graphic editor To register Laser Engine before it expires complete the following procedures e Obtaining the license file e Sending the activation key to the remote device 3 1 1 Obtaining the license file To register Laser Editor 1 Fro
118. er transparent Sets the number of runs required by the laser for engraving the imported objects Repetitions Increasing the number of passes will increase depth of engraving consequently Passage Scan Speed affecting the cycle time 53 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC If it is set to True this property allows engraving thicker lines through a spiral movement instead of a linear movement See Using the Wobble function to engrave with thicker lines Wobble Radius Represents the diameter of the spiral curve Speed Represents the frequency of spiral repetition z Axis If it is set to True it allows setting the Height that is the distance between the mechanical zero and the logic zero for the Z Axis the focus position 4 7 1 3 Filling properties for Objects The following properties are displayed when you select an object in the work area and then set a value other than None default for the Filling property See also Specifying the filling patterns to see examples of filling Filling u Notes The Filling properties do not apply to the Array object or the imported bitmaps This property is used to set the filling for the object The engraving is mostly done with exact parallel lines In particular filling can be done with e Single line e Cross lines e Triple lines Inclination of the lines will be 0 60 and 120 degrees e Islands It allows d
119. er Laser Test set the following parameters o From the Type dropdown list select the required geometrical shape for the test Square Line Circle or Dot o Specify the Size for the shape and the laser output Power expressed in percentage according to your device s maximum power o Specify the laser output Frequency This parameter is used to adjust the laser output frequency by directly operating on the Q switch 2 Click the button launch the test To test the inputs The inputs are activated deactivated via the external Start and Stop commands If the inputs do not become green activated something is wrong in your connections e When the external Start is pressed the Start led becomes green Check that the Input leds become green e When the external Stop is pressed the Stop led becomes green Lighter Help Online Manual 192 DATALOGIC To test the outputs To test the outputs connections you must manually activate them either one by one or all at once Input Test 2 8 8 8 7 star 8 u c t 5 Stop output Test D Ds Qe u ALE a e Tocheck the outputs one by one click the relevant button e To check all outputs at once click Change all outputs If the Output button changes to green it indicates that it is activated and that all connections are set correctly If
120. erged into a k single object This operation can only be reversed using the Undo command Same as menu command Actions gt Union _ Intersection It allows assembling overlapping objects into a new single vectorial object Only the E area that is common to the objects will be considered for the engraving This operation can only be reversed using the Undo command Same as menu command Actions gt Intersection __ Difference It allows assembling overlapping objects into a new single vectorial object Only the A outline of the first selected object minus the common area will be marked This operation can only be reversed using the Undo command Same as menu command Actions gt Difference Exclusion It allows assembling overlapping objects into a new single vectorial object The CP outlines of the two objects will be marked minus the common area This operation can only be 7 reversed using the Undo command Same as menu command Actions gt Exclusion Make vectorial It allows converting the selected string or code into a vectorial object for you to be able to edit nodes Note that when a string is made vectorial it looses its properties and becomes a simple vectorial object Same as menu command Actions gt Make vectorial See Editing objects vectors for more information Advanced processing This button allows accessing the advanced vectorial processing options FA that provide an automated way to edit v
121. ern Refer to section Filling properties for Objects for a complete description of each property Lighter Help Online Manual 126 DATALOGIC 4 9 10 Setting the origin of an object The origin is a point that defines the position of the object into the engraving area This origin relates to the point of origin of the document s engraving area see Geometr roperties Document plane Origin property The origin is represented by the cross symbol object By default this symbol is placed in the center of the Laser Editor allows changing this property for any object to better fit your special engraving requirements To set the origin of an object 1 Select the object in the work area for which you want to set a point of origin other than Center 2 Inthe Properties window under Geometry select the desired value from the Origin dropdown list 3 Note that the cross symbol moves accordingly The following example shows an object whose origin has been set to Center Top in a document whose point of origin is set to Center Origin of the object Center Top 0 00 10 00 10 00 Origin of the engraving area Center doc uments origin 4 You can specify the object s position by setting the X and Y coordinates Refer to Geometry properties for Objects for a description of each property 127 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 9 11 Optimizing the objects mark
122. ernennen 154 6 4 2 Auto Manual working MOG ccccccsssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeseeeaaseeeeeeeeseaeeeeeeeeessaeaseeeeseeeesanas 155 6 5 Configuring the laser parameters cccseesccccseesecceccaeeeeceeecueeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeseueeeeeessaaeeeeesaaaaess 157 6 5 1 Setting the head scanner parameters ccccseeeccecceeeeeeeeecaeeeeeeeecueceeeeseeseeeeeseseeesessaeeeees 158 6 5 2 Setting the laser parameters sssssssssnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnenennnnnnnnnnnn 161 6 5 3 Setting the correction parameters ccccccececceeceeeeeeeeseseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaeasscseeeeeeeeeeeeesssnaaaaas 164 6 5 4 Setting the aiming parameters usssssssssnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnen 165 6 5 5 Setting Input Output parameters cccccceccceeeeeeceeeeaeeeesseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaeaseseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 166 6 5 6 Setting the X Y Z and Rotor Axes parameters s uuuussnsnseennnnnnennnnnnennennnnnnnnnnnennnnnennen 166 6 5 7 Configuring the Marking on the Fly function ccceceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenaaaaas 169 6 5 8 Setting the network PAraAMetelS ccccccccessesseeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeceeeeesaeeseeeeeeessueaseeeeeeeeesssaageeeeees 176 6 6 Managing axis and executing the laser te St ccccccccseecceeceeeeeeeeceeeeeeeeeaeeeeeeeesaaeeesesseeeesesaaees 177 6 6 1 Mechanical axis MANAGEMENM
123. ersion Smartist Projects Is possible to convert automatically a list of Smartist Projects from input directory and subdirectories Usage LaserEditor exe convert files lt from directory gt lt to directory gt lt file pattern gt convert subdirs convert log lt log file name gt o conver files It allows to specify the Input and Output directories lt from directory gt Input directory lt to directory gt Output directory lt file pattern gt You can specify a file name pattern convert subdirs It allows to specify to convert files from subdirectories o convert log It allows to specify the log file name created in the Output directory The default file name is convert log lt log file name gt Log file name O Example LaserEditor exe convert files c temp prj_from c temp prj_to prj Lighter Help Online Manual 28 VDATALOGIC 3 7 Opening the data folders The Open data folder function allows retrieving informations that you might need for support purposes as well as to check the data or the device s configuration To view the folders contents 1 From the Help menu select Open data folder Lighter 5 3 0 7754 RC1 Document 7 Save h g information About 2 Inthe window that is displayed select the desired folder Use the following table as a reference Folder Contents Config Configuration files laser configuration and licens
124. es a rotation angle to the selected cell s Allows linking a document with specific contents to the selected cell s Double clicking the cell will result in a document opening with the Linked Plain same Plain ID as the selected cell You can treat it as a document and then link it to as many cells of the array as you want For detailed instructions see Creating the contents of individual cells 4 7 6 Importing graphic objects By using the Imported toolbar buttons or the Actions menu Laser Editor allows importing two dimensional graphics Supported file formats Laser Editor allows importing and editing the following graphic formats e Vectorial o HPGL 1 2 PLT and HPGL Vectorial formats were originally conceived plotters treating so they include plotter s specific features such as the line width which the laser does not consider Please note that there is not an automatic adjustment of the spot laser as the plotter s pen changes o AutoCad DXF Two dimensional vectorial graphic exchange format that was originally developed by Autodesk and then disclosed to the public However it is still maintained by Autodesk that periodically updates it o AutoDesk DWG Vectorial graphic format licensed by Autodesk It is a file format used for storing two and three dimensional design data and metadata It is the native format for several CAD packages For AutoCAD DXF and DWG graphic formats new
125. eters Engraving simulation and testing operations are only available in Manual mode Behavior Typically in this mode you can do the following F e Select the project or document to be marked and then press gt e f needed perform any editing or testing operation prior to mark e In work environments such as a production line after selecting the document you can activate the Auto mode so as to enable external starts from the PLC To switch to Auto Mode if Manual mode has been activated e Choose the Laser gt Switch to Auto Mode from the menu bar Or w e Click on Switch to Auto Mode on the toolbar 5 5 2 Sending the layout to marking To send a layout directly to marking 1 Besure that you are in Manual Mode To switch to this mode do one of the following o Choose Laser gt Switch to Manual Mode from the Laser Editor menu bar z o Click l Switch to Manual Mode on the toolbar vT 2 Press F5or click on gt Send Marking on the toolbar Alternatively choose Laser gt Send Marking from the menu bar Important note If you are not connected to a laser device the graphic simulator will automatically be activated instead See Simulating the marking operations 2 3 To interrupt the laser marking or the simulation use the a4 Stop marking button on the toolbar or choose Laser gt Stop Marking form the menu bar To save a layout to the device for next marking 1 From the Laser
126. etry and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties Status bar It shows name and status of the connected laser device Furthermore when the mouse pointer rests on a toolbar button a brief descriptions of the button is displayed in this area 2 2 2 Using toolbars tools In this section e Vertical vs horizontal toolbar e Standard toolbar E e Insert Objects toolbar D Objects Operation toolbar e D Adjust Objects toolbar Q Zoom toolbar gt e Laser toolbar 2 2 2 1 Vertical vs horizontal toolbar Laser Editor has a vertical toolbar the select toolbar and a horizontal toolbar The horizontal toolbar contains a standard set of buttons the main toolbar plus a variable set of buttons this set changes depending on the button that you click on the vertical toolbar In the example below the Zoom toolbar has been displayed after pressing the Zoom button on the vertical toolbar Fie Edt view Actions Laser Window Help Se A s ig o Doueti o The following tables briefly describes the function of each toolbar buttons Follow the link in the table to display the Help topic with more function details 13 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Note 7 Buttons are available or unavailable depending on the operation you are performing Toolbars can also be hidden displayed by right clicking on a blank area in the toolbars area and th
127. evice and that you have activated the Manual Mode otherwise the Limits buttons are unavailable To activate it do one of the following hi o Select ce Switch to Manual Mode on the toolbar o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Laser gt Switch to Manual Mode Note This is a toggle button if the Manual Mode is activated the tooltip says Switch to Auto Mode and vice versa 2 Doone of the following o To see the engraving limits for one ore more specific objects select the object s and click on ae Limits on selection on the toolbar Alternatively choose Laser gt Limits on selection from the menu bar o To see the engraving limits for the whole graphic area click on W toolbar Alternatively choose Laser gt Limits all from the menu bar o To see the engraving limits for the sectors that compose the object when engraving on a ring document click on gt Limits previous sector and Limits next sector buttons on the toolbar The buttons become available green colored after pressing either the Limits on selection or Limits all button Alternatively choose Laser gt Limits next sector and Limits previous sector from the menu bar Lighter Help Online Manual 136 wJATALOGIC The example below shows how the limits for a sheared word Editor would appear Editor Related topics e Setting custom laser parameters e Simulating the marking operations e Connecting to the l
128. fic operations on the object Property Subproperty Description The text string to be engraved Select the Text box enter the string or the value Ta of the variable which represents it and press Enter For information on how to use special characters sequences refer to Special character sequences for dates and times and Special character sequences for counters Lighter Help Online Manual 66 DATALOGIC available fonts You might also import new fonts See Importing fonts Stvle The font style to be applied to the string The dropdown list contains the y available options Height IT The height of characters Shear Represents the shear of the selected string on the X axis Represents the angle of rotation that a single letter uses in relation to its origin The example below shows a string with a character angle of 15 degrees Font The converted font that the text must use The dropdown list contains the Style Angle Represents the distance between the string s characters default value is Spacing 0 Negative values decrease the default spacing whereas positive values Displacement increase it Compression Represents the compression of each character of the string default value is Compression 100 If enabled True the Circle property enables placing the text on a circumference arc default value is False Setting the value to True will result in making the following
129. filter configuration options have been added 7 that allow selecting how to process the file For further information see Setting the Filter Options DwG and DXF fles For all vectorial objects new advanced processing options have been added that allow the automated editing of vectors For further information see Using Advanced Processing options 95 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC e Image files bitmap o BMP is the standard format for bitmap graphics It can be generated with any graphic application from digital cameras or scanners o GIF is a format similar to BMP It can be generated with any graphic application from digital cameras or scanners o JPG is one of the most common compressed bitmap formats A BMP image converted into JPG has a much smaller in bytes dimension o PNG is an extensible file format for the lossless portable well compressed storage of raster images that is PNG files are compressed bitmaps o TIF a common format for exchanging raster graphics bitmap images between application programs including those used for scanner images e Laser documents XLP Engraving graphic layouts generated by Laser Editor You can use the Properties window the toolbars tools or the mouse to resize move rotate and transform the imported graphic so as to fit the object to be engraved Tips For information on mouse operations see Using the mouse to select and m
130. for counters Linear bar code with multiple thickness It is used for alphanumeric or numeric only barcodes variable length It is the default value It can host GS1 128 standard It is a modern high density symbology and was invented 1981 by Computer Identics The software analyzes input data and chooses the best suitable barcode representation with the highest data density This is done by so called subset switching 3 different internal characters subsets sets are used Code128A Upper Case Non Printable Characters ASCII 0 31 Code128B Upper Lower Case All Printable Characters Code128C Numeric with doubled density Code128 uses a built in check digit Modulo 103 This check digit is part of the code and cannot be omitted It is never printed in the human readable text Scanners are checking it when reading a code but do not deliver the check digit to connected systems Linear bar code with two thickness It is a numeric only barcode This is a self checking code It is used for industrial Standard applications article numbering photo development ticketing Industrial As above but with a different Start Stop character encoding Code 2 of 5 Interleaved is in wide spread use article numbering industrial applications This self checking code offers high data capacity due to encoding pairs of numbers the first digit is encoded in the bars the second in the spaces Thus this symbology can enco
131. g limits of the currently selected object s The et area involved in engraving is shown and not the profile of the object to be engraved Same as menu command Laser gt Limits on selection Limits all It allows tracking the engraving limits in the work plain Margins are displayed using a red laser pointer Same as menu command Laser gt Limits all Limits previous next sector These buttons allow tracking the engraving limits of the sectors that lt gt compose the object s This function is suitable when engraving on ring documents Same as menu Commands Laser gt Limits previous sector and Limits next sector Simulator It is used to simulate the engraving results when in Manual Mode A new graphic window is displayed where engraving is simulated The simulation maintains all the speed filling wobble or other parameters set for the document Same as menu command Laser gt Simulator Show Laser Engine It allows opening Laser Engine window directly from Laser Editor either ME eae locally or remotely See Laser Engine User Interface Pris Laser Configuration It allows opening the Laser Configuration window directly from Laser Editor i so as to set the laser and axis parameters Same as menu command Laser gt Laser Configuration Edit device global variables It allows managing global variables so as to share contents counters and strings between more documents Save as m
132. g the text to a circle see Circle properties e Importing fonts e Using special character sequences e Making a text string to include an incremental counter e Editing a string as a pure vectorial object e Dynamically managing strings that share contents e Working with ligatures e Using the tiling function e Text String properties e Common operations on objects 4 7 3 1 Adding a Text string To add a string 1 Create or open a document to enable the insertion of objects see Creating graphic layouts and Opening existing layouts 2 Doone of the following o On the vertical toolbar click on the Insert objects button and then in the horizontal toolbar that is displayed click on Text string o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Insert gt Text string 3 The String object is displayed in the work area surrounded by the selection handles for quick rough sizing rotating or positioning use your mouse see Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects 4 Use the Properties window and the toolbars buttons for formatting and customizing the string See below Tip amp For a quick reference on using toolbars in Laser Editor see Using toolbars tools Clicking a properties title in the Properties window and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties 59 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 3 2 Importing fonts Attention
