Omtech Light B10 User manual

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Light B10
User Manual

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Beaming with Possibilities!
Thank you for choosing the OMTech Light B10 as your new laser engraver!
This diode laser is intended for personal and professional use. The Light is a Class 4 laser system:
The active laser is visible but must be used with great care to avoid serious property damage
and severe personal injury. It works by emitting a powerful 450 nm laser beam from a solid-state
module; moving the module around on a gantry and frame; and using its focused light to etch
designs into a wide variety of materials including wood and cork, paper and cardboard, some
plastics, glass, cloth and leather, and stone. It can also be used with some specially coated metals.
The provided module has an average lifespan around 15,000 hours before requiring replacement.
Read this manual before use, keep it for future reference, contact OMTech customer service if any
point is unclear, and provide it with the machine if it is ever given or sold to another person.

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and Happy #LaserDay!
For helpful hints and instructional videos, join us at our oicial laser group
on Facebook and visit our channel on YouTube. If you encounter any
problem with your engraver, email us at [e-mail] or
[e-mail] any time or call us at [phone]
between 8 am and 4:30 pm Pacic Time Monday to Friday.
@omtechlaser @omtechlaser
@omtechlaser @omtechlaser
@omtechlaser @omtechlaser
Welcome to the OMTech Community!

Contents
Safety First................................................................................................................................................. 1
Package List............................................................................................................................................... 2
Overview.................................................................................................................................................... 3
Setup.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Standard Use ........................................................................................................................................... 19
Safety Information .................................................................................................................................. 27
Warning Labels........................................................................................................................................ 29
Maintenance Schedule............................................................................................................................ 30
Legal Terms.............................................................................................................................................. 31
Warranty Activation................................................................................................................................. 32

1
Safety First!
Your Light is a Class 4 laser system.
ALWAYS wear your laser glasses during use and avoid direct exposure to the laser
beam.
ALWAYS be mindful of fumes, smoke, and debris created during engraving. Use a fume
extractor if your material will produce any harmful byproducts.
ALWAYS stay near your engraver during use and be ready to put out a re if needed.
For more safety information, see page 27 below.

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Package List
Front Frame Support Legs
USB Cord
X Motor Cable
Focusing Tool
M4×10 Bolts
Hex Wrench Set OD5 Laser Glasses
MicroSD Card and Reader
with Soware
Power Cord
10W Laser Module
with Protective Shield
Air Assist Fan
with Tube
Back Frame
X-Axis Gantry M3×6 BoltsCable Ties Access Keys
Le Frame
Right Frame

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Overview
Left Y-Axis
Tension Adjustment
Left Y-Axis
Restraining Bolt
X-Axis
Stepper Motor
Left Frame
with Belt
Laser Key and
Emergency Stop Switch
Power Button
Power Connection
USB Control
MicroSD Card Slot
Diagnostic Tool Port
Rotary and
Protective Cover
Connections
Flame Detection
Sensor
Light
Air Assist Fan
Back Frame Right Y-Axis
Tension Adjustment
Right Y-Axis
Restraining Bolt
X-Axis
Restraining Bolt
X-Axis
Tension Adj.
Right Frame
with Belt
Warnings
Support Legs
Front Frame
Air Assist Tube
Laser Module
Protective Shield
Locking Lever
X-Axis Gantry

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Setup
Frame Setup
Be careful of sharp edges during assembly.
Wearing protective gloves is recommended.
For best results, in each part of assembly, place and
partially tighten all fasteners before fully tightening any. If
the belts are ever too tight in any step, see the section on
Belt Tensioning below for how to loosen them.
1 Screw four support legs into place under the front and
back frame pieces. For an additional inch (2.5 cm) of
clearance, remove the pad from the bottom of the rst
set of legs and screw the extra support legs into the
exposed holes.
Be careful to avoid crossthreading. Never use or
place the legs in any way that will leave the laser
frame in an uneven position.
2 Place the left frame piece beside the matching end
of the front piece. Connect the wire marked “Y” or
“Y-Limit” to its receiver inside the front piece.
3 Remove anything binding the movement belt in the
le piece and carefully t the belt over its pulley inside
the front piece.

