i was dreading the length of your videos...thank you for some of the finest tutorial videos ever. really glad i dont have to hear 8 minutes about your dog cat and mommy and 2 minutes of not even the info that is described in the name of the video. you sir are awsome and again thank you for the cnc for dummies.
Great video, newbie here too. This is by far the best video for Lightburn that I have seen, thanks for making it and letting me watch ..... Have a great day.
Dropped on this channel Christmas Day, as my GF had bought me a 3018 Pro to go with my Ender 3, 3D printer. Keep up the excellent videos, clearly spoken in plain English with no ambiguous words.😉
Only got this program this morning. It’s like you knew I needed help. Had some trouble getting the laser to start where I wanted it but now I know using “current position” as I don’t have limit switch’s. Maybe in the next video could you cover how to laser engrave on already cut pieces of wood like circular material how to set start position and position material on the machine bed. Really grateful for all your videos. 👍
Excellent tutorial as usual James. I have been following you for a couple of months now (since I got my machine) and you have saved me so much time. Oddly, I started looking at Lightburn a couple of weeks ago realising that laser grbl was a little limiting, so I was amazed when you brought out a tutorial for just that. It was pretty good to, helping me with the set up. I am going to take one issue with your lesson - framing. You said it is relevant to those with limit switches fitted. This may be the case but it is also good for those who do not have them fitted. What it does is go around the frame of your work piece. So if you are using a 100 x 100 pre-cut coaster then you can check your alignment on the bed. Even better - if you hold the shift key and click on "frame" it will turn the laser on at the power set in 'Fire' and then complete the frame - using this you can check that the laser just touches the coaster all the way round. I haven't worked out the other framing option yet. Many thanks James and keep up the good work.
You are correct and I realised as soon as I put the video out 🙈 its what I get for rushing. I need to try and correct it but TH-cam doesn't make it easy to change the videos unfortunately but I think I've found a way to edit it hopefully
Another great video. Although I have used Lightburn for a few months, I still manage to learn something new when I watch your training videos. Keep up the good (and interesting) work.
Thats really kind, thank you Nikki. You were one of the first people to help me out by telling me not to buy upgrades until I got used to the machine, advice I now tell others because it was good information.
@@JamesDeanDesigns Well, I have finally upgraded by fitting a 20k spindle. Very impressed with it - I am saving over 25% of my milling time with it. And yes, I checked out your videos first! Despite buying a larger power supply, my Woodpecker 3.4 board does manage to drive the new motor without any modification of software coding. However, for safety's sake, I do use the new power supply.
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I am such a newbie that I didn't know where to begin with lightburn and you put me in the correct direction. Thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I wish that I found you when I first got my laser! I am struggling to frame properly and your video is so very helpful. Thank you again!
Thanks for the tutorial. I'm now going to go down to the shed and make a sign. I thought the colours on the bottom were the laser colour... but no, layers. This is going to be great fun. Thanks again.
Great tutorial, thank you James! Instructive, detailed and helpful. Lightburn should hire you for that talent ;) I find that software pretty versatile and easy to use. I love the overscanning feature. I think I'm going to buy Lightburn. You're so convincing James and I'll mention you as a reference ;)
i know im randomly asking but does anybody know a tool to log back into an Instagram account?? I was stupid lost my account password. I would love any tips you can offer me!
@Abram Emmitt Thanks for your reply. I found the site through google and im waiting for the hacking stuff now. I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
Great instructional video, a couple of shortcuts i found that may be useful to others.. 1 to quickly rotate a selected object 90 degrees tap the period key (or in english the full stop) each tap rotates 90 degrees in the clockwise direction....2 to quickly identify which objects are on a specifc layer right click the layer in the CUT / LAYERS panel, the objects on that layer will flash..3 to quickly zoom to a point on an object hover the mouse over the point you want to enlarge and roll the mouse wheel the display zooms to that point..4 when editing nodes hovering over a line and tapping DELETE deletes the line completely hitting D on the keyboard only deletes the node..5 images copied to the clipboard in other applications can be pasted (right click PASTE) directly onto Lightburn, same for text..6 you pointed out that you can rename the layers, i have been renaming to identify the material, size, cutting parameters Eg Black layer ... 3mm MDF cut or RED LAYER 4mm Ply deep engrave, BLUE LAYER white paper cut...lightburn then remembers the settings you give for speed, power, No of passes etc for use next time
Phenomenal tutorial, I just picked up one of the 3018 PROvers on sale and will be using it for physical and laser engraving. Thanks for your detailed and thorough tutorials!
Excellent video, and spoken as one who creates software training videos. Much better than the official videos. Please keep these plus the cnc vids coming. Thanks! Tim
Thanks for a great startup video, you explained a lot of the light burn features. I needed to move to light burn to operate my laser due to the fact that laser software that came with the machine would not work with win 10.