133. gine chapter section Managing users and access rights You can display a toolbar by selecting the corresponding button in the vertical Select toolbar Furthermore you can hide display toolbars by right clicking a blank area in the upper part of the window Select toolbar The vertical toolbar allows switching between toolbars Each buttons activates a subset of horizontal toolbar buttons You can hide display this toolbar by right clicking a blank area in the toolbars area Undo redo command list It lists all the actions that you have performed during layout editing It allows keeping track of all actions and undoing or redoing any of these actions To undo redo an action select it then do one of the following e click the a P buttons on the toolbar e choose Edit gt Undo or Redo from the menu bar The Undo redo window can float over the work area or you can dock it at the left side of the window just below the toolbars by double clicking its title bar Furthermore you can hide display this window by right clicking a blank area in the toolbars area Objects engraving order It shows the order in which the objects that were added to the document will be engraved To change the N order drag the objects to the desired position To optimize the marking order you can use the N Marking order function that is made available after clicking the D Adjust Objects button on the vertical toolbar This window can f
134. h Redo 00 00 Marking time It allows calculating the time for engraving the active document Lighter Help Online Manual 14 DATALOGIC 2 2 2 3 Insert Objects toolbar This toolbar is displayed after pressing the a Insert Objects button on the vertical toolbar It allows adding objects to the current document See About graphic objects for more information Button Description R Remove object s It allows removing the selected object Same as menu command Actions _ gt Remove object s Text string It allows inserting a text string into the current document Same as menu command Actions gt Insert gt Text string TIE Code It allows inserting a code into the current document Same as menu command Actions hiii gt Insert gt Code Imported It displays the window that allows you to insert an imported graphic object into the current document You might import vectorial or raster images AutoCad AutoDesk DXF and DWG files HPGL or PLT files as well as existing layouts XLP files Same as menu command Actions gt Insert gt Imported Be Array It allows inserting an array into the current document Same as menu command Actions gt Insert gt Array en Circle It allows inserting an ellipse into the current document Same as menu command a Actions gt Insert gt Circle u ae Rectangle It allows inserting a rectangle into the current document Same
135. h as well as for setting custom laser parameters e Select the shape then double click it This will result in the shape s segments changing to the green color and in the Edit nodes function being enabled See Starting nodes editing 57 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 3 Using Text strings By using the toolbar button or the Actions menu Laser Editor allows you to insert text strings in a layout You can then use the Properties browser the toolbars tools or the mouse to set dimensions printing character font style spacing shear and filling Click a properties title then press F1 to open a table with a description of the properties Laser Editor allows you to e dynamically display updated texts e use special character s to create variable texts date time auto incremental counter e place the text inside or outside of a circumference arc e import any kind of font e set the font dimensions style printing characters spacing and filling e edit strings as pure vectorial objects e rotate shear or resize strings using the mouse see Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects e set custom laser parameters that differ from those that have been set for the document Lighter Help Online Manual 58 DATALOGIC The following sections describe how to work with Text Strings e Adding a Text string e Changing the characters style see Style properties e Alignin
136. hanumeric The special compaction mode of Japanese characters can be enabled on demand Format parameter J This barcode symbology supports two methods to provide the barcode data with and without data extraction from the Japanese Address B Field KIX O O O This code is used by the Dutch Postal system This code is used by the Korean Postal system Encoded BOrea PORIA AUGEN are a 6 digit ZIP and 1 check digit MaxiCode is in use and was invented by UPS MaxiCode represents data by drawing hexagonal items which are arranged around a circular center a so called Bull s Eye Different encoding modes for including MaxiCode postal information SCM can be adjusted UPS Modes are Mode 2 US Carrier and Mode 3 International Carrier The printing size is usually set to a fixed value If you want to change the size of the symbol adjust a custom module width default is 0 870 mm Mode 4 SEC Standard Error Correction The internal data structure is regulated by different modes For standard purposes data can be encoded Mode 5 EEC with two different error correction levels Subtype Enhanced E C iad Sn The modes for Structured Carrier Message SCM were R defined by the parcel transport service UPS If you want Mode 3 SCM to use MaxiCode for UPS please use these SCM modes alphanumeric 81 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC This stacked 2D symbology is
137. hat you set Greater redundancy and higher error correction level result in a greater recovering ability but impact code dimensions and consequently the marking time Note that PDF 417 which is a stacked codebar has error correction capabilities For further information e Setting the level of redundancy for 2D Codes e Setting the error correction level 4 7 4 7 Setting the level of redundancy for 2D Codes Note 7 Please consult the Barcode Reference pdf for specific information about each simbology supporting this feature In the case of 2D Codes you can set different codes dimensions that is you can specify how much redundant data your code can contain 2D Codes range from smaller to larger versions Each version has a different number of modules Note that as the amount of data increases more modules are required to comprise the code resulting in larger code symbols You can use the Size property in the code s Property browser to determine the dimensions of the symbol so as to suit your redundancy needs See Codes properties To set codes dimensions 1 Select the code in the document The Property browser is displayed for the code 2 Under Encoding in the Code properties group select from the Size dropdown list the desired value Note that the Best Fit options correspond to the minimum size for the information to be encoded The following figure shows a range of sizes in the case of a QRCode Version 12
138. he figure below the Local control is activated Local control The Local control is used when Laser Editor and Laser Engine are both installed on your PC that is if you are locally connected and directly controlling the laser source In this case Laser Engine will accept commands from you but not from other operators on the network Behaviour when resuming Local control from Remote control If the Remote control has been activated and you need to make changes at runtime such as displaying limits or testing a layout do the following e Click the to Local button in the left Menu of Laser Engine to resume the Local control e You will be notified if other operators are remotely connected and remote connections will be terminated Lighter Help Online Manual 154 DATALOGIC Remote control The Remote control is used when Laser Editor and Laser Engine are installed on different machines that is when operating in a network This allows different operators to establish a remote connection so as to send commands to Laser Engine which will accept commands from the first operator who connects Only operators in the network who have a Supervisor installation of Laser Editor can remotely connect to Laser Engine For further information see Installation types and connection modes Behaviour e Click the to Remote button in the left Menu of Laser Engine to set the Remote control e The laser source connected to L
139. he laser editor that is an AutoCAD file the Filter Options window displays for you to select how to process the file Imported AutoCAD files can be strings that use specific and proprietary fonts which might not be available in your system Using these options you can fix this issue as well as process the layers of the original file as groups of editable objects To set the filter options 1 Click the Imported icon in the toolbar and then select AutoCAD DXF DWG files as the File Type 2 Select the file to import and click Open The following window is displayed Filter Configuration AutoCAD OXF files DXF Import strings as vectors _ False Defauk font Aral Mm Process layers as groups v Lighter Help Online Manual 98 DATALOGIC 3 Select the proper options taking in mind that a Import string as vectors If it is set to False default strings will be imported as strings In this case if the original font is not available an error or a warning could be returned To fix this problem use the Default font option and specify a default font If itis set to True strings will be imported as pure vectorial objects that is they will not be strings objects anymore b Default font It allows selecting from the dropdown list the font that must be used if the Original one is not available Tip If you imported the strings as strings Import strings as vectors False and set a Default font
140. he width of the object 115 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC To lock unlock an object 1 Select the object 2 Click the handle The moving and resizing handles disappear and the pushpin changes to the shape This prevents the object from being changed 3 To unlock the object click the handle 4 9 3 3 Skewing and rotating objects You can double click an object so as to enable the skewing and rotating handles To rotate an object 1 Double click the object s Note that the handles look as follows 2 Position the pointer over the p handle until the pointer changes to a cross then left click and drag up or down the handle to rotate the object To skew an object 1 Position the pointer over a handle until the pointer changes to the same shape as the handle then drag to skew the object 2 Use the following as a reference Object handle handle Mouse pointer Mouse pointer You can Drag left right to skew the object horizontally i T Drag up down to skew the object vertically 4 9 3 4 Editing nodes You can use the mouse to edit the nodes of a vectorial object To edit nodes 1 Double click a vectorial object The objects outline becomes green colored and ASE 232 T 5 ap e A nn 4 ae oe a Edit nodes toolbar appears 2 Position the pointer over a polyline until the pointer changes to a cross then click to display the nodes Please refer to section Editing
141. hortcut menu that lists a number of commands See Shortcut menu commands for further information 147 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 2 2 Menu buttons Information If users access control has been enabled and you do not have proper rights to use the buttons i you will be prompted for a password with rights For further information see Managing users and access rights The following table provides a short description of all available menu buttons A link to the relevant section in this chapter is provided Buttons Description to Local to Remote It allows specifying the Laser Engine supervision level it can be Local Laser Editor and Laser Engine are on the same machine or Remote Laser Editor and Laser Engine are on different machines After setting the Remote control operators who have a Supervisor installation type might control remotely the laser This button is only available if you have an Interactive installation with remote control allowed By setting the Remote control all other buttons become unavailable For further information see Local Remote control to Auto to Manual mode It allows switching between working modes This button is only available if the Local control has been activated When the Auto mode is activated the engraving operations are executed automatically The Manual mode is used for editing and testing graphic layouts You ca
142. ials Material and its reactions to the marking operation For further information on how to save and recover a materials database see Saving a Materials database for a later re use lt allows setting the number of runs of the laser light on the object to engrave You might set up to 3 passages each with different laser parameters see Passages Passage properties group This option may be particularly useful to make several light engraving runs to clean the a after a more incisive engraving process See Using more engraving runs Saver This indicates the laser output power The value is ee as a percentage of to the maximum power of the laser source Light emitted by the laser is pulsed Use this parameter to adjust the frequency of the emitted light All other parameters being equal a lower frequency causes Frequency ja longer pulse Not all combinations of power and frequency are allowed Depending on the laser source type low frequencies require correspondingly low powers This indicates the engraving speed The value is expressed in millimeters per second Note A slower speed implies engraving a deeper engraving Set a very slow speed 50 100 mm sec for special processes such as burnishing or deep engraving Sets the engraving time for each dot that is the length of time for the laser Dot Delay ek emission on the dot Sets the duration of the laser shot pulse i e the time the Q switch is open or Shot Time bett
143. ies window such as for example Geometry when working on a document or a graphic object then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties 1 1 2 Contents of the Help The Help is organized into the following main topics Chapter Contents Getting started with Laser Editor Presents an overview of the product in terms of scope architecture and User Interface oe eee Describes how to register Laser Editor as well as how to set the y OP default parameters for the application Greanacraraahiclavour Describes how to create a graphic layout by adding objects to a g grap y plane or ring document and how to operate on objects Perominaheesnoanra oneri Provides instructions on how to test your graphic layout and how to g g g OP complete the laser engraving operation Laser Engine User Interface Describes how to use the Laser Engine user interface Lighter Help Online Manual 6 DATALOGIC 7 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual V DATALOGIC 2 GETTING STARTED WITH LASER EDITOR This chapter is organized into the following sections Topic What you will learn About Laser Editor Scope and overview of Laser Editor s features and architecture of the new laser marking units er Quick reference guide in terms of work environment toolbars Laser Editor s User Interface quick reference i and menus of Laser Editor Lighter Help Online Manual 8
144. ill be sliced into portions whose size is equal to the ring s sectors to be marked This way the object will be marked as if it were an individual sector thus resulting in high precision marking The Tilable property is used in association with the Sector size and Sector gap Advanced properties of the ring document how it is described in the example in the following Example of tiling usage The following example describes how the software operates when using the tiling function and how the ring s Sector size and Sector gap properties are to be set accordingly to your specific needs 1 Opena Ring document by selecting File gt New gt cD Ring document 2 Let s suppose that we must import the logo of a jeweller So click and import the file 3 As the Text string property type the date and then set the desired Font Style and Filling properties Then set to True the Tilable property under Geometry 105 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 Deselect the string and set the Sector Size and Sector Gap properties for the document in order to define the sectors properties 5 Set the properties according to your needs keeping in mind that a The Sector Size property defines the width of the sector that is the portion to be engraved within a single movement of the rotating axis The object will be divided into sectors whose size is equal to the sector s maximum size which it is b
145. ing order Laser Editor has a function that sets automatically the marking order of the objects that compose your layout for optimal performance In other words the system orders the objects to be engraved so as to minimize the path of the spot laser between objects resulting in a shorter marking time To optimize the objects engraving order 1 When your layout is composed and ready for engraving see Creating graphic layouts do one of the following o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Marking order DD nai _ ia o On the vertical toolbar click Adjust buttons and then click A Marking order in the horizontal toolbar The Optimizing marker order window is displayed showing the operation progress When finished note that the objects order in the Objects engraving order pane has changed See picture below m gering h mM Best before 21 04 08 Lighter Help Online Manual 128 DATALOGIC 4 9 12 Calculating the marking time Laser Editor allows you to calculate the marking time of your graphic layout that is how long the engraving operation will take The marking time is determined by the level of detail that you add to the objects that compose the layout If you can t exceed a specific marking time consider removing some details Attention Keep in mind that this is an approximate value that is just intended to help you in calculating the time The actual mar
146. inish again 16 The system will calculates the correction You might repeat the marking operation so as to check the precision level that you achieved and if necessary you can change the precision level 185 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 8 Sending documents to marking Notes This button is only available if the Local control is activated See Switching between working modes To select a document or to perform testing operations as well as to make any other change you must activate the Manual Mode see Auto Manual working mode By using the Laser Engine interface you can send to marking any document that has been saved to the device See Saving a layout to a device To send a document to marking 1 Be sure that you are in Manual working mode To check the current working mode move the pointer over the L Y button 2 Inthe Name area of the Documents tab select the x1p document you want to mark hd oa 3 Click amp to send the document to marking To stop the marking click l Note that as the laser marks in the lower part of the Preview pane the progress bar moves and the marking time decreases Tip The Laser Editor s Mark preview function see Marking preview that allows previewing how lines will be marked by the laser and verifying the marking time has been implemented as a scripting object Programmers can add the object to their user inte
147. integrator you might need specific functions that these libraries provide Formatters have a qs extension and are stored in the folder Data Formatters Lighter Help Online Manual 86 DATALOGIC The array object is used to mark repetitively an object or a group of objects in different positions allowing you to customize both the layout and the elements arrangement Graphic objects are included in cells that you can customize to suit your needs The array object is especially tailored to Integrated Circuits IC chips marking By using the Array toolbar button or the Actions menu Laser Editor allows you to create an array You might use the mouse to resize and move the array or to select deselect cells you can use the Properties window to set dimensions and number of cells and to define their content as well as misalign or change the distance between cells Tips Clicking a properties title in the Properties window and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties For further information on mouse operations refer to section Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects The following sections describe how to work with arrays e Adding an array e Setting the number of cells e Resizing arrays or cells e Changing the distance between cells e Cells misalignment e Selecting Deselecting one or more cells e Creating the contents of individual cells e Array and cells prope