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4 Align the bolt holes in the le frame piece with those in the front piece and
use three M4×10 bolts to partially connect them.
5 Do the same thing with the le frame piece and the back piece. Be sure the
support legs on the back piece are facing down.
6 Fully tighten all ve bolts.

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7 Repeat the same steps with the right frame piece.
At this point, it is recommended to use a spirit level (not
included) to check that all parts of the frame are completely
level and plumb, adjusting their positions, legs, and fasteners
as needed.

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8 Place the X-axis gantry between its mounts on the two side pieces.
The mount for the diode laser module should face towards the front
of the frame. Connect the gantry to the mounts using two M4×10
bolts on each side. For best results, position and partially tighten all
the bolts before fully tightening any.
If the gantry cannot be connected because the mounts are not
aligned, see Belt Tensioning below for how to loosen the belts. Once
a belt is unlocked and loose, gently move it by hand so it is directly
across from the other and then continue.
Alternatively, loosen both sides and move both mounts to the back
of the machine to align them. After attaching the gantry, this will
also allow you to gently conrm that the belts move smoothly along
their entire range of motion.

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9 Place the fan so that its three bolt holes match those
on the back side of the laser mount. Fix it in place
using its M3×6 bolts.

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10 If it is not already installed, place the protective shield on the bottom
of the laser head using one matching bolt on each side.
Use of this shield is highly recommended but it does NOT fully block
the laser in all directions. Anyone nearby the laser during use should
ALWAYS wear the provided laser glasses or eye protection that is
similarly powerful (OD5+) at the laser’s wavelength (400–450 nm).
11 Slide the laser module into its mount on the laser head. Gently rotate
the lever on the le side up to allow easy movement and, once the
module is well positioned, gently rotate the lever down to lock the
module in place. If the lever does not turn smoothly, its restraining
bolt can be loosened using the appropriate hex wrench. In the same
way, the bolt can be fully removed to shift the locking lever up or
down the mount to process thicker or thinner materials.
12 Once the module is in place, connect the air assist to the laser nozzle
using the provided tube as shown. Make sure both ends of the tube
are well secured.
The upper part of the tube should ONLY
be inserted ¼–½ inch into the fan.

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Belt Tensioning
When the belts are loosened, be careful to move them slowly
and evenly. Never force movement if any belt becomes stuck.
Remove any obstruction, carefully adjust them, and try again.
Y-Axis Belts
1 Unlock the belt that you will adjust by turning its restraining bolt
counterclockwise. The restraining bolt is the center bolt at the back
end of each side.
2 Adjust the tension of the belt by turning its adjustment screw,
reached through the hole at the far back of each side. Righty tighty,
ley loosey.
Generally speaking, you want the belt fairly loose for manual
movement. During normal use, it should be taut enough the X-axis
gantry doesn’t fall to the back when either end of the machine is
raised but loose enough that the gantry isn’t held firmly in place
either. Instead, the ideal tension lets the gantry make a gentle
controlled slide towards the lower end of the machine.
3 Once the tension is correct, retighten the restraining bolt by turning it
clockwise.
X-Axis Belt
For the X-axis belt, loosen the restraint bolt on the right front side of the
gantry, turn its adjustment screw inside the right end of the gantry, and
then retighten its restraint bolt.
X-Axis
Tension
Adjustment
Loosen the Restraining Bolt Adjust the Tension, Check, and
Then Retighten the Restraining
Bolt
Y-Axis Tension
Adjustment

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Internal Wiring Setup
In each step, be careful that each plug is fully inserted in the
correct direction and is held snugly in place. Do not force any
plug into any slot in the wrong direction.
1 There should be two wires coming from the upper end of the cable
manager near the laser head, one marked “1” or “Laser” with a wide
red plug and another marked “2” or “Air Assist” with a narrow white
plug. Place the wires around or under the fan—not above it—and
connect the “1” wire to the top of the laser head and the “2” wire to
the front of the fan.
2 Get the short motor cable marked “X” or “X-Motor” that was included
separately with your engraver’s accessories. Use it to connect the
stepper motor behind the X axis gantry to the white top slot on the
back of the gantry.
3 There should be three wires coming from the lower end of the cable
manager near the stepper motor, one marked “1” or “Laser” with a
wide red plug, another marked “X” or “X-Limit” with a small black
plug, and a third wire marked “4” or “Laser Gyro” with a narrow red
plug.
Connect the “1” wire to the red lowest slot on the back of the gantry,
the “X” wire to the black slot above that, and the “4” wire to the blue
slot above that.
4 Connect the receiver on the wire coming from underneath the gantry
to the plug marked “2” or “Air Assist” coming from the upper end of
the cable manager along the le side of the frame.