Very nicely done, James! Thank you for the great information! And yes, this beats the heck out of my free, "Laser GBRL", which seems very limited, and somewhat confusing to me. But Lightburn looks very versatile, and simpler to use, to me. So, like you mentioned, I think can do this, with some practice.
I am wanting to get a Genmitsu 3018. I would like to get both the cnc and the laser. How hard is it to switch back and forth between them? Anyone know?
Hi James awesome videos, I have watched the beginners series for setting up the 3018 pro. I am a little confused with what bit to select in the carbide create software in relation to the bits that came with the machine. I had a few tries and was getting more and more frustrated so decided to switch out and try the laser instead. I am in the process of watching the first 3 videos for that and will watch them all a couple of time before I make the move and follow them. This seems an irrelevant question but where can i get a glass laser safe film for my cabinet - been searching all over and not finding anything. Keep he vids coming, they are a great source of information and to the likes of me a godsend Many Thanks
James I love your videos they really help me do projects with my Grandchildren ! I do have a question on how you turn the power up on the laser when engraving painted dog tag made out of Aluminum?
Hi James. Thanks for sharing this video. It's very informative. I'm a newbie on the Laser Engraving. I have a question on the Mode for Cuts/Layer. I'm using 1.6.03 version of Lightburn. I have all Modes except the Fill+Line option, which I think is very good option to sharpen the edes. What do you suggest to mimic the effect of this option? Thanks again.
James, I'm a newby,I have a sainsmart 3180 pro and Ortur LM 3 also CAD files DWG, DXF, SVG and JPG and I'm intriqued with Lightburn could you advise me on what version of Lightburn to purchase a license. Thanks BTW, so glad you are doing the Carveco series.
Good morning James. Thank you for the video, super explained. According to your video, I started my adventure with Lightburn and my laser engraver (CNC 3018pro). However, I have a problem. After uploading the project in dxf. format and burned out, it turned out that the laser also burned out the lines of transition (traversal moves). Do you know the solution to this problem? Best Regards!, Andrew B.
What laser module would you suggest for a new beginner with CNC machine with rostering experience but no laser engraving experience? There’s so much information and misinformation out there. Thx
I just set up the Fox Alien Masuter Pro with the 20W laser. In setup the laser is not detected... I know its set up because I ran the test fox with you using Laser GRBL from your other video. Even the manual input doesn't list the laser. suggestions?
THX. This is exactly what I needed (your video, that is). I just bought the Laser to my 3018 Pro. You present both your Audio & Video with a scale from 0-10 with a 10+. The extra '+' with the 10, comes from: I'm from Finland (native language Finnish) and yet I understand 90% of your speech :) :) Do you have any 'follow up' to this subject? I hope you have.
Hello, are you kind to help? I can not set the value of Power Min % (only the Power Max %). Do you know where I can change the Power Min % Value? thank you!!!
There is the minimum power in your GRBL settings which is $31=0. If its within lightburn you don't really need to set the minimum as such. What is it that you're trying to do?
This guy is amazing with his tutortials... thank you very much. Im having an issue where my motors keep running slack x and y any reason why? Also is it that light buy also cnc sovo can do oth laser and cnc?
When you say slack, is your machines belt driven? I dont know much about them but usually you have tensioner to take the slack. And yes, this machine takes both spindle and laser
@@JamesDeanDesigns not its not belt driven, i swapped around motors and it seems to be functioning better now, but i was told there isnt a different between the motors so im not sure i will monitor it do you have videos on using the spindle to cut different materials?
Thanks for all the good tutorials! I just started up with Lightburn today and I have the issue that the laser is constantly on even when it is moving between the cutting areas. Do you know what I am doing wrong?
Your explaination for lightburn is awesome because I have started with the 3018 PRO myself but do you know is it possible to use LightBurn for the router
The technical answer is yes because ultimately it also uses gcode. The practical answer is no. Lightburn is really only a 2D program, it has some Z axis control but not to the degree that other dedicated routering software has
@@JamesDeanDesigns i'm only looking at 2d but having trouble finding a software to format a picture to .NGC for the 3018 PRO have tried INKSCAPE but it keeps coming up with a fault when I try the machine.
** disregard was a speed issue change the value to 600 and works fine *** I have run into an issue I set the lase mode to true in light burn but then the laser doesn't burn I set it to false and it burns but I have the travel lines any idea I double-check $32=1 any idea?
This more a question than a comment. I have Lightburn 1.6.03 and in the layer MODE it only has line, fill and offset fill. No line and fill, is this obtained via different dropdown?