148. interval in minutes or the entire program s session Once the specified time is elapsed the password will be requested to enter the function Note To change the administrator password or to disable the users access control see Disabling users access control 6 Click OK The User management window will be displayed User management _ Disabled users because no password is set The left side of the grid lists the available types of users while in the upper part the functions you can limit the access to are listed An asterisk indicates that the access control is currently disabled for those users because no password has been set and a selected checkbox indicates that the user has rights to the function Available users are o The Administrator has full rights on the system s functions and can manage the users rights you cannot edit this user o The Everyone user is the default user who has all rights except the users management function it is editable and you can use it as a basis for setting the other users rights o Three additional types of users are provided Operator Designer and Developer These represent the typical operators of a laser system for whom you might limit the access rights to the functions The functions you can limit the access to are a name ee ee operations Manage users __ users This function allows managing users access This function allows
149. ion ee Speed the scanners use when moving between polygons that is when not marking Passive q switched laser sources oscillate at start up resulting in first line s being progressively thicker The Scan Ramp parameter sets a time oe in Scan Ramp a millisecond for the scanner to accelerate from zero to maximum speed this allows to ms reduce the flaw This parameter needs only to be set for passive q switched laser Sources Scan Acceleration needs to happen only at start up to allow emission stabilization The Scan Threshold Threshold is the amount of time that must elapse after the laser has been switched ms off for the acceleration ramp see Scan Ramp to be repeated The position the scanner moves to when standing by that is at the end of the marking operation If the emission cannot be completely stopped this parameter allows moving the scanner so as to prevent damages Possible values are Scan e Center moves the scanner to the origin This is the mandatory setting if you are using the Marking on the Fly function for further information see Configuring the Marking on the Fly function e Corner moves the scanner to the bottom left corner If this option is selected the Corner Position fields are displayed below indicating the exact position in points By default this position is the farther from the origin e Dynamic moves the scanner dynamically back to the center after elapsing a certain a
150. ion on how to work with documents o To import an existing document click the Import property in the Properties pane and E ae T then use the browse button to select the document Properties The Import property allows importing an existing document The Name property is an editable field for you to enter the document s name Lighter Help Online Manual 48 DATALOGIC Set Out It allows setting outputs on the I O PCI card which can be connected to a PLC 16 output bits are available This allows you to interact with the PLC that manages operations and tell it how to behave when executing the program Properties Bit 0 to Bit 15 are the output bits that you can set Possible options are O Don t care Ignores the bit that is leaves the bit how it was O Set It sets the bit to True O Reset It sets the bit to False g Delay It allows setting a delay that you might need to complete a pending operation pa Properties The Delay ms property allows you to specify the delay in milliseconds 00 Wait Start It is the default item that is displayed when creating a sequence In order to execute We or to continue processing a sequence Laser Engine waits for the user pressing Start Get and Go To enable this item you must first select at least one Label A Get and Go item is associated to a specific Label to which it might jump or not depending on the condition to be verified if any
151. is parameters are reversed False is the default Reverse Y axis If itis set to True Y axis parameters are reversed False is the default Swap X axis and Y axis Field The three axis reverse parameters are used to direct the engraving field Orientation in the four angular positions as described below e 0 rotation None Swap X Y axis e 90 rotation Invert X Swap X Y e 180 rotation Invert X Invert Y e 270 rotation Invert Y Swap X Y Parameters in this area allow the user to set his own optical corrections for example if scan head is not properly aligned with the marking filed Use correction If it is set to True allows you to specify the path of a custom file to be file used for Field Correction Offset X Offset X pts It allows It allows aligning horizontally the field horizontally the field Offset Y pts It It allows aligning vertically the field Scale alti scale factors used to correct magnification Scale Y Th X Optical eta x deg Theta angles used to calculate optical correction Correction Theta Y deg rn Horizontal sides These parameters correct an error introduced when scan head is not atio top bottom properly aligned with the marking field Vertical sides This produces a deformation of the field from a square into a trapezium ratio right left To fix the problem use the Diagonals ratio parameter Rotates the optical field to align it to the ph
152. king time depends also on the specific device you are using as well as on its settings To view the final results of your marking besides calculating the marking time see Marking preview To calculate the marking time 1 Create your engraving layout see Creating graphic layouts 2 There are two possible scenarios o Ifthe marking time for the layout is less then 30 seconds the Marking time button on the toolbar shows the expected time automatically For example o Ifthe marking time for the layout exceeds 30 seconds in order to calculate the estimated time you must click the 2 00 00 button 4 9 13 Marking preview The Mark preview function allows you to check the final result of the marking process of your layouts directly in Laser Editor When selecting this option the Mark preview window shows both the lines that the laser will actually mark according to the filling you specified and the marking time This way you can precisely verify the time that the process will take and the result that you will obtain such as for example if lines are placed equidistantly apart The drag and drop function allows you to move layout s objects around the work area Note An object with functionality for mark preview is available at scripting level also Programmers 7 can create their own user interface including a preview of the document to be engraved For further information see the Project Editor online documentati
153. lection and corresponds to the origin that has been set for the object see Setting the origin of an object Note that the Property br5owser lists the properties for the selected objects 2 You can use the handles that appear around the object to move or resize the object See below 3 To deselect an object click on a blank area of the document To select multiple objects Do one of the following e Drag with the mouse to select multiple objects e Hold down CTRL while clicking on the desired objects e You can use the handles that appear around the selected objects as if it were a single object See below 4 9 3 2 Moving resizing or locking objects When you have selected an object you can use the mouse to change its position in the document as well as to resize it You can also lock it so as to prevent any change To move an object 1 Select the object 2 When the mouse pointer changes to a cross left click and move the object to the desired position in the document Note that the Geometry properties of the object are affected To resize an object 1 Select the object 2 Position the pointer over a handle until the pointer changes to the same shape as the handle then left click and drag to resize the object 3 Use the following as a reference Object Mouse Yonscan handle pointer Yu Ta Drag to resize the object T Drag down to change the height of the object gt Drag left or right to change t
154. line Manual 42 DATALOGIC 4 3 3 2 Geometry properties Ring document When creating a new document the default parameters that have been set in the Default configuration parameters window for Laser Editor are used For further information see Setting documents parameters Geometry page You can use the document s Property browser to set parameters other than the default ones Note me All measurement units that are used in this page depend upon the units that you have nieces at the application level See Setting language measurement unit and graphical effects General Group Property Description Diameter The size of the external or internal diameter Ring Height The height of the ring or cylinder Mark Sets engraving inside or outside the ring Margin Sets the width of the vertical margins If it is set to True default the grid is displayed and the following properties are available Step Sets the dimension of the cells on the grid Grid Sna to It is set to True enables the snap to the objects in the grid that is when you gri i move objects on the grid they will be aligned to the closest grid line Default False The default origin for the Cartesian coordinates x y that are used as the reference point Their origin is set by default to 0 0 Center The position of the objects refers to this point The dropdown list allows you to select an origin other than Center such as
155. lling and so forth Clicking a properties title in the Properties window and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties The code is treated by Laser Editor in the same way as a text string therefore it is possible to associate the functions of special character sequences as described for the string object See Special character sequences for dates and times and Special character sequences for counters Furthermore you can e set dimensions black and white ratio and filling e rotate or resize the code e set custom laser parameters that differ from those that have been set for the document The following sections describe how to work with Codes e Usual Codes terminology e About linear bar codes e About stacked bar codes e About two dimensional 2D codes e Adding acode e Setting the data restoring capability e Balancing the black and white ratio e Codes properties e Using the tiling function e Common operations on objects 69 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 4 1 Usual Codes terminology 4 7 4 1 1 1 Bar code symbol A complete bar code made of a blank area before the code a start character one or more characters containing the information a stop character and a final blank area quiet zone 4 7 4 1 1 2 Black White ratio The ratio between white and black modules You can fine tune this ratio when marking very small elements 4 7 4 1 1 3 Code
156. loat over the work area or you can dock it at the left side of the window just below the toolbars by double clicking its title bar Furthermore you can hide display this window by right clicking a blank area in the toolbars area Work area The graphic work area where the engraving layout or the sequence will be represented When you select File gt New plane or ring document the document is displayed in this area You might work on more documents at the same time in this case at the top of the work area the documents tabs will be displayed el 3 to allow you to switch between documents To close an individual document click the button at the top right of the area os attention The maximum width of the work area is defined by the focus length set in Laser Configuration See Setting the work area Lighter Help Online Manual 12 DATALOGIC Properties browser It tells you information that is settings about any selected object in the work area Documents are treated as objects in Laser Editor so if no object is selected the document s properties are displayed The Property browser can float over the work area or you can dock it at the right side of the window just below the toolbars by double clicking its title bar Furthermore you can hide display this window by right clicking a blank area in the toolbars area The property browser supports context sensitive Help Clicking a properties title e g Geom
157. m the Laser Editor menu bar choose Help gt Get device ID 2 Inthe Device ID window select button Copy Device ID to clipboard Device ID IP Address localhost Device ID 90246 O0Y se PS 244 50 OG 9 6 1 ICSDN To license this software please e mail the code above together with laser serial number and order invoice number or delivery note or O4 email license dla lasermarking datalogic com zu 3 Copy the identification code and paste it into an e mail that you will send to the address that appears at the bottom of the dialog 4 You will receive a reply with an attached file called License dat 3 1 2 Sending the activation key to the remote device Attention To perform this operation you must be connected to the device For further information see Connecting to the laser device ol This procedure allows sending the activation key to the remote device to which you are connected To send the license 1 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Help gt Send license 2 In the Choose license file window that is displayed select the License dat file that you have received from the manufacturer see Obtaining the license file 3 Click on Open This will automatically send the license to the remote device 21 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 3 2 Installation types and connection modes When installing Laser Editor you can choose between different installation types depe
158. managing users access rights to the system to the system This function allows switching between manual and auto working mode See Auto mode Auto Manual vs Manual mode reating graphic Manage layouts This functions allows creating a layout and sending it to marking See Creating graphic layouts This function allows implementing a project with Project Editor and then sending it to Programming marking See the Project Editor s online help that is integrated into the Laser Editor help system Laser This function allows accessing and configuring the laser configuration parameters configuration See Configuring the laser parameters This function allows creating global variables that you can access both from Laser Editor Global variables nn l or from the Laser Engine interface See Using global variables 151 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 7 To enable the access control for the Operator Designer or Developer user in the User management window click Set passwords The Change passwords window is displayed 8 Click the User arrow to display the list of users and then select the desired user for example Designer Note Select Administrator to change the current password or to disable the users access control by entering an empty password 9 Type a unique password of your choice and then confirm it 10 Do one of the following o Click OK to
159. menu command Laser gt Connect to device Open from device It allows opening a laser document that you have previously saved to the laser device Same as File gt Open from device D Save to device It allows saving a layout to a specific device with a specific name into a folder u v managed by Laser Engine Same as File gt Save to device Switch to Manual or Auto Mode It allows switching between operating modes Selecting Manual Mode allows you to set laser parameters or send documents to marking By default Auto Mode is set and layouts are sent to marking via a Project Editor s program Same as menu command Laser gt Select Manual or Auto Mode E Work Mode This button is only enabled if you are in Manual Mode It allows marking the selected layout using the external Start and Stop commands directly from editor If you are not connected to 2 a device it activates the simulator Same as menu command Laser gt Send marking Send marking This button is only enabled if you are in Manual Mode It allows sending the layout to the device for marking If you are not connected to a device it activates the simulator Same as menu command Laser gt Send marking m4 Stop marking It allows interrupting the laser marking operation Same as menu command Laser gt Stop marking Lighter Help Online Manual 18 VDATALOGIC Limits on selection It allows tracking the engravin
160. mission C jump us The time that elapses before the system extinguish the laser emission Jump H This phenomenon is complementary to the one originating the Cdraw delay Laser Delays Lighter Help Online Manual 158 DATALOGIC 6 5 1 1 Calculating waiting times The engraving process is achieved by means of a laser beam deflection device controlled by two retroactive electrical drives PID which angular position is proportional to the control voltage provided Due to the very nature of the system the reaction time phase of the drives is not negligible If this reaction delay wasn t taken into account poor results would be obtained the solution is that the control system waits the mirror for correct positioning before proceeding The waiting times required for high quality engraving are illustrated below Waiting times are linear functions linear phase of the engraving speed this is why they are parameterized by two variables K proportional coefficient for speed and C constant The system computes the waiting time according to these two parameters with the following formula speed T CrK Max speed The speeds indicated in the formula are expressed in thousands of coordinates per second and the maximum reference speed mentioned in the formula is equal to 1000 Kcoord s which corresponds to the following speeds expressed in mm s according to the lens e f100 1133 3 mm s e 160 1822 2 mm s e 254
161. mount of time Corner Position Indicates the position of the corner along the X coordinate pts X Indicates the position of the corner along the Y coordinate Refers to the waiting times required for high quality engraving K and C are two variables where K is the proportional coefficient for soeed and C is constant The system calculates the waiting times for the movement of the laser according to these parameters Waiting times are all expressed in microseconds us For further information see Calculating waiting times IK first us Polygon peeve IC first us e First First point of a vector That is waiting time before proceeding with the K next us first movement IC next us e Next Conjunction point between two vectors IK last us e Last The last point of a vector ae last us Con Confus The time that the laser The time that the laser spends to mark an individual pixel 8 to mark an individual pixel Raster C off us The waiting time before the laser marks the next pixel The higher this time more Delays H ee a a the next pulse C line C line us The The waiting time between lines that is before the laser marks the next line time between lines that is before the laser marks the next line The time that elapses before the system actually start emitting C draw us The laser system can have a sort of inertia that is a response delay between the emission signal and the actual e
162. n set the default working mode via the shortcut menu For further information see Auto Manual working mode Start It allows sending a document to marking or stopping the marking operation respectively When pressed this button changes to if This button is only available if the Local control has been activated For further information see Sending documents to marking Start Limits It allows displaying the margins of the graphic objects to be marked For further information see Displaying the limits the sectors that compose the objects to mark when engraving on ring documents The 5 Limits previous sector Limits next sector These buttons allow displaying the margins of buttons become active after clicking on Start Limits Lighter Help Online Manual 148 wJATALOGIC 6 2 3 Shortcut menu commands Right clicking the Laser Engine icon on the Windows application toolbar results in a shortcut menu opening q Minimize i Show i Always on top User management Global variables 7 View log System best 1 Laser configuration i Lens correction Start in auto mode Start in remote mode Qut Right click the Laser AR Engine icon to display the shortcut menu The commands available on the shortcut menu are shortly described below A link to the relevant section in this chapter is provided Menu command Description Minimize Show Allows minimizi