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5 There should be two other unmarked wires coming from the upper
end of the same cable manager, one with a wide plug and one with
a narrow plug. Connect the wide plug to the larger bottom socket on
the front of the gantry and the narrow plug to the smaller top socket.
6 There should be three wires coming from the lower end of the cable
manager along the left piece of the frame, one marked “2” or “Air
Assist” with a small white plug, one with a wide unmarked plug, and
one with a narrow unmarked plug. Place the wire marked “2” under
the le frame and connect it to the top port behind the front frame,
marked “Air Assist”. Connect the wide plug to the larger socket at
the front of the le frame and the narrow plug to the smaller socket
beside it.
7 If you have a protective cover to use with your engraver, the wire from
its interlock device can be placed under the front or left frame and
connected to the port marked “Cover Shuto” behind the front frame.
If you have a compatible rotary device, its wire can be connected to
the port marked “Rotary Axis” in the same place.
8 Use the provided cable ties to organize your wires as needed.
9 Loosen the three belts and gently move them through their full range
of motion, checking that no wire becomes caught or obstructs the
movement of the belts in any way. Make any necessary adjustments
and then retighten the belts.

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External Wiring Setup
1 Connect the Light to your control computer using the provided
USB cable. If you need to use a USB extension cable, make sure
the extension cable is in good condition and all connections are
rmly made.
It is not recommended to have your control computer
farther than 15 feet (4.5 m) away from the laser to avoid
potentially dangerous interference to the control signals.
2 Plug the control board into a stable, compatible, and well
grounded outlet. Turn the laser key and press the power button.
The Light’s fan and light should turn on automatically. Leave
the engraver on and connected during installation of its control
soware.

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Software Setup
1 Your Light comes with a microSD card loaded with the open
source engraving program LaserGRBL and a trial version of
LightBurn. To access them, place the microSD card into its USB
reader by sliding the card into the slot above the USB’s handle.
The ridge on the microSD card should face up, away from the
reader’s handle.
DO NOT attempt to pull on the handle. It does not slide out.
2 Insert the reader into any available USB slot on your control
computer. (The microSD card’s ridge can be used to see which
side is up.) Go to the LaserGRBL folder and run its installation
wizard. Alternatively, you can also download the latest version of
the program from Arkypita’s website at lasergrbl.com/download
or from us at omtechlaser.com/pages/soware-download.
3 Open LaserGRBL. If it is in any language other than English, go
to the 4th item on the main toolbar and select the top option
beside the British ag. Restart the program when prompted.
4 Load the Light’s parameters by going to Grbl on the main
toolbar, selecting Grbl Configuration, and selecting Import.
Load the Light_B10.nc file from the microSD card’s LaserGRBL
folder.
5 See if your engraver appears in the COM eld. Most computers
will not be able to communicate with the Light without the
CH340 driver. Go to the Tools menu on the main toolbar and
select Install CH340 Driver. Install the driver and then close the
window using the X in the top right corner. You can also install
the driver separately from the Driver folder on the microSD card.

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6 Select the Light’s COM port and Baud rate (115200) on the top le. If
more than one COM port is listed, nd your laser by writing down all
the ports listed and then disconnecting the laser’s USB cord. The one
that disappears from the list is your laser. Reconnect the cable to the
same USB port and select the COM port that reappears. (If you change
the USB port for your laser, the COM port number will also change
and this setting will need to be adjusted.)
7 Click the icon beside the baud rate or go to Grbl on the main
toolbar and select Connect.
8 Check that the direction pad now moves the laser head around to
conrm your connection.
9 Put on your laser glasses (if you haven’t already), place a piece of
safely laserable material under the laser head, and click on the Blink
button along the lower toolbar. You should see a brief ash of light as
your laser activates out of focus and at a low power setting.
If the soware appears to be connected and fully functioning
but the laser does not activate at all, turn off your laser and
disconnect it from power and your computer. Check all the
wiring connections before restarting and trying again.