Lasers have come on quite a bit over the past 2 years and those companies investing in the technology do have better lasers. So I'd at least buy from a branded company now
Been watching all your excellent videos. Very informative and helpful. Are you still happy with this 3018 pro for small milling or laser jobs, or wanting to go bigger/better ? I'm about to get a Onefinity CNC for larger jobs producing products, however I need something small for numbering, naming, signing the finished product. .. (either laser burn or milling) So, would you recommend the 3018pro for this ... or is it just for messing around on? Thx.P
I use lightburn on my CNC 3018. Very regularly I find that at some point the y-axis flips or rotates further than allowed, every time my project has failed. I only have this problem with lightburn, never with laser grbl or candle. Have you already experienced this?
James, I am thinking about getting a new workshop and I am undecided whether to get a shed or build something that can easily be used as a summer house should I ever decide to move in the future, what size is your shed and have you regretted not getting something bigger?
The full outside size is 14 x 8ft, however part is sectioned of with a separate door for garden stuff, BBQ stuff etc. So my actual work area inside is 10 x 7ft. I've got most things in there that I need but I've had to be clever about the way I have stored things. What I suspect I will end up doing next year is buying a new small shed for the gardening stuff and taking back that extra space for my work shop. Go as big as you can afford or spare
Sounds like it might be overburn. Causes can be too much power or not enough acceleration. I've heard baking soda and water can help. One teaspoon to one cup of water. Mix up, spay on and wipe off. Then run the laser job straight away
@@JamesDeanDesigns I will give that a shot along with maybe reducing my power. Only had it at 50% on a 2.5w but I suppose that would be enough at 500 mm/min. Thanks for the advice!
@@Explicnt hopefully it helps. If not send me some photos on Facebook or Instagram and I can take a better look. Also you can try the overscan feature if you haven't done so already
@@JamesDeanDesigns I did finally figure out what it was. Overscan and increasing travel speed did help slightly but it turns out the popular I was using had some resin coating the surface which didn't react well to the laser. Sanding the surface beforehand solved that issue though.
There is a console tab, if you open that up there will be a box to enter text into. Type $$ and hit enter, it will give you a list of settings, you are looking for the $30 setting and the value next to it
I have just purchased the lightburn software, thank you so much for you videos could not and would not have attempted this without it. Do you also you lightburn for your spindle.?
Hi James, can this software work on any laser cnc. I have a 3018 pro but I have a separate laser cnc machine. thank you for helping us with the 3018 pro cnc.
@@garethwilliams648 The one I have is meant to be a 15w. However there is a lot of discrepancies. Companies often quote the input power on more powerful lasers rather than the output power. So apparently mine is more likely to be about 5-7w output
I work for over a year with lightburn for my laser. I want to go a step further and start cnc engraving.I can't design in lightburn and send it to my cnc engraver. What do you recoment???? HELP!!!!!
I'm not sure you can. The camera for light burn relies on the bed being static but on a 3018 the bed moves so I'm not 100% sure if it will work the same
A few people have done it, there is a fairly common video on TH-cam for it but I would say you have to be comfortable on computers and doing that sort of thing. The alternative is to buy a new control board which will costs between $20-50 depending on what you get and where from
I am using cnc3018 with lighburn. But I have a problem about axis. distances. Axis are not going right distance. Axis going less than my distance. How I can fix axes problem. Please help.
Your step settings may be wrong. The base settings on a 3018 are usually 800 or 1600 for your $100, $101 and $102 settings. These essentially control how far you machine travels each time you send a command. This video explains how to calibrate them th-cam.com/video/nGwUf8uNWBU/w-d-xo.html
Thanks again for a fantastic video, I bought the laser to go with the 3018 PROVer. You recommend LightBurn for the laser but what software would you use for carving with this machine, plus generating G code. I tried the one you use instead of Candle and I find it will not work with my machine. Was going to try Fushion 360 but I'm just looking for simple software to create my designs. I also have a small 3d printer as well and wondered if there was any software that would cover both machines . Cheers. Stay Safe and Seasons Greetings to You.
Unfortunately I find all the free software for carving have draw backs which push you towards purchasing their upgraded version. The only software I know that will cover both is Fusion360. Yes, its a little bit more of a learning curve but it will cover everything.
I am new to laser engraving and bought a vevor l3 3040 5.5w (laser output) I have gotten through so much stock trying to get details on photos in lightburn and still haven't got the settings nailed down. Do you have any ideas or guidance? Thank you
When you say stock, is it wood you are using? I found wood quite difficult to get good photos on. A lot of the effort is done in the production of the image. I have a video on it but I used to find the Imag-r website useful as it would try and adjust your photo to suit the material you were using
@@JamesDeanDesigns yeah that soft plywood coasters I think is to soft of a wood to get details, I have bought some other plywood and mdf just waiting on delivery. I have also bought some clear acrylic and some white ceramic tiles to try the Norton method on. I guess it's a learning curve with the settings. With them super softwood coasters I found slowing the laser down to 500mm/m and 30% on the laser brought some details out with a light sand of the wood makes what details are there look good. Oh yeah by stock I mean wood that I have in already
i have no limit switch and when I am turning on my laser it moves laser to front left and does not stop it want to keep moving and wont stop making a terrible noise
If you select the device button towards the bottom right and go into Edit. On one of the screens it will say Auto-Home on startup or something similar. Make sure that is turned off.