163. n the optimal value notice the blurring between the polygons e f the delay ishigherthan the optimal value the engraving process will be slower but no effects will be visible 6 5 2 Setting the laser parameters The Laser page of the Laser configuration window contains the following parameters Note 7 The Laser source is set to the default parameter that has been set for Laser Editor For further information see Setting the laser parameters Laser page You can still set a source type other than the default one Group Property Description Source Type This is the currently selected laser source Edit advanced This button enables more parameters that allow configuring the laser source parameters so as to suit your needs This function is intended for specialized technicians button who will be provided with an ad hoc password This parameter is displayed after activating theEdit advanced Description parameter function lt allows entering a description of the laser source This parameter is displayed after activating theEdit advanced parameter function Some systems especially lamp ones have high optical inertia they take Laser time to stabilize laser emission after power supply has changed Diode sources behave this way only if the level ramp starts below emission Power Change threshold This parameter can have two values do not change settings in Type laser ini file e Once Power Change
164. n the work area increasing but the model and the quality of the lens can also affect the size of the work area The lens can have different focal lengths this determines the size of the marking area The table below lists some typical examples Focallength WoringArea Y 100 mm 50 x 50 mm 160 mm 110 x 110 mm PB AMmMt lt i lt lt i lt 1 15 41 7 The focal lengths also determine other properties of the laser marking system such as the working distance and the laser spot When you set the work area parameters keep in mind that its width cannot exceed the focus length set for the laser The figure below shows an example The focal length for the objective lens are set both at laser device s level and at the level of the document To set the focal length at the laser device level 1 Right click the Laser Engine icon on the Windows taskbar and select Laser Configuration For more information on how the Laser Engine works see Laser Engine User Interface 2 Select the Correction page 3 Under Lens choose from the Focal Length mm dropdown list the focal length used by the laser device To set the focal length at the document level 1 In the Properties window of the active document under Target choose from the Lens dropdown list the optical lens to be used 2 When setting the work area for the document remember not to exceed the dimensions that the installed optical lens determine
165. nding on your needs The installation type determines if you are installing either Laser Editor or Laser Engine or both components as well as whether you can interact to Laser Engine remotely The following table summarizes the available solutions Laser Engine IS suitable for remote control through the Laser Editor can connect Installation type and description to any Laser Engine available on the network Interactive e Installs both Laser Editor and Laser Engine e Use this option if you are installing the software on the PC that will control the laser locally SLAVE device NO YES e This option will install components for editing layouts and controlling the laser source locally e This option allows the laser source to be controlled by MASTER device via Ethernet Supervisor e Use this option if you are installing the software on the PC that will control the laser source remotely MASTER device e This will install components for editing YES NO layouts and control the laser source via Ethernet e This option allows the laser source to be controlled by MASTER device via remote ActiveX control Lighter Help Online Manual 22 DATALOGIC 3 3 Setting the default behaviour of Laser Editor You can use the Configuration dialog box of Laser Editor to set the default configuration parameters for your application See the following for further information e Setting language measurement unit an
166. nected to a PC so that data are automatically saved to a text file that you can later import in Laser Editor Microscope 5x5 points 7x7 points 9x9 points 12 Click on Limits to display the margins of the shape on the work area For further information on this function please see Displaying the limits 13 Click on Mark now to mark the shape The fields in the grid on the left side of the window that correspond to the square s lines will be enabled By selecting a field the corresponding segment within the square is highlighted 14 There are two possible scenarios o Ifyou selected Medium or Good as the precision level enter the measures as required o If you selected Microscope as the precision level you can use the micrometric table to measure and then enter the values into the corresponding fields or import a measure file that has been previously saved If this is the case click Import and then browse to select the file the fields will be automatically filled 15 Click Finish The message The correction file has been successful created will be displayed meaning that data have been saved to the device The wizard will be terminated and you will return to Laser Editor If you are using a microscope be sure that you enter all the measures as required otherwise the Missing or incorrect parameters message will be displayed Correct the problems and then click F
167. ng or displaying the Laser Engine user interface Always on top Allows keeping always visible the Laser Engine window Allows accessing the user management function You must have the appropriate User management jprivileges to manage users See Managing users and access rights for further information Allows accessing and managing the global variables these are strings or counters that are stored in a small database at the device level If users management has been enabled and access to this function has been limited you will be prompted for a password with proper rights See Using global variables for further information Global variables Views Log that allows checking what happened during the work session For further J information see Understanding the log file on page 179 Displays the dialog that allows checking your hardware and cables connections System test See Testing the system for further information Laser configuration Allows accessing the parameters for configuring the laser See Configuring the laser parameters for further information Lens s rraston Allows opening the wizard that you can use to correct lens distortions See Correcting lens distortion for further information Start in auto mode Start in remote Allows specifying the working mode that must be activated at startup See Auto Manual working mode for further information 149 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC
168. ng parameters are displayed after activating theEdit advanced parameter function Rule Hz Defines minimum and maximum frequencies Hz allowed comma Max separated The following parameters are displayed after activating theEdit advanced parameter function Speed Rule The following parameters are displayed after activating theEdit advanced parameter function Delay Rule 163 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 5 3 Setting the correction parameters The Correction page of the Laser configuration window is used to set the optical correction required to recover the distortion of mirrors and lens oo Group Property Description Focal Length It contains a list of available optical lenses that you can install on the mm scanner head of the laser device pulicate lens This button allows duplicating a lens to be used as a template for creating p a new one You can then set the Lens e p one to suit your needs Lens Delete lens lens This button allows This button allows deleting a lens created by the user a lens created by the user This button allows importing a lens using another configuration file Import lens laser inz This way you can use a configuration of a custom lens that was executed on a different device Parameters in this area allow the user to orientate the optical field in whatever direction he is comfortable in Reverse X axis f itis set to True X ax
169. nnnnneennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneneennnnnnneen 8 2 1 About Laser Editor uu 4uu0040480Rnennnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnennnnnnnnnnn nennen nnennnnnnennnnnnnennnnnnennnnnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnnenn 9 2 1 1 What s new in Laser Editor u 4uu00444440 nennen nnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnnnn nennen nnennnnnnennnnnnnnnnnn nennen nennen 9 2 2 Laser Editor s User Interface quick reference uu002444000000nnnennnnnn nennen nennen nnennnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnnenn 11 2 2 1 Work environment uuussensesnennennnnnennnnnennnnnonennnnnennennnnn nenne nnnnnennnnnennnnnnnennnnnennennnnnennnnnenennnn 11 2 2 2 UISING TOO Dane OOS naaa a ee 13 9 PRELIMINARY OPERATHONGS ees ceases en AEAEE mean 20 3 1 Registering Your Dl OQUC ee en ee 21 3 1 1 Obtaining the license file s 2222224000000BRnnnnnnnnneeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnn 21 3 1 2 Sending the activation key to the remote device ussssnnssssenneeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnn 21 3 2 Installation types and connection modes uss 422400000nnennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nennen 22 3 3 Setting the default behaviour of Laser Editor ss 2222024000000RRnennnnnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nennen 23 3 3 1 Setting language measurement unit and graphical effects General page 23 3 3 2 Setting documents parameters Geometry PAGE 22224u000nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nennen n
170. nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnnennnnnn nenn 47 4 7 ABOUT GN ISIC OID SC 0 eiiieaenii ae a RAE AEE eE EE 51 4 7 1 Common objects PrOPEItiGS ceeeeecccceecceeeeseeeeeeecseeeseeeeceeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeessaeeseeeeeeessaaegeeeeeeeeees 51 4 7 2 Working with simple vectorial objects 4u00s02400000eRRnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnennnnen nennen 56 4 7 3 USHA Text SWINGS arrei ee ee ee een 58 4 7 4 USING COGE See ee ee 69 BZ ee ee nee ern T 78 Brazilian CEPNet Brazilian Postal Code uusss2200002000000Rnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnn 78 RO pce NE EEE EINER E EEE A A BENENNEN EI E EEEN 78 4 7 5 USING ANayS een ee eier 87 4 7 6 Importing graphic Objeels u uneen au 95 4 7 7 Using the tiling function cccccccccssssececceeeseeceeccaauceeeceesseceesesauseceesesaueeeessaseeeesssaaseeeseseaas 105 4 7 8 Understanding objects colour in the work area ccccccsseeeceeeeeeeeeeeeecaeeseeeseuaeeeeeeeseaeeeeeeeaas 107 Lighter Help Online Manual 4 8 Using global Variables ccccccccccceceeeeseeeeeeeecaeeseeeeeeeeeeeaeeseeeeeeeeeesaeaaaeeeeeeesesaaaeeeeeeeeessaaseeeeseees 108 4 8 1 Adding viewing or editing a global variable cccccccccssseseeeeeeeeeeeneeeeeeeeeseaaaeeeeeeeeeesaaas 108 4 8 2 Using special character sequences to associate global variables to a string 111 4 9 Common operations on objects ccccceceeeeeeee
171. nt was saved Here are listed all the available devices on the network 3 The File area shows the layouts that have been saved to the selected device Choose the file you want 4 Click OK The selected document is displayed in the work area of Laser Editor 45 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 5 Saving layouts When you are finished creating a laser layout you can save it either locally or to a device so that it is then sent to the engraver through an automated procedure 4 5 1 Saving a layout on your PC The following procedure allows saving a layout as a x1f file on your disk for later use or editing To save the layout 1 To save a new unnamed layout o Choose File gt Save or click the ad button on the toolbar o In the Save document as window that is displayed go to any location available from your computer or create a new folder o In the File name box type a name for the document and click Save The document will be saved with the x1p extension 2 To save a copy of an existing document o Choose File gt Save as o In the Save document as window that is displayed go to any location available from your computer or create a new folder o Inthe File name box type a new name for the document and click Save 4 5 2 Saving a layout to a device The following procedure allows saving a layout to a specific device with a specific name into a folder that the Lase
172. nter will be marked before it is incremented by one y AT Digit The minimum number of digits to be The minimum number of digits to be displayed Formatters are source files that are supplied with Project Editor These files can be used as functions libraries Their purpose is to make it easier for developers to create custom applications For example as an integrator you might need specific functions that these libraries provide Formatters have a qs extension and are stored in the folder Custom Data Formatters Formatters True 2 DA Enable or Disable the use of a Custom Formatter file Script Visible only if Custom Formatters is set to True Use to select the Custom p Formatters from a list of available files Geometry properties for Objects Custom Laser parameters for Objects Filling properties for Objects See also Lighter Help Online Manual 68 DATALOGIC Codes are representations of text data that is formatted and displayed especially for automatic acquisition by dedicated optical devices code scanners or readers There are several codes symbologies which are provided in Laser Editor e Linear e Postal e Stacked e Two dimensional 2D By using the Code toolbar button or the Actions menu you can insert codes in a layout You might then use the Properties browser or the toolbars tools to set dimensions the type of standard the size the error levels a checksum the fi
173. ntrol points The figure below shows an example Asymmetric control point The type of node determines the behavior of polylines before and after the node Note that the control point defines two points through which the polyline passes The position of the control points in relation to the node defines which type of node you are working with symmetric asymmetric or angular You can drag the small circles to change the shape 4 9 7 2 Making an object vectorial This function allows making vectorial a string or a code so that you can enter the editing nodes mode and change or deform their shape as you need Note that when a string is made vectorial it looses its specific string s properties to become a pure vectorial object To make an object vectorial e Select the object you want to make vectorial You can also operate on grouped objects e Do one of the following o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Make vectorial D Make vectorial in the horizontal toolbar o Onthe vertical toolbar click D and then click gt e To enable the edit nodes function click the Edit nodes button or double click the vectorial object This will result in the Edit nodes horizontal toolbar being displayed and in the color of the lines changing to green e Click the object to display a small square vertex handle at each vertex of the shape s boundary These are the nodes that you can use to edit the shape
174. o fix problems such as not closed or double polygons before sending the document to mark These functions are available for vectorial objects PLT HPGL DXF DWG 99 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Step 1 Make the object vectorial and check nodes 1 Select the imported object and then do one of the following o From the menu bar choose Actions gt Make vectorial o On the vertical toolbar click D Object operations and either click OO Make vectorial or SD Ungroup selection in the horizontal toolbar 2 Double click the object to display the vectors nodes and then check if polygons are properly closed or if there are double lines that overlap each other For further information on how to open view and edit nodes see To edit the nodes The following shows an example of a DXF imported file that shows these type of imperfections On the left you see the object as it was imported while on the right the same object has been made vectorial as above described m m mn m m m mn ee ee m MH m m m oe a _ _ ef At a first sight it does not show problems But if you open the nodes by dragging the small grey squares problems will appear Double polygons These problems will result in marking imperfections Tip To exit the Edit nodes operating mode press ESC 3 In such a case you can use the Advanced Processing functions to edit polygons automatically
175. o hide display an element respectively 4 1 2 Docking Undocking panes By default the three panes Undo redo commands list Objects engraving order and Properties are displayed at the left and the right side of the Laser Editor s window respectively You can move or resize them For example you might want the Properties window to float over the work area To dock undock a pane e To undock a pane click on its title bar for example on Properties and then drag it to the desired position e o resize a pane undock it and then use the mouse to change its dimensions e To dock a pane in its original position double click the title bar 31 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 2 Graphics editing overview In order to create and manage layouts for laser engraving you will do the following e Create a document that is the container for the graphic objects that compose the layout See About documents e Add and edit the graphic objects to be engraved see About graphic objects The Property browser which is available for documents and objects allows you to edit the properties so as to suit your engraving needs You can customize the parameters that define how the objects will be engraved this includes sizes origins filling laser parameters and so forth Furthermore you can operate on objects by using toolbars mouse and menu bar While editing you can use the F1 key to access the context
176. objects vectors for further information Lighter Help Online Manual 116 DATALOGIC You can use either the standard toolbar buttons the Edit menu or the shortcut keys to copy paste or remove objects from the graphic area To copy and paste an object 1 Select the desired object s in the graphic area Do one of the following Tip Drag with the mouse to select multiple objects if you want to copy paste or remove them ina single operation o From the standard toolbar click the Copy button and then the la Paste button o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Edit gt Copy and then Edit gt Paste o Press Ctrl C and then Ctrl V 2 The copy is pasted on top of the original object Drag to move it To cut an object 1 Select the desired object s in the graphic area Do one of the following o From the standard toolbar click the Cut button o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Edit gt Cut o Press Ctrl X 2 Youcan then paste the object To remove an object 1 Select the desired object s in the graphic area Do one of the following x 1 From the standard toolbar click the Remove button 2 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Remove object s 2 The object is removed from the document 117 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 9 5 Aligning flipping or spacing objects You can use the Adjust objects toolbar
