Ok, so it's just a REAL little thing on my PM-1228 lathe...

Just to close this out, somewhat, I decided to cut my own ID plate for the lathe on my fiber laser machine. Still playing around with different metals and settings on the laser, but it will obviously do the job once I stop being so picky about what I will be happy with mounting on the machine.

For anyone interested, and not easily bored........
 
This is a later pass in a series, so it WAS flat when I started. With the 200mm lens I am using, the depth of field (or depth of sharpness of the engraving dot) is wide enough that the bit or warpage caused by the heat is not much of a factor in the final result. I seriously doubt anyone could actually see any difference in the engraving between the edges of the plate and the center with the naked eye.

But I am still experimenting. Some days I really like the black engraving, and other days I prefer the more etched look without the black. I probably could reduce the warping by increasing the speed of the laser movement and increasing the delay between passes as well as using a faster frequency of the pulses and playing around with the power setting to try to control the amount of heat the metal retains.

One thing I have noticed about the fiber laser is that small settings changes can often produce more pronounced differences than you would expect. Just as different metals, different types of engraving, as well as even different images all will seem to require a bit of experimentation with LOTS of test pieces needed. Heck, just engraving business cards I have to adjust settings between different colored metal cards because the color will make quite a difference in how the laser engraves.

Hmm, that just gave me another idea I should try.........
 
What is the metal used for the plate, was there any coating on it before you applied the laser, and what is the wavelength of the laser light?
 
Bryan40g said:
I didn’t receive one on mine delivered in October either. Not a big deal. Hadn’t even realized it til reading this. Oh well It’s in the manual. I do wish the machine had come with an actual manual and not just online. I had FedEx make me a cool bound one with thick coated paper which is very helpful.
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I printed mine and put it in page protectors. My PM940V still doesn't have a good manual.
 
Tired&Retired said:
Apparently there was a period of time when PM was selling the PM-1228 lathes with only the 1100 watt (1.4 hp) motors in them. Before that period, they were selling them with the 1500 watt (2 hp) motors, and apparently sometime recently they have switched back to selling them with that 2 hp motor. I bought mine on October 15, 2020. So I guess what I got was the "B grade" model of the PM-1228 that was downgraded during that period. Interestingly enough, the operator's manual all along claimed to have the 2 hp motor in the machines shown in the specs.

Tick me off? Well, sorta. But only when I think about it. I am thinking that the reason the spec label got omitted from this model was probably because it showed the spec of the 1.4 hp motor instead of the 2 hp motor on it. And further thinking back on it, I am now wondering if my doing knurling on that 1.5" diameter stock I was working with didn't bog down the motor instead of slip the drive belt on the pulleys. I am using the scissors style knurling tool and I was clamping down on the aluminum rod pretty hard.

Anyway, I am thinking maybe I should contact Matt to see if he can conjure up a 2 hp replacement motor for me somehow to get me out of this "B grade" feeling I have about the lathe I got from him. Looking for a correct replacement drive belt for it has had me thinking about the motor a LOT lately, and it is preying on my mind. Things like this can really nag the crap out of me. With everything else going on in the world lately, I was able to just blot it out with higher priority thoughts. But here it is rising back to the surface again.

When I mentioned this to Matt right after I got my lathe, he said I wouldn't notice any different between the 1100 watt motor and the 1500 watt motor. But since they have gone back to selling it with that 1500 watt motor, well, if there is no difference, why go back to the more powerful motor? I dunno, guess I am just feeling a little shafted by it.
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Whoa, wait a minute, you bought a PM1228 and it has a DC motor in it????? My PM1236 is 2HP AC, not that much larger...
 
B2 said:
What is the metal used for the plate, was there any coating on it before you applied the laser, and what is the wavelength of the laser light?
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The plate is stainless steel. No coating that I can detect, as this is actually the back side of a plate that has a mirror finish on the opposite side, which IS coated with a peel off protective cover. I figured I would try to do most of my experimentation on the "wrong" side instead of destroying the polished side. I bought 12 of those plates, btw, to give me enough material to play with.

This is an infrared pulsed fiber laser with a wavelength of 1064nm. 50 watt version.
 
verbotenwhisky said:
Whoa, wait a minute, you bought a PM1228 and it has a DC motor in it????? My PM1236 is 2HP AC, not that much larger...
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I can't actually tell you what the facts are concerning the motor in my machine. The label on the motor itself doesn't say AC or DC, and obviously the manual would be of no help since I don't know what "version" of the 1228 it is referencing.
 

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Tired&Retired said:
I can't actually tell you what the facts are concerning the motor in my machine. The label on the motor itself doesn't say AC or DC, and obviously the manual would be of no help since I don't know what "version" of the 1228 it is referencing.
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You have an 1100 watt DC brushless servomotor.
 
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