@@JamesDeanDesigns I deleted it because I hadn’t solved it. But I have since got it dialed in. Works perfectly in Black Walnut. Going to try on maple and cherry.
Hi, James! I tried Lightburn software on your advice. A really handy laser app. But I ran into such a problem: the Y-axis is inverted on my CNC 3018 when working in Lightburn. At the same time, when working in a Candle or Laser GDBL, the Y-axis moves in the right direction. You have to change the $3 parameter every time you use Lightburn, and change it back when you exit the application. Have you encountered a similar problem?
@@JamesDeanDesigns Тор left dot is selected as origin in device settings. Limit switches are installed on the machine and the top left point set as "home" of machine. Can the settings of the limit switches affect this?
@@SenyaRusty I'm not 100% sure as i don't have limit switches but I believe the origin should be set to bottom left. I think its something to do with sending negative values if the top dots are selected
@@JamesDeanDesigns You were right. Indeed, the origin point affects the inversion of the axes and has nothing to do with the "home" position in the machine settings. I put dot in bottom left and now Y-axis moves correctly. Thanks for your help, James!
Hi, I've been watching your videos, specifically the ones about the 3018PRO. I purchased the 3018 MX3 for the Mach3 software. I started using Lightburn and found that I would have to save the file as GCode. That worked for the most part but it leaves a lot to be desired. I am thinking of purchasing the GRBL control board and asked Lightburn if it will work ok. They responded with this, "The GRBL-M3 output is very minimal, using M3 / M5 to enable / disable the laser, and the S parameter on G1 moves to control the laser power. In many cases, this GCode can be run directly without changes on other controllers." Do you know what they mean by that statement? I am hoping to have Lightburn adjust the laser power and feed speed on the fly. If I save a file as GCode and run it on the Mach3 board, the GCode doesn't include any laser control, ie: power and feed rate. My main concern is what they meant by, "The GRBL-M3 output is very minimal"? Thank you, Bob PS. You are an excellent teacher and your videos are the exception to the rule. Thank you again.
Hi Bob. So generally speaking GRBL is considered to have less functions than mach3 which is essentially what they are saying. However GRBL is open source and more than capable of running the laser and spindle for 99.9% of the people. And can also control the laser power during a job. I always advise people to go for GRBL over Mach3. A new control board does not cost too much but should hopefully make your life easier. You will just need to make sure it is running at least GRBL 1.1f. If its older you will not be able to control the laser power
@@JamesDeanDesigns Hi James, Thank you for the fast response. I believe the GRBL board is version 1.1f. I appreciate your feedback. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos. Thank you, Bob
Can someone help me? I am trying to connect my 5.5W fixed focus laser module to Lightburn but it is not working. "Detect My Laser" worked and it detected it just fine but the console just keeps repeating "Waiting for connection..."
Hi James, me again.. Another great tutorial! I have started my free trail and im also trying to make a caution sign but when I select 'enable laser fire button', it isn't there in my move tab. Any ideas?
@@JamesDeanDesigns Yeah I tried restarting the software (I lined it up in laserGRBL and its running my design now). And yeah it’s a diode laser, thanks.
@@jacklee5020 that is very unusual. Usually once you restart the software it should appear. Also it doesnt show for CO2 lasers I believe. Might be worth posting on their Facebook user group or their actual support forum as nothing is showing up on Google either
I have followed the video several times on connecting the Lazer everything works but the traversal lines show when I tex how can I turn them off I have tried so many things I am starting to give up can you help me please David Polley
@@JamesDeanDesigns everything is stopped working the Lazer is disconnected now and this is what I got . waiting for conection. port failed to open aleady in use ?
@@davidpolley885 usually means something is already trying to connect to the machine. I typically restart the PC and make sure lightburn is the first thing I open. Usually resolves it. The settings I told you to enter would not have caused the connection issue
Watching your video every time I home the CNC it goes to the bottom left if i try to jog it anywhere no matter what it moves to the top right. I have absolute coordinates set and bottom left for homing. Have no idea what to do. Only does this in light burn. When i click the laser icon to move to a position, it starts going to the top right every single time. Following along your video nothing different.
I'm not an expert on homing but there is the origin setting typically towards the bottom right of the screen, but somewhere in the settings there is also a homing position setting. Might be worth playing with that as that seems to solve most people issues
Thanks I’m working on it. Great tutorials man super job!. Looks like my machine works with negative coordinates. As the bottom left always shows max travel limits but negative. This document will help you fix it. Simple console command with my working space entered with negative values. G10 L2 P1 X-264 Y-264 Now it works from the bottom left. This document will help those who run into this. github.com/LightBurnSoftware/Documentation/blob/master/CommonGrblSetups.md
Once activated it should show, worst case scenario you restart the software and it should appear. Only time it doesnt is when using a CO2 laser. There was someone else who said this wasn't possible further down the comments, I've just asked if he resolved it.