177. on chapter Language Reference 129 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJDATALOGIC To mark a preview e Create your layout See Creating graphic layouts The following shows an example of string object ee se een Note that the Cross lines Filling property is applied e Do one of the following o From the File menu select Mark preview o From the Laser Editor standard toolbar click the a Mark Preview button that is made available after opening or creating a document The following window is displayed The Mark preview windows shows exactly how the lines will be marked e Use the zooming bar the right side to further check the results and the drag and drop function to move items e f needed edit your layout so as to achieve the desired result Lighter Help Online Manual 130 wJATALOGIC 131 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 5 PERFORMING THE ENGRAVING OPERATION This chapter is divided into the following sections Topic More Setting custom laser parameters e Using more engraving runs lick here e Using the wobble function to engrave with thicker lines Displaying the trace limits Click here Simulating the marking operation Click here Connecting to the laser device Click here Sending a layout for marking 1 Auto Mode vs Manual Mode Click here
178. or decrease the Peg distance Offset Sets a misalignment between rows or columns Interleave Specifies the direction for the misalignment Direction e X Sets the misalignment between rows e Y Sets the misalignment between columns First Indicates the first column to which the extra pitch will be applied Pitch Sets the additional distance Sets the direction for the extra pitch e Y direction will add the distance between rows Direction e X direction will add the distance between columns Group Represents the number of cells to be considered for the extra pitch Extra Pitchs Determines whether the counter increase is done by rows or columns Rows Columns on Left to Right or Determines whether the counter increase is done by Left to Right or Right Increment Right to Left to Left direction Counter Top to Bottom or Determines whether the counter increase is done by Top to Bottom or Bottom to Top Bottom to Top direction o n Disabled Cells Be whether the counter increase is done even by Disabled Cells Lighter Help Online Manual 94 DATALOGIC This group of properties is displayed only after selecting one or more individual cells See also Creating the contents of individual cells Sets the marking offset for the selected cell s Offset e X Sets the horizontal offset e Y Sets the vertical offset aoe Enabled Enables disables the selected cell s Rotation Appli
179. orking with languages whose alphabets have ligatures such as the Arabian language See Working with ligatures Default False It does not apply to the Array Imported Bitmap objects and 2D codes Contour It allows fine tuning the object s dimensions by adjusting the contour It does not apply to Array Bitmap objects and 2D codes Pocketing This is the point of origin of the object The origin is identified by the cross symbol which by default is placed in the center If you select a value other than Center default this symbol moves accordingly The following example shows an object whose origin has been set to Center Top in a document whose point of origin is set to Center Ongin of the object C enter Top 0 00 10 00 oo 10 00 Origin of the engraving area C enter documents ongin You can specify the object s position in relation to the document s origin by setting the X and Y coordinates a Sets the horizontal position of the object in relation to the origin that has been set for the Position X document You may increase X value to move the object to the right decrease it to move the object to the left Sets the vertical position of the object in relation to the origin that has been set for the Position Y document You may increase Y value to move the object to the top decrease it to move the object to the bottom Lighter Help Online Manual 52 DATALOGIC el
180. other than the original the resulting layout might shows differences in terms of space or objects alignment To fix this type of problem do the following Review the import result for problems Import the object again setting Import as vectors to True Compare the results and change the font properly until achieving the desired result If necessary import the required font in your system see Importing fonts on page 79 c Process layers as groups Typically AutoCAD files are composed by more layers each containing different information For example in a mechanical drawing the notes might be on a layer while technical data might reside on other layers If this option is set to True default the layers will be transformed into groups of objects which will be grouped layer by layer This allows managing and operating on layers as well as adding specific properties 4 When finished click OK The object will appear on your document 5 To edit the vectors in an automated way see Using Advanced Processing options 4 7 6 4 Using Advanced Processing options The Advanced Processing options provide vectorial processing functions that allow editing vectors in an automated way It is used if the original document does not satisfy your marking requirements or if it shows graphic problems that result in marking imperfections You can make vectorial the imported object so as to check its polygons and then use these functions t
181. ows the lines and curve of the pattern to be engraved much like a pen based plotter draws by constructing line segments from a description of the outlines of a pattern It traces all vectors regardless of how the object is being scaled In laser engraving a vectorial graphic is faster in engraving and more defined in terms of outline lines and filling A vectorial graphic cannot be used for engraving digital photographs 4 7 6 2 Importing a file into Laser Editor To import a file 1 Create or open a document to enable the insertion of objects see Creating graphic layouts and Opening existing layouts 2 Doone of the following gt o In the horizontal toolbar click on Imported If this button is not visible click the Insert Objects button on the vertical toolbar o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Insert gt Imported 3 The Choose a file to import window is displayed From the Files of type dropdown list choose the file you want See Supported file formats for more information 4 Select the file you want to import The image is displayed in the work area Note 7 When you select the DWG or DXF file formats AutoCAD files the Filter Configuration window will be displayed for you to select how to process the file to import See Setting the Filter Options DWG and DXF fles 97 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 5 Using the Properties
182. pic More Using the document s grid Click here Enabling disabling objects Click here Using the mouse to manipulate objects _ Click here Copying pasting or removing objects _ Click here here Aligning flipping or spacing objects Click here Grouping merging or joining objects Click here Editing objects vectors Click here Zooming objects Click here Specifying the filling properties Click here Setting the point of origin of an object Click here here Optimizing the objects engraving order Click here Calculating the marking time Click here Using the Mark preview capability Click here 113 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 9 1 Using the document s grid The document s grid is a series of traced lines which intersect They can be used to precisely align and position objects in the drawing window The distance between lines in the grid can be set by specifying the spacing in the document property browser For further information on how to create documents see About documents To customize the grid 1 Deselect any object in the work area to display the Properties window for the document By default under Geometry the Grid property is set to True meaning that the grid is enabled 2 To setthe exact distance between lines enter the desired value as the Step By default this value is set to 10 00 Enter a lo
183. ply Paid Customer but with additional 10 characters for customer specific data The first 8 characters must be digits This symbology is also calledAustralia Post 67 CUST Due to its 67 bars If selected the code can contain up to 8 digit i If selected the code can contain up to 8 digit Routing If selected the code can contain up to 8 digit 77 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Aztec Code can encode from small to large amounts of data with user selected percentages of error correction The symbol size adjusts automatically depending on the amount Aztec Code of input data The input data is always analyzed and the appropriate encoding mode is chosen automatically Mode switching is done as required to produce the most efficient encoding This code is used by the Brazilian Postal Services An 8 digit ZIP code is encoded The check digit is calculated automatically It cannot be specified in the input data The barcode height should be adjusted to 3 2 mms the module width to 0 423 mms usually no plain text is displayed The encoding is based on US Postal codes The characters A B C and D are useable as start or stop characters only The barcode uses 2 element widths and 4 different start stop characters A B C and D These Codabar start stop characters can be utilized for additional information e g B1234B The print ratio should be in the following range 1 2 1 3 P
184. properties visible for you to specify the appropriate parameters Represents the diameter of the circumference arc to align the string on Set a value other than O to create a circle The figure shows a circle with a radius value of 8 ange 0 00 _ 5 Displacement Radius IT Lg oe CD Ge Counter Sets the direction of text on the circumference arc By default is set to Circle e clockwise Inside If enabled True it allows If enabled True it allows placing the string within the circle the string within the circle If enabled True it allows setting the start point of the string on the arc You can then set the start point in degrees in the Start Angle field below The figure shows an Automatic start angle when this option is set to False angle Start angle Represents in degrees the start point of the string on the arc 67 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC The Counter group enables creating a variable text that includes an incremental counter see Making a text string to include an incremental counter Start The minimum value for the counter Stop The maximum value for the counter Counter gren Tre curent value of the counter asit appears inthe stino 00 current value of the counter as it appears in the string Step Increment value Increment value positive or negative or negative Gudes The number of times the cou
185. r further information see Sending documents to marking e Device Status that shows information relating to the status of the laser device It is a read only tab For further information see Viewing the Device Status The availability of the following tabs depends upon the laser source you are using and how it is configured that is if axis are enabled For further information see Managing axis and executing the laser test e X Y Axis that allows managing the horizontal and vertical axis prior to marking a plane document e Z Axis that allows managing the Z axis prior to marking as well as executing the laser test for focusing e Rotor Axis that allows managing the R Axis prior to marking a ring document Document s or project s preview If you select a document as in the example this area shows how the graphic objects will be actually marked If you select a project it gives you information on the project Marking time It previews the required marking time based on the objects to be marked showing also the progress Zoom function In the case of a document it allows zooming the objects to be marked Device status icon It tells you the current status of the device for example a yellow icon means Device ready while a red icon means Device busy For further information on device statuses see Viewing the Device Status Laser Engine icon on the applications toolbar Right click this icon to open a s
186. r gt 2 25 1 Since the symbology is self checking there is no established check sum method Is de facto a stacked Code128 symbology It is based upon Code 128 each row is a single Code 128 symbol extended POnabIDENE with row indicator information and additional check digits The UCC EAN GS1 format indicator is supported This symbology is mainly used in telecommunications for marking equipment and components It was invented in 1977 by INTERMEC It is similar to Code 2 of 5 Matrix The Code 11 symbology is not self checking therefore 2 check digits are recommended Code 11 is a high density code but requires also a high density output device mainly because of the print ratio utilized It is used by the Italian Pharma Industry The code is also called Italian Pharmacode The Code 32 number consisting Code 32 of 9 digits is converted to an equivalent Code 39 Barcode of 6 characters The letter the human readable text is prepended by A which is not encoded DAFT Code is no symbology It is a technique to generate DAFT code arbitrary postal codes like for instance the Australian Postal Codes or the Royal Mail 4 State code Deutsche Post This symbology is used by Deutsche Post The code is basically a Code 2 of 5 Interleaved enhanced with a special check digit calculation It is used for encoding the ZIP Code Street and number of the shipment The code is basically a Code 2 of 5 interleaved enhanced with a special ch
187. r the connection mode local or remote depend upon your type of installation e lf you have an unattended Supervisor installation of Laser Editor you can use the procedure that is described here below to remotely connect to a Laser Engine provided that the remote control has been enabled See Local Remote control e f you have a Stand alone installation without remote control you can only access the Laser Engine interface that controls your local device The Connect to device buttons of Laser Editor that are described in the following procedure are not available for this installation type For further information about using the Laser Engine interface see chapter Laser Engine User Interface To set your Windows Firewall so as to enable remote connection This operation is required in order to enable remote communication between Laser Editor and Laser Engine It involves setting your Windows Firewall properly 1 Click Start click Control Panel and then double click Windows Firewall 2 Select the Exceptions tab and then click Add Port 3 Inthe Port number box type 4659 and then click OK 4 Repeat step 3 but type 4657 in order to open the port for files and binary data transfer To connect to the device 1 Do one of the following o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Laser gt Connect to device A o On the toolbar click I da Connect to device 2 Inthe Connect to device window that is displayed select the
188. r Engine manages You can then use Project Editor to write a program for documents uploading so that the saved documents are sent to the engraver in an automated way Note The Project Editor is a programs editor that is used to automate marking procedures or to update Ki the layout contents at runtime It has its own context sensitive Help and it is integrated into Laser Editor To access it choose File gt Project Editor Default programs and easy to use examples are provided with the tool To save the layout to a device 1 Do one of the following o From the Laser Editor toolbar click the Save to device button o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Save to device 2 In the Save document as window that is displayed select from the Devices dropdown list the device you are sending the layout to All the available devices on the network are listed The File area shows the layouts that have been saved to the selected device 3 Enter a name for the document and click OK This is the name that will be used in the Project Editor s program Lighter Help Online Manual 46 DATALOGIC 4 6 About sequences A sequence is a program containing actions that Laser Engine will automatically execute lt allows automating marking operations in simple scenarios and provides a user with an easy to use interface for programs design using Laser Editor A typical scenario where this feature can be used
189. r example Tuesday April 1 VcHX 2008 v VI These sequences allow using global variables V forces the capitalization For further information seeUsing global variables It allows encoding the FNC1 character for symbologies supporting the GS1 standard For further information see section Using Codes GS1 128 standard and GS1 Site Example providing a text value f00350123451234567894 to a 128 code encodes a GS1 128 having Al 00 and code 350123451 234567894 Inserts the ASCII character corresponding to the number between square brackets It is TI useful for adding string ASCII char that do not have a graphical representation For f example T 21 will encode the NAK ASCII code 3 After entering the selected sequence press Enter The string changes to the selected date and or time format Set the required parameters for the string by setting the Text String properties or using the toolbars buttons Example e Entering the sequence d m Y in the text box will result in a text string with the following format 01 04 2008 e Entering the sequence d m y in the text box will result in a text string with the following format 01 04 08 Note 7 5 enter the character into the string type it twice into the Text box 61 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 3 4 Making a text string to include an incremental counter You can use the Text string tool to create a
190. r information on mouse operations see Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects For information on how to operate on graphics please refer to Common operations on objects Clicking a properties title in the Properties browser and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties The following sections describe how to work with vectorial shapes e Adding ashape e Starting nodes editing e Using the tiling function e Geometry properties for Objects e Custom Laser parameters for Objects e Filling properties for Objects 4 7 2 1 Adding a shape To add a shape First create or open a document to enable the insertion of objects see Creating graphic layouts and Opening existing layouts To add a circle or a rectangle do one of the following 1 On the vertical toolbar click on the Insert objects button and then in the horizontal toolbar that nr con EB circle or MR is displayed click on Circle or Rectangle 2 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Insert gt Circle or Rectangle The shape a circle or a square appears in the work area surrounded by the selection handles Drag to make the shape the size you want see Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects Lighter Help Online Manual 56 DATALOGIC To add a poly do one of the following E 1 On the vertical toolbar click on the Insert objects button and then in the horizontal toolbar tha
191. r the application See Setting the default behaviour of Laser Editor However you can use the documents Property browser to change these settings as it is described in the sections that follow When adding an object to a document the laser parameters that have been set for the document are used You can still setting different laser parameters for each object in this case the object will appear blue See Understanding objects colour in the work area The following sections describe how to work with documents in Laser Editor e Common documents properties e Creating a document for plane engraving e Creating a document for ring engraving e Opening existing layouts e Saving layouts You can also use the Sequence feature to create programs that allows automating documents marking operations see About sequences 4 3 1 Common documents properties Tip The properties that are described in this section apply to both plane and ring documents Properties that are specific to either plane or ring documents are described in the relevant section The following tables describe the Target and Laser properties which are common to plane and ring documents These properties are available when a document is being created and no objects are selected 33 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 3 1 1 Target properties for documents Attention This set of properties is only visible if e you are opera
