ATOMSTACK Befon A5 Pro Plus User manual

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Befon A5 Pro+
Laser engraving machine manual（English）
note: (The picture is for reference only, the actual product shall prevail)
Version: V1.0

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Directory
Befon A5 PRO+............................................................................................................1
0. Security Statement................................................................................................. 3
0. 1 Laser safety............................................................................................................................ 3
0.2 Fire safety.................................................................................................................................3
0.3 Material safety......................................................................................................................... 4
0.4 Use Safety................................................................................................................................4
0.5 Power safety................................................................................................................4
1. Disclaimer and warning.............................................................................................5
2. Befon A5 PRO+ Engraver Introduction................................................................6
3. Software installation and use.................................................................................7
3.1 LaserGRBL Software Installation and Use......................................................................... 7
1. Downloading software.............................................................................................................. 7
2. installing LaerGRBL.................................................................................................................. 8
3. Adding custom buttons：.........................................................................................................8
4. connect laser engraving machine.........................................................................................10
5. Setting Engraving Parameters..............................................................................................12
6. Laser focus adjustment.............................................................................................................. 14
7. Positioning................................................................................................................................15
8. Start, Termination carving or cutting....................................................................................20
3.2 LightBurn Installation Tutorial............................................................................................. 20
4. Techniques for using machines..........................................................................25
5. Common materials and recommended engraving and cutting parameters26
6. Common Problems Possible Causes Treatment............................................ 27

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0. Security Statement
Before Using the laser engraving, please read this safety guide
carefully, it mentions situations that require special attention and includes
warnings of unsafe practices that can cause damage to your property or
even endanger your personal safety.
0. 1 Laser safety
Befon A5 PRO+ uses Type 4 laser product. The lasers are very
powerful that can cause eye injuries and burn the skin.
We have installed a laser cover on the laser. To a large extent, the
shield filters out the diffuse light from the laser spot. However, it is still
recommended to wear laser goggles when using the laser engraver.
Avoid exposing your skin to Type 4 laser beams, especially at close
range.
Teens must be supervised by parents while using the machine.
Do not touch the laser engraving module while it is switched on.
0.2 Fire safety
The high intensity laser beam generates extremely high temperatures
and a lot of heat due to it burns the substrate when it cuts.
Some materials can catch fire during the cutting process, then
creating gas and smoke inside the equipment.
When the laser beam hits the material, Usually, there will be a small
flame. It will move with the laser and will not remain lit as the laser passes
over it.
Do not leave the machine alone during the engraving process.
Please do remember to clean the laser cutter of debris, scraps and
flammable materials after use.
Always keep a working fire extinguisher nearby.
Safety against fumes or airborne contaminants
When using a laser engraver, fumes, vapors, particles are generated
from the material (plastics and other flammable materials), there are
potentially toxic . These fumes or airborne contaminants can be hazardous
to health.

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0.3 Material safety
Do not engrave materials with unknown properties.
Materials Recommended:
Wood, bamboo, leather, plastic, fabric, paper, opaque acrylic, glass.
Materials not recommended:
Metal, precious stones, transparent materials, reflective materials etc.
0.4 Use Safety
Use the engraver only in horizontal position and ensure that it has
been securely fixed to prevent fires caused by accidental shifting or
dropping from the workbench during work.
It is forbidden to point the laser to people, animals or any
combustible object, whether it is in working condition or not.
0.5 Power safety
To prevent accidental disasters such as fire and electric shock, the
Befon A5 PRO+ Laser Engraver provides a power adapter with a
ground wire. Plug the power plug into the power socket with a ground
wire when using the Laser Engraver.

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1.Disclaimer and warning
This product is not a toy and is not suitable for people under 15 years
of age. Do not allow children to touch the Befon A5/A5 PRO+ laser engra
ving machine. Please be careful when operating in scenes with children.
This product is a multifunctional laser engraver, working in the power
supply is normal and parts without damage will provide the experience of
engraving, cutting, visit http://www.AtomStack3d.com/laserengraverdown
load for complete "user manual" and the latest instructions and warnings. S
henzhen Befon Technologies Co., Ltd. (Atomstack) reserves the right to u
pdate this Disclaimer and Safe Operation Guidelines.
Please be sure to read this document carefully before using the produc
t to understand your legal rights, responsibilities and safety instructions; Ot
herwise, it may bring property loss, safety accident and hidden danger of p
ersonal safety. Once you use this product, you shall be deemed to have und
erstood, accepted and accepted all terms and contents of this document. Us
er undertakes to be responsible for his or her actions and all consequences
arising therefrom. User agrees to use the Product only for legitimate purpo
ses and agrees to the entire terms and contents of this document and any re
levant policies or guidelines that Befon may establish. You understand and
agree that Befon may not be able to provide you with the cause of the
damage or accident and provide you with Befon's after-sale service unless
you provide the original engraving or cutting files, engraving software
configuration parameters used, operating system information, video of the
engraving or cutting process, and operational steps prior to the occurrence
of a problem or failure.
Befon is not liable for any and all losses arising from the user's failure
to use the product in accordance with this manual.
Befon has the ultimate right to interpret the document, subject to legal
compliance. Befon reserves the right to update, modify, or terminate the T
erms without prior notice.