The guy came back and basically said the button did appear the day after. Didnt change any settings or anything so perhaps just a full restart might resolve it.
Chances are your GRBL firmware is an older version. I suspect if you type $$ and hit enter you'll likely see 0.9 at the top somewhere where as it needs to be at least 1.1f. It can be upgraded, but can be a but fidly unless your comfortable on computers. Alternatively it may be easier to buy a new control board
Its easier to activate it with an Internet connection but it can be done offline. For the general running of the software it doesn't require an Internet connection
@@JamesDeanDesigns I got the twotrees engraver on the way but it will have to go in the shed when in operation and i don't have internet out there, at least i can activate it indoors then use it in the shed. Thanks
@@chris-tg6ki if you struggle, there are ways to get temporary Internet in the shed. For example I bought a cheap WiFi dongle off amazon for about £7 and just used my phone as a hotspot when required.
i was dreading the length of your videos...thank you for some of the finest tutorial videos ever. really glad i dont have to hear 8 minutes about your dog cat and mommy and 2 minutes of not even the info that is described in the name of the video. you sir are awsome and again thank you for the cnc for dummies.
😂 thank you. Glad they helped
MAKING MY FIRST SIGN!!! Thanks, James, for helping us all out!!
Great video, newbie here too. This is by far the best video for Lightburn that I have seen, thanks for making it and letting me watch ..... Have a great day.
Glad its helped 👍
Dropped on this channel Christmas Day, as my GF had bought me a 3018 Pro to go with my Ender 3, 3D printer. Keep up the excellent videos, clearly spoken in plain English with no ambiguous words.😉
Thank you 😁
Only got this program this morning. It’s like you knew I needed help. Had some trouble getting the laser to start where I wanted it but now I know using “current position” as I don’t have limit switch’s. Maybe in the next video could you cover how to laser engrave on already cut pieces of wood like circular material how to set start position and position material on the machine bed. Really grateful for all your videos. 👍
The best, most comprehensively clear explanation out there.
Thank you 👍
I just bought this 3018 pro and a 7.5W output laser! Can't wait to try it!
Just got my 5.5 watt laser and are using your videos to set it and burn my caution sign! So very easy to follow your instructions!
Thank you!
Glad to help
And once again James dean designs for the win. I just got light burn and needed a tutorial for my 3018 pro. Thank you sir
Thank you 👍
Excellent tutorial as usual James. I have been following you for a couple of months now (since I got my machine) and you have saved me so much time. Oddly, I started looking at Lightburn a couple of weeks ago realising that laser grbl was a little limiting, so I was amazed when you brought out a tutorial for just that. It was pretty good to, helping me with the set up. I am going to take one issue with your lesson - framing. You said it is relevant to those with limit switches fitted. This may be the case but it is also good for those who do not have them fitted. What it does is go around the frame of your work piece. So if you are using a 100 x 100 pre-cut coaster then you can check your alignment on the bed. Even better - if you hold the shift key and click on "frame" it will turn the laser on at the power set in 'Fire' and then complete the frame - using this you can check that the laser just touches the coaster all the way round. I haven't worked out the other framing option yet.
Many thanks James and keep up the good work.
You are correct and I realised as soon as I put the video out 🙈 its what I get for rushing.
I need to try and correct it but TH-cam doesn't make it easy to change the videos unfortunately but I think I've found a way to edit it hopefully
Superb, natural presenter. Complex subject much simplified. Thanks
Thank you. I’ve not bought a laser engraver/CNC machine yet but these videos are a big help.
Glad to hear that 👍
Another great video. Although I have used Lightburn for a few months, I still manage to learn something new when I watch your training videos. Keep up the good (and interesting) work.
Thats really kind, thank you Nikki. You were one of the first people to help me out by telling me not to buy upgrades until I got used to the machine, advice I now tell others because it was good information.
@@JamesDeanDesigns Well, I have finally upgraded by fitting a 20k spindle. Very impressed with it - I am saving over 25% of my milling time with it. And yes, I checked out your videos first! Despite buying a larger power supply, my Woodpecker 3.4 board does manage to drive the new motor without any modification of software coding. However, for safety's sake, I do use the new power supply.
I have watched all your videos on the 3018 PRO and have found them to be extremely useful. Keep up the great work.
Thank you 👍
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I am such a newbie that I didn't know where to begin with lightburn and you put me in the correct direction. Thank you.
Glad to help 👍
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I wish that I found you when I first got my laser! I am struggling to frame properly and your video is so very helpful. Thank you again!
Another useful and informative presentation. Bravo.