192. r to Setting the work area o Add the graphic objects for engraving either by drawing or importing them see About graphic objects 4 When you are finished you might save the document in the following ways o Choose File gt Save or click the us button to save the document on your PC as a graphic layout xlp file o Choose File gt Save as to save a copy of the document o Choose File gt Save to Device or press the button to save the layout remotely directly to the laser device for marking You can select the device and enter a name for the document The document s will be actually sent to the laser engraver through an automated procedure written with Project Editor For further information see Saving a layout to a device Note The Project Editor is a programs editor that is used to automate marking 7 procedures or to update the layout contents at runtime It has its own context sensitive Help and it is integrated into Laser Editor To access it choose File gt Project Editor 5 To close a document click the E button at the top right of the work area Note You can work on more documents simultaneously Each document will be displayed in a tab in the Laser Editor s window 37 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 3 2 2 Saving a Materials database for a later re use The Laser gt Materials property allows saving specific laser settings in a database that you can then
193. return to the User management window o Click Apply to clear the fields if you want to disable access control for the user or if you want to change the password 11 Note that the Designer user inherited all Everyone s rights that is has access to all functions but the checkboxes are still unavailable and you cannot clear them 12 To limit the access rights to a specific function for the Designer user o Clear the corresponding checkbox for the Everyone user o The checkbox becomes available for the Designer user also clear it to limit the access to the function for this type of user as shown in the example below 13 Click OK to save your settings The next time users try to access the Laser configuration function the system will prompt them to enter a password with the appropriate privileges Note Some functions are dependent to each other For example a user who has access rights to Programming must also have access rights to Manage layouts and Auto Manual so the system will prevent you from disabling them Lighter Help Online Manual 152 DATALOGIC 6 3 1 1 Disabling users access control To disable the access control for a type of user or for all users 1 Access the user management function using the Administrator password 2 Inthe User management window click Set passwords 3 Click the User arrow to display the list of users and then do one of the following o Select Administrator to disable acce
194. rface to allow operators to check the layout being engraved For further information see the Project Editor s online documentation Language reference section Lighter Help Online Manual 186 DATALOGIC 6 9 Viewing the Device Status The Device Status tab of the Laser Engine interface is a read only window that shows the device status information It is available only if you are using ULYXE or VLase devices The colored icon at the right bottom of the window shows the device status see table Icons representing the device status In addition to provide status information this feature helps you to diagnose or correct errors that might arise poses 8 TRIE GT fo fh Bt typ anraomcucag nye EEE RRTECSEEOSTTETSTELTEN STETTEN EES TS HOUT DEE ae TS a STEN IC ESE SuSE SUL ERTATTENSSE TE TEEN SRT POTTS ATT a Diode Serial No Power Board Firmware version Control Unit Firmware version Command Box Firmware version Resonator Firmware version Diode Data E OE e ES E a Sa Ea a EI E ee ee A NE E o ee Temperature Curent Converter Data Temperature Heat Sink Temperature Input voltage Working Time hhhhh mm ss Diode 6 525 Laser READY 187 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC The status icon on the right bottom of the window changes accordingly to the device status The meaning of each icon is described in the following table Icons Se Giese the device status
195. ror correction Default Recommended For further information see Setting the error correction level This value varies depending both on the specification and the code size PDF 417 Subtype iu ize u O Q D lt D Recommended Allows specifying a level that ranges from 0 to 8 The recommended minimum level is 2 Stacked linear barcode RSS 14 Reduce Space Symbology is a linear symbology that facilitates omnidirectional scanning It encodes 14 digits of numerical data It allows the full height RSS 14 see above to be printed in two rows runcated The height is reduced to a 13X minimum tacked his is a RSS 14 Truncated two row format Stacked linear barcode It encodes a 14 digit EAN UCC item identification with Indicator digits of O or 1 in a small symbol Stacked linear barcode Can carry up to 74 numeric or 41 alphanumeric data characters in a single row to 11 lines Sets the number of lines for the symbol Two dimensional barcode This is a smaller version of the QR Code standard that fits applications that require a smaller soace and use smaller amounts of data Omnidirectional ep C lt ge D JJ JJ dp dp Ww Ww mic GC 3 eb p amp a 2 2 io qo 2 ar gt o us e fas 3 ize l MicroQRcode This property allows setting the MicroQRCode size for redundancy purposes Each version has a different number of modules and a higher da
196. roup Property Description lt allows saving your layout s laser settings in a materials database You can set the parameters for the objects in the document based on a specific material e g plastic and its reactions to the marking operation For further information on how to save and recover a materials 2 Saving a Materials database for a later re use Materials database see Saving a Materials database for a later re use Materials Use to select a material from the database list Save Use the Save button to save new materials in the database Delete Use the Delete button to delete existing materials from database It allows setting the number of runs of the laser light on the object to engrave You might set up to 3 passages each with different laser Passages parameters see Passage properties group This option may be particularly useful to make several engraving runs to clean the work piece after a more incisive engraving process See Using more engraving runs p This indicates the laser output power The value is expressed as a ower l percentage of the maximum power of the laser source Light emitted by the laser is pulsed Use this parameter to adjust the frequency of the emitted light All other parameters being equal a lower frequency causes a higher per MENUEN pulse Not all combinations of power and frequency are allowed Depending on the laser source type low frequencies require correspondingly low powers p Thi
197. rt Edges amp Close Polygons which by operating on areas should remove any double or not closed polygons However the result is still not as expected as it shown in the following picture ND A A 101 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 3 Click A undo or press CTRL Z to cancel the operation 4 From the Actions menu select Advanced Processing again and then apply the second option Join Open Polylines 5 Apply a filling From the Filling properties dropdown list select Single line 6 It seems working but let s check the nodes Click undo to cancel the filling make the object vectorial by double clicking and check the nodes I i zu I i I u I i i I T I I I I I i I I cme VER i I i As you can see in the example above there are still double polygons which would result in marking problems if you apply for example the Pocketing filing which requires perfectly closed and well prepared polygons 7 Try it From the Filling properties select Pocketing and then select Mark Preview from the Actions menu This is how the marking would result Lighter Help Online Manual 102 wJATALOGIC 8 Press ESC to exit the Mark preview mode and then click undo to cancel the filling 9 From the Actions menu select Advanced processing 10 Apply the first option again Sort Edges amp Close Polygons to remove
198. rties 87 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 5 1 Adding an array To add an array 1 Create a plane document to enable the insertion of the object see Creating a document for plane engraving 2 Do one of the following Fo l o On the vertical toolbar click on the Insert objects button and then in the horizontal on toolbar that is displayed click on Array o From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Insert gt Array 3 The Array is displayed in the work area By default the whole array is selected and contains 9 cells Use the Properties window to set the array and cells parameters use the mouse to resize or move the array as well as to select individual cells See the topics list here below to get more information Tip Clicking a properties title in the Properties window and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties 4 7 5 2 Setting the number of cells The Columns and Rows properties of the Array object allow you to set the number of row and columns that compose the array to obtain any number of cells To set the number of cells that compose an array 1 Click on the array to enable the Properties window 2 Under Array select the boxes beside the Columns and or Rows properties and enter the desired number 3 The array changes accordingly You might need to resize both the array and the cells to fit the new settings S
199. s o Set the properties at the document level so as to fit your engraving requirements Refer to sections Common documents properties Geometry properties Ring document and Saving a Materials database for a later re use for further information o Add the graphic objects either drawing or importing them see About graphic objects 4 When you are finished you might save the document in the following ways o Choose File gt Save or click the lus button to save the document on your PC as a graphic layout xlp file o Choose File gt Save as to save a copy of the document o Choose File gt Save to Device or press the button to save the layout remotely directly to the laser device for marking You can select the device and enter a name for the document The document s will be actually sent to the laser engraver through an automated procedure written with Project Editor For further information see Saving a layout to a device Note 7 The Project Editor is a programs editor that is used to automate marking procedures or to update the layout contents at runtime It has its own context sensitive Help and it is integrated into Laser Editor To access it choose File gt Project Editor 5 To close a document click the E button at the top right of the work area Note You can work on more documents simultaneously Each document will be displayed in a tab in the Laser Editor s window Lighter Help On
200. s drawn vertically centered Examples are Australian Postal Royal Mail 4 State KIX Intelligent Mail Barcode DAFT Japanese Postal 71 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 4 2 5 Related topics e Usual Codes terminolo e About stacked bar codes e About two dimensional 2D codes e Adding a code e Setting the data restoring capability e Balancing the black and white ratio e Codes properties 4 7 4 3 About stacked bar codes Stacked bar codes are a compromise between true 2D barcodes and linear codes and are constructed like a layer cake of barcodes stacked on top of the other These are extremely compact codes Codablock F and PDF 417 are examples of stacked bar code where a long symbol is broken into sections and stacked one upon another similar to sentences in a paragraph See picture below PTE eT aT LINEI II EEE i E 12345678 In particular PDF 417 has error correction capability that allows restoring data if the code is dirty or damaged For further information see Setting the error correction level 4 7 4 3 1 Available stacked bar codes in Laser Editor The Encoding Type property of the Code allows selecting the desired 2D Code from the dropdown list Note 7 For further information on properties and for a description of the available codes select the Encoding properties title and press F1 to display the relevant Help topic PDF417 MicroPDF417 Codablock F
201. s and how to execute the laser test 6 6 1 Mechanical axis management Description of the settings related to axis requires a brief description of the way the software manages axis 6 6 1 1 Axes reference The figure below shows axis logical blue and mechanical black references These can be different as logical representation is built upon what the operator expects while mechanical representation depends on design choices or needs In the figure Z axis shows this difference orientation is reversed and logical zero is placed on a totally different quote than mechanical zero where the zero sensor is placed Step motors drive axis movement Axis can be either linear or rotary Devices that drive axis movement obviously have Minimum and Maximum that is quotes than cannot be outgone this is true for rotary axis as well even though rotation could continue limits are set so that reference cannot exceed them Min Jechanical zero Zero Logic zero Working plane Max Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 6 1 2 Linear vs rotary axis The software drives axis in the same way be they linear or rotary The main setting is the conversion between motor step and axis movement In linear axis this is the number of steps to move the motor of 1mm or any other reference 1meter 1inch etc in rotary axis this is the number of steps to rotate of 360 or any other angle measure Inversion indicates
202. s indicates the engraving speed The value is expressed in millimeters Mass Scan Speed per second Note A slower speed implies engraving a deeper engraving Set a very slow speed 50 100 mm sec for special processes such as burnishing or deep engraving Dot Delay Sets the engraving time for each dot that is the time required for laser emission on the dot Sets the duration of the laser shot pulse i e the time the Q switch is open Shot Time or better transparent Sets the number of times objects are marked Increasing the number of Repetitions passes will increase depth of engraving consequently affecting the cycle time If it is set to True this property allows engraving thicker lines through a spiral movement instead of a linear movement See Using the Wobble function to engrave with thicker lines Ebbe Radius Represents the radius of the spiral curve Speed Represents the frequency of spiral repetition 7 Axis If it is set to True it allows setting the Height that is the distance between the mechanical zero and the logic zero for the Z Axis the focus position 35 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 3 2 Creating a document for plane engraving A plane document is used for vectorial or raster graphic engraving on flat surfaces The document s area corresponds to the engraving laser work area It is where you create the layout by drawing and editing graphics obje
203. se the Ungroup selection button to disassemble the grouped object into individual objects so each can be moved or changed individually s Union As a result the two vectorial objects are assembled into a single object that is their constituting polygons are merged into the new vectorial object Individual objects loose their custom properties The new object is vectorial double click it to display the nodes and the Edit nodes toolbar that allows editing the vectors see Starting nodes editing for further information To disassemble the group you must either use the A Undo Union toolbar button or the Undo Redo command list As a result the objects are assembled into a new single vectorial object whose vectors are different from those that compose the original objects Note that only the area that is common to the overlapping objects will be considered for the engraving The new object is vectorial double click it to display the nodes and the Edit nodes toolbar that allows editing the vectors see Starting nodes editing for further information a m HC m Intersection To disassemble the group you must either use the A Undo Union toolbar button or the Undo Redo command list Lighter Help Online Manual 120 DATALOGIC AY Difference As a result the objects are assembled into a new single vectorial object whose vectors are different from those that compose the original objects Note
204. seful effects when using Asiatic fonts It allows managing the evaluator for the marking time in order to speed up the layouts editing Two settings are available Logging Max log space KB o every change the evaluator is calculated whenever the contents of a document are changed This settings slows down the editing operations o on click the evaluator is calculated at the user s request This is the recommended setting especially in case of layouts with many graphics Tools Evaluator updates 23 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual 4 Click OK to implement your settings 5 To restore the default parameters click on Restore window settings and then restart the application 6 To clear the lists of laser sources and lenses got from several engines click on Reset to factory settings and then restart the application 3 3 2 Setting documents parameters Geometry page This window allows setting dimension orientation and grid settings for documents Note a All measurement units in this page depend on the units that were selected in the General page See Setting language measurement unit and graphical effects General page To set the documents parameters 1 From the Laser Editor menu bar choose File gt Configuration The Default parameters configuration window is displayed 2 In the left pane of the window select Geometry The parameters in this window allow setting the default par
205. selected whose contents are displayed in the Preview area The numbered elements are described below Area Description Menu buttons The left side of the Laser Engine window contains the buttons that allow accessing the main functions All buttons are toggle move the pointer over a button to see the current selection For more information on each button see Menu buttons Lighter Help Online Manual 146 DATALOGIC Documents and projects saved to the laser The Documents tab that is shown at the startup lists all the project or documents that have been saved to the device and that you can send to marking see Sending documents to marking e the icon indicates a document xlp created with Laser Editor e the Ww icon indicates a project created with Project Editor e the Icon indicates a sequence xse created with Laser Editor When you select an item the Preview area displays the contents If a sequence if selected the first document in it is displayed Note that right clicking a document or a project results in a shortcut menu opening that allows you to delete the element or to set it as the default that is as the document or project that will be selected at Laser Engine startup Tabs In this area the following tabs can be displayed e Documents that lists the project and documents as it is explained here above Fo
206. ser Engine To launch Laser Engine 1 After you install Laser Editor the Laser Engine icon appears on the applications toolbar as it is shown below 2 To display the Laser Engine user interface do one of the following o Double click the Laser Engine icon to display the application window o Right click the Laser Engine icon and then click Show 3 To close the Laser Engine window do one of the following O Click the Close button at the top right of the window o Right click the Laser Engine icon and then click Minimize Note 7 Starting from the release 5 3 you can also launch both Laser Engine and Laser Configuration from Laser Editor by using the ad hoc toolbar buttons aX or the Laser menu commands For further information on the elements that appear on the window please refer to section User interface overview 145 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 2 User interface overview This section provides a quick reference to the graphical user interface of Laser Engine both for the functions available in the main window and for the shortcut menu that you access by right clicking the Laser Engine icon in the applications toolbar For further information e Main window elements e Menu buttons e Shortcut menu commands 6 2 1 Main window elements The picture below shows the main window of Laser Engine when you access it In this example a document is