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2. Befon A5 PRO+ Engraver Introduction
The Befon A5 PRO+ laser engraving can be used for engraving, and
cutting.
The Befon A5 PRO+ laser engraver uses a fixed-focus laser,
traditional lasers are zoom lasers and require to look directly at the laser
spot to find a proper size. The Befon A5 PRO+ laser is a fixed-focus laser,
it only need a fixed-focus sheet to get the best engraving focal length.
The laser shield helps us block most of the bright light, if we look
directly at them, firstly the retina will be damaged and your vision will be
reduced, secondly it will cause visual fatigue, decreasing productive and
leaning efficiency. Thirdly, the light can inhibit the production of
melatonin, which affects the quality of sleep. The laser shield can help to
protect you from this damage.
The Befon laser engraver has a laser power of 5W-5.5W, and it can
cut some boards and engrave on stainless steel easily.
Befon A5 PRO+ engraver supports PWM control (Pulse Width
Modulation), which makes the engraved pattern more detailed.

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3. Software installation and use
Befon currently supports two of the most popular versions of
LaserGrbl-4.0.5 and Lightburn.v0.9.20 (customers can download the
official version).LaserGRBL is an open source, easy to use and powerful
software, but unfortunately LaserGRBL only supports Windows (Win XP /
Win 7 / Win 8 / XP / Win 10).
For Mac users, of course, you can choose LightBurn, which is also an
excellent engraver software, but this software needs to pay for $40. This
software also supports Windows.
The Befon A5 PRO engraver receives commands from the computer
to move. The engraver needs to stay connected to the computer and cannot
turn off the engraver software (LaserGRBL or LightBurn) during the
engraving process . Since the calculations are done on the computer, the
configuration of the computer will affect the speed and even the quality of
the engraving.
The following section will focus on the installation and use of the
LaserGRBL software. LightBurn will briefly explain the installation and
configuration process.
3.1 LaserGRBL Software Installation and Use
1. Downloading software
LaserGRBL is one of the most popular DIY laser engraving software
in the world, LaserGRBL download website:
http://lasergrbl.com/download/

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2. installing LaerGRBL
Double-click the software installation package to start the software
installation, and keep clicking Next until the installation is complete.
Picture 3.1 LaserGRBL software installation
3. Adding custom buttons：
The software supports users to add custom buttons, you can add
custom buttons in the software according to your usage. We recommend
the official Custom Buttons from LaserGRBL. Custom button download
address: http://lasergrbl.com/usage/custom-buttons/，the downloaded
custom button shows as below:
Picture 3.2 custom button package

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Next, we will load the custom buttons into the LaserGRBL software.
In the LaserGRBL software, right-click on the blank space next to the
bottom button (as shown in Picture 3.3) -> Import custom button, then
select the custom button zip file downloaded before to import, keep
pressing Yes (Y) until no window pops up.
Picture 3.4 custom button loading
Picture 3.3 adding custom button

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The installed software is shown as the following figure.
Picture3.5 Software button
4. connect laser engraving machine
A. Connect the engraver to a computer with LaserGBRL software
installed.
B. Plug in the power supply of the engraving machine.
C. Open the LaserGRBL software
D. Select the correct port number and baud rate in the software -
115200, (in general, COM ports do not need to be selected manually,
but if you have more than one serial device connected to the computer,
it needs to do so, you can find the port of the laser engraver in the
device manager of the Windows system, Or you can simply try the port
numbers displayed one by one).

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Picture 3.6 Check the port number
E. First, install CH340 Driver. In the LaserGRBL software, click
"Tools">"install CH340 Driver" to install the driver, and restart the
computer after installation to connect.
F. Click on the lightning connection logo in the software. When the
lightning logo changes to a red X, the connection is success.