Thanks James very much useful tutorials I will download lightburn on Christmas day. Happy happy
Thanks for the tutorial. I'm now going to go down to the shed and make a sign. I thought the colours on the bottom were the laser colour... but no, layers. This is going to be great fun. Thanks again.
Hope it helped 👍
Great tutorial, thank you James! Instructive, detailed and helpful. Lightburn should hire you for that talent ;) I find that software pretty versatile and easy to use. I love the overscanning feature. I think I'm going to buy Lightburn. You're so convincing James and I'll mention you as a reference ;)
Totally agree
Thank you. I think I need tutorials such as this. 😊❤
Thank you for the very nice beginner tutorial
Another brilliant tutorial James. you have saved me so much time on setting up and using my 3018 machine, on the laser and router. Thank you 😄👍
me too :D great tutorial, great and easy to use software!
i know im randomly asking but does anybody know a tool to log back into an Instagram account??
I was stupid lost my account password. I would love any tips you can offer me!
@Darren Russell Instablaster :)
@Abram Emmitt Thanks for your reply. I found the site through google and im waiting for the hacking stuff now.
I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Abram Emmitt it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much, you saved my account :D
Thanks for a great informative video.
Great instructional video, a couple of shortcuts i found that may be useful to others.. 1 to quickly rotate a selected object 90 degrees tap the period key (or in english the full stop) each tap rotates 90 degrees in the clockwise direction....2 to quickly identify which objects are on a specifc layer right click the layer in the CUT / LAYERS panel, the objects on that layer will flash..3 to quickly zoom to a point on an object hover the mouse over the point you want to enlarge and roll the mouse wheel the display zooms to that point..4 when editing nodes hovering over a line and tapping DELETE deletes the line completely hitting D on the keyboard only deletes the node..5 images copied to the clipboard in other applications can be pasted (right click PASTE) directly onto Lightburn, same for text..6 you pointed out that you can rename the layers, i have been renaming to identify the material, size, cutting parameters Eg Black layer ... 3mm MDF cut or RED LAYER 4mm Ply deep engrave, BLUE LAYER white paper cut...lightburn then remembers the settings you give for speed, power, No of passes etc for use next time
Thats some great info, thank you for sharing
Phenomenal tutorial, I just picked up one of the 3018 PROvers on sale and will be using it for physical and laser engraving. Thanks for your detailed and thorough tutorials!
Thats appreciated. Thank you 👍
Excellent video, and spoken as one who creates software training videos. Much better than the official videos. Please keep these plus the cnc vids coming. Thanks! Tim
Really appreciated. Thank you 😁
Great video (as usual) James. I have just received my laser, and this has been great to get me running.
Great to hear!
This is a great video! I'm now ready to make my very first project!
Glad it has helped :)
Thank you, this is better than Lightburn"s Tutorial.
Thank you, that's really appreciated.
@@JamesDeanDesigns You are very welcome, question my Lightburn app does not have a "Laser Fire Button". Could I be miss something?
Thanks, Robert
@@JamesDeanDesigns James...I found it....Ha! Ha!
@@robertbeltowski2819 solved it before I could reply 👍
@@JamesDeanDesigns Only because of your GREAT video....thanks again.
Very Useful for beginner
Thank you 👍
Thank you James. Just watched your video and you explained it really well which has helped me....I think. We will see. I have subscribed.
Another great vid. Thank you.
Very Nice - Thank you
Great help...thanks so much!
Thank you so much
Thanks for a great startup video, you explained a lot of the light burn features. I needed to move to light burn to operate my laser due to the fact that laser software that came with the machine would not work with win 10.
Thank you, that's great to hear
Very nicely done, James! Thank you for the great information! And yes, this beats the heck out of my free, "Laser GBRL", which seems very limited, and somewhat confusing to me. But Lightburn looks very versatile, and simpler to use, to me.
So, like you mentioned, I think can do this, with some practice.
Thankx you mr. 🙏👍
Great video. I'm still a newbie, but I'm curious if there's a way to laser mark a curved or otherwise non-flat surface by engaging the Z axis, too?
Thanks for the tutorial, great work! I have just a question: my designs come out as a mirror image. Any idea what I do wrong?
I am wanting to get a Genmitsu 3018. I would like to get both the cnc and the laser. How hard is it to switch back and forth between them? Anyone know?
Hi James awesome videos, I have watched the beginners series for setting up the 3018 pro. I am a little confused with what bit to select in the carbide create software in relation to the bits that came with the machine. I had a few tries and was getting more and more frustrated so decided to switch out and try the laser instead.
I am in the process of watching the first 3 videos for that and will watch them all a couple of time before I make the move and follow them.
This seems an irrelevant question but where can i get a glass laser safe film for my cabinet - been searching all over and not finding anything.
Keep he vids coming, they are a great source of information and to the likes of me a godsend
Many Thanks
hi James. great video as usual! did you mention 'start from' "user origin"? wondered why the green square always stayed at 0,0. thank you.