207. ser power Ramp Time Time expressed in milliseconds for effecting the ramp used to pass from the ms minimum level to maximum level Baal Thermal standby expressed in ms it is the standby time between the end of Change ms the level ramp and start of engraving This standby serves for the laser to stabilize before starting to work Delays Expressed in seconds this is the standby time between the end of engraving Stand by s and the level ramp which resets the minimum value of standby This standby lets the laser remain stable between two close engraving with consequent saving of work time Duration of the laser shot pulse i e the time the Q switch is open or better transparent Crystal unwinding time is always order of magnitude faster than shot time therefore this parameter affects shot energy only indirectly as it can be used to tune crystal re populating time it begins only when Q switch is closed Shot Time Parameters Ls This parameter sets default Q switch frequency Frequency is inversely proportional to laser beam power that is if the frequency is too high the power may not be sufficient for the engraving process Frequency can be Shot Base changed trough the user interface and be customized for each object but Frequency raster engraving with LEVEL technique uses this parameter as Pixel Rate Hz that is the rate at which pixel are generated and therefore scanner moved In this case the Sho
208. ss control for all users This way all users will have access rights to all functions o Select the type of user you want to disable from the User list 4 Leave the Passwords fields empty and then click OK if you want to close the Change password window or click Apply to keep it open 5 Inthe message window that is displayed click Yes To re assign the access to a function for a type of user 1 Access the user management function using the Administrator password 2 In the User management window select the checkbox corresponding to the function you want re assign 3 Click OK 153 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 6 4 Switching between working modes In this section e Local Remote control e Auto Manual working mode 6 4 1 Local Remote control Notes The Remote Local button is only available if your installation is Interactive with remote control f allowed For further information see Installation types and connection modes By default at the startup the local control is enabled This way only authorized operators can activate the remote control so allowing remote connections from other operators in the network The Remote to Local button of the Laser Engine left menu allows specifying who is supervising the Laser Engine that is who is controlling and can actually send commands to Laser Engine The button is toggle Move the pointer over it to see the current selection In t
209. step 3 above The cells will be dynamically filled with the contents of the linked plain when sending the array to laser engraving See Performing the engraving operation 10 You can set custom properties for a cell using the Cells properties The settings appear on the cell as illustrated below Note that as the Rotation angle for the cell has been set to 160 the small black indicator has been moved accordingly to indicate the rotation See Array and cells properties for more information 93 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC 4 7 5 8 Array and cells properties The Properties window supports context sensitive Help During layout editing selecting a properties title for example Geometry and then pressing F1 opens the context Help for those properties The following properties appear when an Array object is selected in the work area Tip Refer to section Using Arrays for further information on how to use properties to perform specific operations on the object Array n group Property Description S Columns ets the number of columns for the array Rows Sets the number of rows for the array Width Sets the width for all cells into the array Cells size Height Sets the height for all cells into the array Specifies the distance between columns You can increase or decrease Width Pitch the distance l Specifies the distance between rows You can increase
210. t is displayed click on 2 Poly From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Insert gt Poly Position the mouse pointer at the required start point for the polygon and left click To create a curve Left click and hold down while dragging to the desired position oly For further information on nodes see Starting nodes editing Once the pointer is in the desired location left click to draw a green colored line Repeat the previous step as many times as required to add subsequent corners of the polygon To close the polygon click on the first click point The selection handles appear around the object To exit the Poly creation mode press Esc NDO For further information see Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects To add a Line do one of the following j 1 On the vertical toolbar click on the a Insert objects button and then in the horizontal toolbar that is displayed click on A Lines From the Laser Editor menu bar choose Actions gt Insert gt Lines Click and drag to draw the desired line To close the line click on the first click point The selection handles appear around the object To exit the Lines creation mode press Esc AY For further information see Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects To operate on shapes e Use the Properties window the toolbars or the mouse to customize the look of the shape in terms of size position rotation filling and so fort
211. t Frequency parameter is used to control Q Switch modulation Setting it to zero 0 causes Q Switch modulation to be synchronous with scanners movement that is one pulse per pixel FPK When operating on a steady Q switch frequency the power of the pulses emitted depends upon the frequency itself as this is the time the crystal take to repopulate and the level of the optic pump the diode However the very first pulse is different because crystal population increased a lot during the stand by time energy of the first pulse can be times First Pulse bigger than the following pulses The FPK is a technique to avoid the first pulse Killer o pa i aY Time the level or pen down signal is low to suppress First Pulse Killer FPK ir pou Level of the first pulse killer Lighter Help Online Manual 162 DATALOGIC The following parameters are displayed after activating theEdit advanced parameter function mirrors can be damaged by single high energy shots Power Rule Power rule consists of a list of four comma separated numbers The first two Power indicate the absolute minimum and maximum power allowed Third and fourth Correction numbers are used to calculate maximum power related to selected frequency 1 according to this formula Pma C K F e where Pmax is the maximum power allowed C and K are the numbers in the Gain Power rule and F is the current frequency Correction The followi
212. t are stored in a small database at the device level You can then use special character sequences to access a global string or counter variable and share its content between more objects or documents See also Using special character sequences For example you can use the same counter in as many strings as you need or refer a global string variable in any number of document s To summarize this function offers the following main advantages e A counter is not only strictly associated to a string anymore You can create a counter that is common to more strings and that is managed at the machine level e You do not longer need to create a specific program for each document to be engraved in order to increment a counter e A centralized database managed by Laser Engine is provided You can use it to store view or edit global variables either remotely via the Laser Editor user interface or through a project in order to update or edit them at runtime e Variable contents for example the current number for a counter are not yet strictly connected to a specific document file AS an example counters are automatically updated after each use Users do not need to take care of saving them anymore You can turn off the machine or edit the document and the next time the machine is turned on the counter will be incremented accordingly to the value that was previously reached For further information on global variables management see
213. t is a 3 of 5 variant of the Postnet barcode Plessey code is in use primarily in libraries It is a pulse width modulated code and was developed by Plessey Company Limited in UK The basic encoding principle in Plessey Code was used by MSE Data Corporation to construct its MSI barcode The check digit is calculated with a polynomial CRC algorithm and is always part of the symbology PZN uses Code 39 as the base symbology It uses a special check digit and the human readable text always contains the prefix PZN which is not encoded in the barcode data This code is a height modulated code using 4 different vertical bars It is used in mass mailing applications Cleanmail Mailsort of the Royal Mail United Kingdom and Singapore also called SinPost barcode Encoded are ZIPs i PZN Germany SSCC 18 is used for encoding the Serial Shipping Container Code It is used for the unique identification of trade items world wide SSCC 18 is based on the GS1 128 symbology with Application Identifier Al 00 The check digit is encoded automatically if 17 digits are used for the input data Telepen can encode pairs of characters only A pair must consist of 2 digits or of one digit and the letter X SSCC _ _ i o _ _ 4 J U eA D e O D lt 77 eg 3 Z g 5 lt v i l Lighter Help Online Manual 82 This symbology is also Known as OneCode 4CB USPS 4CB 4 CB 4 State Customer Barcode US
214. ta redundancy Default M2 For further information see Setting the data restoring capability Size Sets the smaller dimension 11x11 for the information to be encoded Allows specifying a dimension that ranges from 11x11 to 17x17 modules 0 N 7 h Q O ui Y IO D 2 gt 9 OQ 4 w D HO S O 7 gt h p 85 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC This property allows setting the error correction level for the code which allows restoring data if the code is dirty or damaged To each level corresponds a higher data redundancy and a different restoration rate Default M Only for M1 Only error detection Error level 25 of codewords can be restored d d 15 of codewords can be restored 30 of codewords can be restored Sets the width of the module in a linear bar code this is the smallest thickness in a 2D code is the smallest square Height Sets the height of the module for linear bar codes Not available for Datamatrix J QRcode and MicroQRcode It allows adjusting the ratio between white and black elements when marking Black White very small elements In this case the spot laser might affect the dimensional ratio ratio The default value is 100 For further information see Balancing the black and white ratio Only available for 2 5 and 3 9 Codes In two thickness codes it is the ratio Advanced
215. tances that is the number of extra distances you want create The properties that allow setting the extra pitches are displayed below 2 Set the properties values as follows see the example below also o Group Enter the number of cells that you want to include in the group to be moved o First Enter the number of the first column you want to apply the extra pitch to o Pitch Specify the size for the additional distance O Direction Select the desired direction Y direction will add the distance between rows X direction will add the distance between columns The picture below shows how the array looks after setting the properties as follows 3 Repeat step 2 for any other extra pitch you want to add 89 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wJDATALOGIC 4 7 5 5 Cells misalignment The Interleave properties allow you to change the alignment of rows and or columns To change the alignment of cells 1 Click the array to enable the Properties window 2 Under Array select the Interleave gt Offset property and enter the misalignment measurement 3 From the Direction dropdown list select the desired direction o X Sets the misalignment between rows o Y Sets the misalignment between columns The picture below shows how the array looks after setting the properties as follows Lighter Help Online Manual 90 wJDATALOGIC 4 7 5 6 Selecting Deselecting one or more cells
216. that only the outline of the first selected object minus the area that was shared with the second object will be marked The new object is vectorial double click it to display the R nodes and the Edit nodes toolbar that allows editing the lt vectors see Starting nodes editing for further information Ea Diffe 3 OH E To disassemble the group you must either use the a Undo Union toolbar button or the Undo Redo command list tp Q Exclusion As a result the objects are assembled into a new single vectorial object that is their constituting polygons have been merged into the new vectorial object Note that the common area has been removed The outlines of the two objects will be marked minus the common area From the engraving point of view the result is the same as the Merge tool but this object is vectorial double click it to display the nodes and the Edit nodes toolbar that allows editing the vectors see Starting nodes _editing for further information To disassemble the group you must either use the a Undo Union toolbar button or the Undo Redo command list 4 9 7 Editing objects vectors In vectorial graphics the image is described by points through which lines pass creating the form of the outline Besides resizing a vectorial shape using the handles see Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects you can enter the node editing mode and move control points or nodes around so as to make
217. the layout simple vectorial objects strings codes arrays imported raster or vectorial images Mena aiobalvarables How to set and manage global variables so as to share contents counters eng global vanades and strings between more documents Understanding ____obiects standin objects The meaning of the objects colours in the work area colour in the work area How to perform common operations on objects such as aligning adjusting resizing spacing or flipping objects by using the mouse toolbars or by setting the object properties Common operations on objects Lighter Help Online Manual 30 wJDATALOGIC 4 1 Setting your work environment By default all child windows are displayed in the Laser Editor window that is the Properties the Undo Redo commands list and the Objects engraving order windows Furthermore several toolbar buttons are displayed to allow you a quick access to the main functions of Laser Editor However you can customize your work environment by displaying or hiding both windows and toolbars 4 1 1 Hiding Displaying windows or toolbars To hide display an element 1 Right click in a blank area next to the toolbars to display a shortcut menu that lists all the elements that compose the work environment panes and toolbars TESZ fs Lv Undo redo commands list i Properties vl Objects engraving order 2 Deselect select the corresponding checkbox t
218. the optimal focus has been obtained Tip The correct position can be identified as the engraving point in which the laser generated noise and luminosity are at the maximum Lighter Help Online Manual 180 DATALOGIC 6 7 Correcting lens distortion In laser marking lens and mirrors that are used to deflect the laser light produce distortions whose correction is critical to an accurate marking operation The Lens Correction function provides a way to easily correct this phenomenon The function consists of a Wizard that guides you through the process of correcting distortions This process is device dependent as it depends on the type of lens and mirrors and on specific mechanical tolerances By completing the Wizard you will e mark a simple shape specifying size of the marking area e enter the measures into the system based upon the marking results e automatically process data so as to compensate distortions e fine tune the results further by providing more data or by using a microscope with a micrometric table 6 7 1 Using the Lens Correction Wizard Show Aways on top Liser management Global variables view log Laser configuration Start in remobe mode This Wizard guides you through the process of correcting distortions resulting from lens and mirrors The process consists of marking a sample shape and then measuring the correct values that the system will use to compensate distortions
219. ting on a network and you are not yet connected to a laser source or e you are connected to more laser sources When creating a new document the default parameters that have been set in the Default configuration parameters window for Laser Editor are used For further information see Setting the laser parameters Laser page The following properties are available when you first install Laser Editor and are not yet connected to a Laser Engine Once you are connected to a Laser Engine these properties are not longer available They become available if you connect to a Laser Engine which is connected to another laser source or a lens in this case you can select from the lists the desired source or lens Group Property Description Lasercouc It lists the available laser sources stand alone installation or the laser source s to which you might remotely connect supervisor installation lt contains a list of available optical lens that you can install on the scanner head of the laser device The dimensions of the Work Area depends on this parameter see Setting the work area Objective lens Lighter Help Online Manual 34 DATALOGIC 4 3 1 2 Laser properties for documents The following properties will be used as the default laser parameters when adding new objects to the document However you can still set different parameters for a specific object See Custom Laser parameters for Objects G
220. troller and Laser Editor each containing a LogLevel value that refers to that particular component 3 Click the folder for the component whose log level you want to increase to display the values 4 Right click the LogLevel value and click Edit to open the edit window 5 In the Value data field change the value as required Note that the default value is 4 that corresponds to the lowest level of detail Lower the value higher the log level that is set this value to 0 for the maximum level of detail Lighter Help Online Manual 190 wJATALOGIC 6 11 Testing the system Laser configuration Lens correction Start in auto mode Start in remote mode 16 34 The System test shortcut menu command of the Laser Engine interface allows accessing the dialog where you can check your system s connections In particular besides testing the Laser you can test allInputs and Outputs as well as the external Start and Stop signals 191 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC To test the system s connections 1 In your Windows application bar right click the Laser Engine icon to display the shortcut menu 2 Click System test to display the dialog Type une Size ja Power 82 ES Frequency 25000 Input Test ss 8 F 8 8 u c u u is Output Test o 0 65 Os Sz Oma 0 6H O Oe 6x By bx Change all outputs To test the Laser 1 Und
221. turn to the original situation Click Break path to take the selected node and break it in two at that point Where one node was there are now two unconnected nodes The nodes can now be moved independently of one another Select two nodes and click lll Delete path to delete the polyline between them Use the Join segment button to draw a polyline connecting two separated nodes 3 To adda node to a segment point to the border of the segment until the pointer changes to a cross and then double click it 4 Toremove anode click the node and press the Delete key 5 Click on the Insert objects button to close the Edit nodes operating mode Lighter Help Online Manual 124 DATALOGIC By changing the zoom it is possible to display the whole graphic area on the screen or a greatly enlarged detail of a particular part The maximum zoom depends on the screen resolution and the dimensions of the graphic area To zoom objects you can use the Zoom dynamic toolbar or the View menu of Laser Editor To zoom or reduce objects in the graphic area 1 On the vertical toolbar click the q Zoom button The horizontal zoom toolbar is displayed 2 Use the toolbar buttons to change the zoom as required 1 To gradually zoom the work area use the Zoom in button as many times as you want Use the Zoom out button to gradually reduce the zoom 2