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Picture 3.7 Connecting laser engraver
G. The computer and engraving machine chain machine failure, need to
update the drive, the method is as follows
In LaserGRBL, click "Tools" > in turn.Linstall CH340 Driver "Update and install the Driver, restart the
computer after the update, and then connect, as shown in the picture below.
Installation

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5. Setting Engraving Parameters
A. Select the engraving file.
Open LaserGRBL software, click "File"> "Open File", then select the
graphics you want to engrave, LaserGRBL supports NC, BMP, JPG,
PNG, DXF and other formats.
Picture 3.8 Open file
B. Picture parameters, engraving mode, engraving quality settings
a.LaserGRBL can adjust the sharpness, brightness, contrast, highlight
and other attributes of the target picture, when adjusting the parameters of
the picture, the factual effect will be shown in the right preview window,
there is no standard here, just adjust the effect you want.
b. Engraving mode usually choose "line to line tracking" and "1bit
dithering", 1bit dithering is more suitable for engraving grayscale graphics.
If you are going to cut, select the vector graphics or centerline engraving
mode.
c. Engraving quality essentially refers to the line width of the laser
scan, this parameter mainly depends on the size of the laser spot of the

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engraving machine, Befon A5 PRO+ engraver uses rectangular spot for
0.23*0.23mm, the core energy area of the spot size is about 0.08*0.15mm,
Therefore, it is recommended to use an engraving quality of 8, The
response to laser illumination varies from different materials, so the exact
value depends on the specific engraving material.
d. at the bottom of the preview window, the image can also be rotated,
mirror, cut, etc. operations.
e. After completing the above settings, click next to the the settings of
carving speed, carving energy and carving size.
Picture 3.9 Introduction of Setup Interface
C. Engraving speed, engraving energy and engraving size Setting
a. recommending the engraving speed for 3000, this is the best value
for the engraving effect after repeated experiments, of course you can
increase or decrease the speed according to your preference, faster speed
will save the engraving time, but it may reduce the engraving effect,
slower speed is the opposite.

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b. In the selection of the laser mode, there are two commands for laser,
M3 and M4, it is recommended to use the M4 command for 1bit litter
engraving, and M3 command for other cases. If your laser only has M3
instruction, please check whether the laser mode is enabled in the GRBL
configuration, please refer to the official instructions of LaserGRBL for
GRBL configuration.
c. Choose the engraving energy according to different materials, we
have attached the engraving and cutting parameters of common materials
at the end of the manual for your reference.
d. Finally, set the size you want to engrave, click on the "Create"
button, all the engraving parameters has been set.
Picture 3.10 Setting of engraving speed and laser power
Speed recommendation 3000
Input appropriate energy according to your material
Enter the appropriate size according to the
contour of the object to be carved

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6. Laser focus adjustment
The effect of engraving or cutting depends largely on whether the
laser is focused, most of the existing laser engraving machines on the
market use a zoom laser, need to rotate the focus nut while staring at the
laser dot with your eyes to observe whether the laser is focused. Staring at
the laser dot for long periods of time can damage your eyes (even with
goggles), What's more, it's difficult to distinguish small changes in focus,
so it's hard to find the best laser focus point.
To solve this problem, we have abandoned the traditional zoom laser
and installed a fixed-focus laser on the Befon A5 PRO+ engraver, with the
specific focus point located 2mm from the bottom of the acrylic cover, and
a fixed-focus piece is included in the package. To use the laser, simply
adjust the height of the laser (one fixed focus piece away from the top
surface of the object being engraved or cut）.
The following is the specific operations:
A. Moving the laser head over the object to be engraved or cut.
B. Placing a fixed-focus piece on the object to be engraved or cut.
Picture 3.11 Placing fixed-focus piece
Acrylic bottom to
Engraved surface 2mm
Laser focus

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A. Loosen the fixing screws on the sliding rails on both sides of the
laser to allow the laser to slide freely until it comes into contact with the
fixed focus plate (once in contact, the laser can be lifted up slightly to
remove the fixed-focus film at the end).
B. Picture 3.12 Adjusting the laser distance
C. Tighten the fixing screws of the slides on both sides of the laser.
Picture 3.13 fixing screws
Tighten

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D. Take out the fixed focus piece and finish focusing.
Picture 3.14 Take out the fixed focus piece
7. Positioning
A. The engraver does not know what position to carve, so there is one
important task before you start carving, that is positioning. We will
complete the positioning operation in three steps.
B. Select the "Move to Center" button, the laser will move to the center
of the pattern, placed the engraving below the laser at that time.
Picture 3.15 Move to Center
2mm

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C. Click "light laser" button, the laser will emit a weak light, the laser
emits irradiation point is the center of the engraving pattern, based on
this, adjust the position of the engraved object!
D. Click "Profile Scan" button, the laser will start to scan the outer
contour of the pattern on the computer, you can change the position of the
engraved object again according to the scanned outer contour position.
Besides: You can click on the "wrap-around" button for several times until
the outer contour is at the position you want to engrave.
Picture 3.16 light laser

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Picture 3.17 Profile Scan