Great video mate. Really helped me. One thing im stuck on though, my 3018 continues to cut between my pieces. Is there a setting im missing?
You need to turn laser mode on. Head over to the console panel and type in $32=1
James I love your videos they really help me do projects with my Grandchildren ! I do have a question on how you turn the power up on the laser when engraving painted dog tag made out of Aluminum?
You need to do this within lightburn. In the layers panel you can set the power rating for each layer from 0 to 100%
Great instruction, wish I'd bought the laser option now !! All I get is laser treatment 5th Jan. Hope to see your videos after that ;-)
UR THE BEST
Thank you 😁
Hi James. Thanks for sharing this video. It's very informative. I'm a newbie on the Laser Engraving. I have a question on the Mode for Cuts/Layer. I'm using 1.6.03 version of Lightburn. I have all Modes except the Fill+Line option, which I think is very good option to sharpen the edes. What do you suggest to mimic the effect of this option? Thanks again.
James, I'm a newby,I have a sainsmart 3180 pro and Ortur LM 3 also CAD files DWG, DXF, SVG and JPG and I'm intriqued with Lightburn could you advise me on what version of Lightburn to purchase a license. Thanks BTW, so glad you are doing the Carveco series.
Its just the GRBL Gcode version you'll need 👍
James, where did you get the 455 nm blocking film or acrylic on the front of your enclosure for the laser?
How to engrave on acrylic using the 3018 pro using the 2.5X laser modual and lightburn
Hi James what do you do after you install the device the laser doesn't turn on?
Good morning James. Thank you for the video, super explained. According to your video, I started my adventure with Lightburn and my laser engraver (CNC 3018pro). However, I have a problem. After uploading the project in dxf. format and burned out, it turned out that the laser also burned out the lines of transition (traversal moves). Do you know the solution to this problem? Best Regards!, Andrew B.
What laser module would you suggest for a new beginner with CNC machine with rostering experience but no laser engraving experience? There’s so much information and misinformation out there. Thx
Hey james what materials will this laser be able to engrave? Metal steel
I just set up the Fox Alien Masuter Pro with the 20W laser. In setup the laser is not detected... I know its set up because I ran the test fox with you using Laser GRBL from your other video. Even the manual input doesn't list the laser. suggestions?
THX. This is exactly what I needed (your video, that is). I just bought the Laser to my 3018 Pro. You present both your Audio & Video with a scale from 0-10 with a 10+. The extra '+' with the 10, comes from: I'm from Finland (native language Finnish) and yet I understand 90% of your speech :) :) Do you have any 'follow up' to this subject? I hope you have.
Hello, are you kind to help?
I can not set the value of Power Min % (only the Power Max %).
Do you know where I can change the Power Min % Value?
thank you!!!
There is the minimum power in your GRBL settings which is $31=0. If its within lightburn you don't really need to set the minimum as such. What is it that you're trying to do?
@@JamesDeanDesigns yes, that was it. Thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏
This guy is amazing with his tutortials... thank you very much. Im having an issue where my motors keep running slack x and y any reason why? Also is it that light buy also cnc sovo can do oth laser and cnc?
When you say slack, is your machines belt driven? I dont know much about them but usually you have tensioner to take the slack. And yes, this machine takes both spindle and laser
@@JamesDeanDesigns not its not belt driven, i swapped around motors and it seems to be functioning better now, but i was told there isnt a different between the motors so im not sure i will monitor it do you have videos on using the spindle to cut different materials?
Where do you find the $30 setting
Thanks for all the good tutorials! I just started up with Lightburn today and I have the issue that the laser is constantly on even when it is moving between the cutting areas. Do you know what I am doing wrong?
Make sure $31=0, also make sure $32=1. If that does not solve it then let me know
Your explaination for lightburn is awesome because I have started with the 3018 PRO myself but do you know is it possible to use LightBurn for the router
The technical answer is yes because ultimately it also uses gcode. The practical answer is no. Lightburn is really only a 2D program, it has some Z axis control but not to the degree that other dedicated routering software has
@@JamesDeanDesigns i'm only looking at 2d but having trouble finding a software to format a picture to .NGC for the 3018 PRO have tried INKSCAPE but it keeps coming up with a fault when I try the machine.
how do can enough of the line betwen the letter?
** disregard was a speed issue change the value to 600 and works fine *** I have run into an issue I set the lase mode to true in light burn but then the laser doesn't burn I set it to false and it burns but I have the travel lines any idea I double-check $32=1 any idea?
Glad you solved it 👍
Laser cnc maestro
Thanks
This more a question than a comment. I have Lightburn 1.6.03 and in the layer MODE it only has line, fill and offset fill. No line and fill, is this obtained via different dropdown?