222. ual 172 DATALOGIC 7 Click Next The Start Delay window is displayed that allows calculating the distance between the start sensor which detects the object to mark and the center of the marking field This test does not actually mark rather it allows checking that the distance is correctly set Markyne on Fly Confieuration This page will help you set the correct distance between start sensor and marking field a Power off the transport belt b Place one or more objects on the transport belt c Measure the distance between the sensor and the center of the field marking as indicated in the drawing and input it d Press the Run button e Power on the transport beit moving If you cannot see the cicle s either the distance or computed speed previous page 8 Follow the instructions as described in the window After pressing Run ensure that the small circle that the laser tracks is pointing the target when this arrives in the marking field If not verify the Start delay distance and then repeat the test If the Start delay is correctly set you must recalculate the computed speed Wizard window Speed Conversion 9 Click Next The Fine Tuning window will displays that allows fine tuning the parameters and verifying that the speed of the transport belt Scale Factor has been correctly calculated The test will actually e
223. uality or high precision is required for example in the case of very small laser markings an encoder allows for best performances The encoder counts the roller movements and instantly determines its speed This allows to obtain the correct position of the moving target and to ensure high marking precision When the target is detected by the sensor and the start is given the encoder calculates the target s position by giving a specific amount of pulse counts for a specific distance Time for calculation is allowed by the Start Delay property Tip If you are not using an encoder e g if the target moving speed is known or no high marking amp precision is required you can simulate it by enabling the Simulation parameter ant then specifying an average speed 6 5 7 2 When using the Continuous marking mode The Continuous marking mode allows setting the laser so that the same marking will be repeated at predefined distances or intervals Typically it is used when you need to mark repeatedly a continuous tube at a specified distance When you set this mode the sensor detects the target and the start is given only once then the marking is repeated every time the specified distance is reached If an encoder is being used the distance value for repetitions must be set in mm while if no encoder is being used the value is set in ms 6 5 7 3 Setting the configuration parameters Prerequisite In order for the Marking on
224. ue for the Speed property that is the frequency of spiral repetition Use the Simulator tool to verify the result of the Wobble function from the Laser Editor menu bar choose Laser gt Simulator Lighter Help Online Manual 134 CHAPTER 5 boner Frequency 20000 Scan Sg 200 0 Det Delay 5 Note that the single line character has a much thicker outline The same result would be obtained with real engraving DATALOGIC 5 2 Displaying the limits This function refers to displaying the margins of the drawing on the work plain Margins are displayed using a red laser pointer Limits function displays the bounding box of the object s that will be engraved this result is obtained by driving head scanners to move along the box path at a fast speed In order to use this function you must be connected to the device and the Manual Mode must be activated In Auto Mode this function is not available see Auto mode vs Manual mode Note For further information on the laser pointing parameters that are used to display engraving limits see Setting the aiming parameters we These functions are also accessible at the Laser Engine interface level through the Lv Start limits and _ Limits previous next sector menu buttons For further information see Laser Engine User Interface 5 2 1 1 1 To display the limits 1 Be sure that you are connected to a device see Connecting to the laser d
225. ve done and restart the wizard from scratch e Choose Correction gt Quick to return to Laser Engine and to end the wizard i 2 1 Be sure that you have activated the Manual Mode To activate it click gt To Manual Mode on the left Menu buttons of Laser Engine Note This is a toggle button if the Manual Mode is activated the tooltip says Switch to Auto Mode and vice versa 2 Right click the Laser Engine icon on the Windows applications bar 3 On the shortcut menu that appears click Lens correction 4 TheLens correction window is displayed The optical lens that has been specified for Laser Engine is automatically selected see Laser Engine User Interface section Setting the correction parameters as well as the default laser parameters see Laser properties for documents The name of the lens is shown in the window s title bar Lighter Help Online Manual 182 DATALOGIC 5 In the Initial set up tab use the X size mm and Y size mm fields to specify the size for the shape to be marked either by typing it or by using the up and down arrows This size refers to the marking area whose precision you want to maximize Smaller the size higher the precision you can get The maximum size depends on the optical lens As you select a value the square in the right side of the dialog changes accordingly 6 Click on Limits to display the margins of the shape on the work area For further information on this
226. via the General page of the Laser Editor Configuration window as shown below For information on accessing this window see Setting language measurement unit and graphical effects General page In particular the Max log space parameter defines the disk space for log files When the system date change the application check if this space has been exceeded and if true oldest files are deleted 189 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC To access the Log 1 In your Windows application bar right click the Laser Engine icon to display the shortcut menu 2 Click View log to display the log file To increase the maximum log level see To increase the log level here below To understand the log file The information on the log file is colour coded to help you understand if action is required e Black colour Informational message No action is required e Blue colour Warning messages Action might be required e Red colour Error messages Action is required To increase the log level To increase the log level that is the level of detail for the log file you must modify the following Windows registry key 1 Open the open the Registry Editor click Start gt Run and then in the Open text box type regedit 2 In the Registry Editor window navigate to the registry location HKEY KEY LOCAL MACHINE SOFTWARE Laservall Note that the Laservall folder contains three subfolders Laser Engine Laser Con
227. ving signal Inputs Start delay sets the delay in ms between acceptance of the start engraving signal ms or mm and actual start of engraving Stop time ms Sets the minimum duration in ms of the stop engraving signal Bev avance Delay between the work in progress Laser Busy signal and actual laser rms emission This parameter may be useful if this signal is used to open an electromechanical shutter Busy delay Delay between the end of actual laser emission and the end of Laser ms Busy signal Duration of the end engraving signal Laser End after Laser Busy signal Outputs End time ms e g g s g y sig If set to true the SW_Ready signal goes high when a document or a sequence is in AUTO MODE This setting maintains the same Sw Ready management as Smartist Compatibility lf set to false the SW_Ready signal go high when a document or a sequence is in AUTO MODE and the laser status is READY Key active Enable active 6 5 6 Setting the X Y Z and Rotor Axes parameters The pages Y Axis X Axis Z Axis and Rotor Axes are used to set the parameters related to the three mechanical axes whose movement are controlled by step motors In particular e Z axis is the mechanical axis It allows focusing on different levels e xX Y and Rotor axis are the mechanical axes used to position objects under the laser via step motor control Axis management and settings depend on the board controlling their movement These parameters
228. w one 4 7 4 1 1 11 Stacked code A symbol that is broken into sections and stacked one upon another similar to sentences in a paragraph Extremely compact codes 4 7 4 1 1 12 Two dimensional codes 2D codes A two dimensional code also known as matrix code is built on a true 2 D matrix It is a two dimensional way of representing information and contains information in both the vertical and horizontal directions Lighter Help Online Manual 70 DATALOGIC 4 7 4 2 About linear bar codes A linear bar code symbol also known as 1D barcode is made up of a series of bars and spaces which contain information and check elements Bars can be all same lenght or have some of them longer protruding the bottom part as in EAN codes In Linear symbologies there are also the Postal Codes can be distingueshed by bars disposed always the same interval same width but different bar heights up to 4 like the Royal Mail code shown here below The following shows the EAN 8 linear bar code and the Royal Mail code ON UL Il Kae Ne T 0123145651 12345678 The following represents the structure of a bar code symbol HAPA Where e Y Thickness of the wide element e X Thickness of the narrow element e Q Thickness of the blank overflow zones at the end of the label quiet zones 4 7 4 2 1 Available linear bar codes in Laser Editor The Encoding Type property of the Code allows selecting the desired code from the drop
229. wer value to align and position objects with greater precision 3 To snap to grid objects set the Snap to grid property s value to True This way objects will be moved and aligned to the closest grid line 4 9 2 Enabling disabling objects In order to be marked an object must be enabled in the layout By default each object that you add to a document is enabled To disable an object 1 Select the object in the graphic area to display its properties 2 Inthe Properties window under Geometry set the Enable value to False 3 The object is still displayed in the graphic area but its color changes to gray to indicate that it is disabled and it will not be marked 4 9 3 Using the mouse to select and manipulate objects _ ee You can select and operate on objects by using the mouse Besides selecting objects the mouse allows for quick rough sizing and positioning Tip amp For extremely precise resizing positioning or skewing use the objects Geometry properties in the Property browser See Geometry properties for Objects What you can do with the mouse e Selecting object s e Moving resizing or locking objects e Skewing and rotating objects e Editing nodes Lighter Help Online Manual 114 DATALOGIC 4 9 3 1 Selecting object s To select a single object 1 Click to select an object When the object is selected it appears as follows The symbol represents the center of the se
230. window the mouse and the toolbars you can do the following o Move or resize the object see Common operations on objects o Edit bitmaps properties see Imported graphics properties o Link an imported file to the layout see Linking the imported file o Fill it with filler lines only if the lines of the imported object are closed and perform other operations on graphics see Common operations on objects o Use advanced processing functions to edit nodes of vectorial graphics see Using Advanced Processing options Tip For a quick reference on using toolbars in Laser Editor see Using toolbars tools amp Clicking a properties title in the Properties window and then pressing F1 opens a table with a description of those properties Linking the imported file The Linked property allows specifying the full path of the imported file This way at any document s loading the program looks for the original file into the specified path and if it does not find it uses the internal copy that was created If the original file has been changed or updated the document is also updated 1 Select an imported object in the work area 2 In Properties window under Imported set the Linked property to True 3 The Linked file property is displayed that shows the full path of the imported file To change the path use the browse button 4 7 6 3 Setting the Filter Options DWG and DXF files When you import a DWGor DXF file into t
231. with thicker lines Normally the line thickness corresponds to the dimension of the laser spot If you need to increase this thickness you can use the wobble function The two figures below represent the functioning principle of the wobble The figure on the left shows the result of a vector engraving with the wobble disabled while the figure on the right shows the same vector but with the wobble enabled The conversion of the vector into a dense spiral provides greater thickness of the engraved line To enable the wobble function Attention 2 The wobble function configuration parameters must be tested and checked in order to obtain the desired effect Engraving times with the Wobble function are longer only use the Wobble function when absolutely necessary You can enable the wobble function either at a document or at object level To do so you can use the Laser or Custom Laser gt Wobble property 1 To enable the wobble function do one of the following o Create or open a document see About documents then in the Properties window under Laser set to True the Wobble property This will be the default setting for all objects that you add to the document o Select the object see About graphic objects then in the Properties window set to True the Custom Laser property and then the Wobble property Specify a value for the Radius property that is the radius of the spiral curve to be used Specify a val
232. words Group of bars and spaces representing one or more numbers letters or other symbols 4 7 4 1 1 4 Element Name of a space or a bar 4 7 4 1 1 5 GS1 128 standard The GS1 128 standard is an application standard visit the GSI Site for further information within the Code 128 barcode It allows using a series of Application Identifiers to include additional data such as best before dates batch numbers quantities weights and many other attributes that a user might need It s supported in our software by Using special character sequences 4 7 4 1 1 6 Inter character space A space which separates two adjacent characters in some codes code 39 bar code the spaces inside a character contain information inter character spaces do not 4 7 4 1 1 7 Linear bar code A linear bar code symbol also known as 1D barcode is made up of a series of bars and spaces which contain information and check elements 4 7 4 1 1 8 Module The smallest thickness in a code element In the case of linear bar codes it constitutes the measurement unit of the thickness of wide elements In the case of 2d codes it is a single cell which represents a bit in the code representation It is represented by a square 4 7 4 1 1 9 Quiet Zone The blank spaces immediately preceding the start character and following the stop character 4 7 4 1 1 10 Print ratio In two thickness codes It is the ratio between the thickness of the wide element and that of the narro
233. working plane with two linear axes that move the object in the X and Y directions it shows you the position of the laser spot on the plane 2 Click Home Search If the Home Flag is not checked that is if the zero has not been reached the motor starts moving towards the proximity sensor until the sensor is reached The motors will not move if the Home Flag is already checked 3 The parameters underneath means the following o Home Flag This checkbox is selected if the zero has been reached that is if the 0 sensor is activated o Minimum position The minimum motor position that the axis can reach o Maximum position The maximum motor position that the axis can reach o Current position It shows the last position the axis has reached 6 6 3 Using the Z Axis tab for axis management and laser test Notes The Z Axis tab is only available if the axis is enabled at the laser configuration level see Setting A the X Y Z and Rotor Axes parameters Fields on the tab are only available if the Local control and the Manual mode are activated See Switching between working modes The Z Axis is used to focus the laser on different levels See Axes reference for further information By using the Z Axis tab you can also perform the laser test for focus See Executing the laser test for focus 179 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual DATALOGIC Managing the Z Axis The example below describes how to use the
234. xecute a marking while the belt is moving 173 Lighter Laser Editor User s Manual wDATALOGIC En Markyne on Fly Configuration Fine tuning This page will help you fine tune parameters in order to have better marking quality A circle will be engraved on a target object to check parameters a Power off the transport belt b Place one object on the transport belt 2 Press the Run button e Power on the transport beit f Check that the circle has been marked correctly otherwise press the figure that more closely resembles the figure marked this changes the speed repeal the previous steps Press Finish to save the configuration 10 Follow the instructions as described in the window Note that by repeating the test and selecting the desired circle the speed changes until the circle is marked correctly 11 You might also change the Power Frequency and Scan speed values to suit your specific needs based on the material on which you are marking 12 When finished click on Finish 13 Complete the parameters in the Marking on the Fly Configuration window as needed See the table in the following for a description Lighter Help Online Manual 174 VDATALOGIC 6 5 7 5 Parameters description The table here below describes the parameters that appear in the Marking on the Fly window Property Parameter group Description Enable the Select the checkbox to enable th
235. y tones Default Half tones Converts a grayscale image to simulated halftone dots Halftones Video mode varies the size of halftone dots to simulate shading Error diffusion Converts a continuous tone image into a frequency modulated halftone If it is set to True allows specifying the full path of the imported file it is the path q Linked that the program will search whenever the document is loaded See Linking the mporte imported file L inked file Shows the full path of the linked file You might change the path Lighter Help Online Manual 104 DATALOGIC 4 7 7 Using the tiling function Note A The Tilable property is only available when editing vectorial objects on ring documents For further information see Creating a document for ring engraving The Tilable geometry property is used when marking indivisible objects on a rings separator that is on a cylindrical surface Typically when marking on a ring document the laser focuses on a ring portion sector to mark In some applications the object to mark can be longer than the sector itself For example in jewellery you might need to mark the manufacturer logo or the client s name on a wedding ring This might result in deformations By applying the tiling function e The object is separated into its constituting polygons e f a polygon its larger than the sector and it is closed otherwise the function won t work it w
236. ysical field Since this operation introduces errors near the field borders only values lower than 1 are accepted The ratio between top and bottom sides Horizontal sides ratio right and Diagonals ratio left sides Vertical sides ratio that a user can use to fix a deformation adjusting the optical correction Field rotation angle deg Lighter Help Online Manual 164 DATALOGIC These parameters allows configuring your own lens They are used together with the Duplicate Delete and Import lens buttons See above Description A string describing the lens Focus Depth Range along the Z axis the beam Is focused Nominal Focal Length mm These parameters determine the size of the marking area and other Field Width mm Field Height mm Marking field dimensions The optical field is always a square but physical can have different measures in actual application Mechanical Field mm Side of the marking field square ae Field This value is used to perform conversion between points and millimeters Side pt 6 5 4 Setting the aiming parameters The Aiming page of the Laser configuration window is used to correct the pointer limits in relation to engraving so as to obtain perfect overlaying since the power laser and the pointer laser wavelengths are different Resonator can contain a red light diode This is used to highlight marking area to the operator usually in

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