They updated it after I did this video. I think that setting moved to within the layer itself if I remember correctly
Please the lifespan of the laser diode, I think a review on that will be nice
Would you still go with the same laser or choose something different nowadays?
Lasers have come on quite a bit over the past 2 years and those companies investing in the technology do have better lasers. So I'd at least buy from a branded company now
Been watching all your excellent videos. Very informative and helpful. Are you still happy with this 3018 pro for small milling or laser jobs, or wanting to go bigger/better ? I'm about to get a Onefinity CNC for larger jobs producing products, however I need something small for numbering, naming, signing the finished product. .. (either laser burn or milling) So, would you recommend the 3018pro for this ... or is it just for messing around on? Thx.P
I do like mine. They are not the fastest machines but I'm glad I bought it
I use lightburn on my CNC 3018. Very regularly I find that at some point the y-axis flips or rotates further than allowed, every time my project has failed. I only have this problem with lightburn, never with laser grbl or candle. Have you already experienced this?
No but the guys are lightburn are usually quite receptive to feedback so might be worth joining their forum and logging a ticket.
James, I am thinking about getting a new workshop and I am undecided whether to get a shed or build something that can easily be used as a summer house should I ever decide to move in the future, what size is your shed and have you regretted not getting something bigger?
The full outside size is 14 x 8ft, however part is sectioned of with a separate door for garden stuff, BBQ stuff etc. So my actual work area inside is 10 x 7ft. I've got most things in there that I need but I've had to be clever about the way I have stored things. What I suspect I will end up doing next year is buying a new small shed for the gardening stuff and taking back that extra space for my work shop. Go as big as you can afford or spare
I'm getting these shiny smudged areas around anything I burn, any idea what that could be? Appreciate the walkthroughs greatly!
Sounds like it might be overburn. Causes can be too much power or not enough acceleration. I've heard baking soda and water can help. One teaspoon to one cup of water. Mix up, spay on and wipe off. Then run the laser job straight away
@@JamesDeanDesigns I will give that a shot along with maybe reducing my power. Only had it at 50% on a 2.5w but I suppose that would be enough at 500 mm/min. Thanks for the advice!
@@Explicnt hopefully it helps. If not send me some photos on Facebook or Instagram and I can take a better look. Also you can try the overscan feature if you haven't done so already
@@JamesDeanDesigns I did finally figure out what it was. Overscan and increasing travel speed did help slightly but it turns out the popular I was using had some resin coating the surface which didn't react well to the laser. Sanding the surface beforehand solved that issue though.
for the s-value... how do i find out my setting? i just got machine yesterday.
There is a console tab, if you open that up there will be a box to enter text into. Type $$ and hit enter, it will give you a list of settings, you are looking for the $30 setting and the value next to it
I have just purchased the lightburn software, thank you so much for you videos could not and would not have attempted this without it. Do you also you lightburn for your spindle.?
No problem, hope it helped. You can but from what I understand its quite complex to try and use it with a spindle.
@@JamesDeanDesigns hi james thanks a lot however, it seem it might have bought the wrong version cause I dont see the save g code option
@@sharondippenaar there is only one version (other than one Windows, Linux, mac) what gcode option is it you're referring to?
Have you done a carving with the spindle then shade it with the laser?
Not yet. Something I would like to do in the future though
Hi James, can this software work on any laser cnc. I have a 3018 pro but I have a separate laser cnc machine. thank you for helping us with the 3018 pro cnc.
Definitely works on GRBL machines and I'm pretty sure it does with some others as well, I just don't know which ones 😕
Hi, thank you, can I ask what size laser you've got. the laser I've got that came with the kit is 0.5w.
@@garethwilliams648 The one I have is meant to be a 15w. However there is a lot of discrepancies. Companies often quote the input power on more powerful lasers rather than the output power. So apparently mine is more likely to be about 5-7w output
I work for over a year with lightburn for my laser. I want to go a step further and start cnc engraving.I can't design in lightburn and send it to my cnc engraver. What do you recoment???? HELP!!!!!
I would recommend VCarve
Can you add the camera to the 3018 cnc machine or is it too difficult?
I'm not sure you can. The camera for light burn relies on the bed being static but on a 3018 the bed moves so I'm not 100% sure if it will work the same
What laser glasses do you use?
I have some laser screens and then just use the standard glases which come with the laser. However I am looking into better glasses at the moment
Has only one up dated the firmware on the 3018 pro my firmware dont have the $32 on it how hard or simple is it to upgrade
A few people have done it, there is a fairly common video on TH-cam for it but I would say you have to be comfortable on computers and doing that sort of thing. The alternative is to buy a new control board which will costs between $20-50 depending on what you get and where from
I am using cnc3018 with lighburn. But I have a problem about axis. distances. Axis are not going right distance. Axis going less than my distance. How I can fix axes problem. Please help.
Your step settings may be wrong. The base settings on a 3018 are usually 800 or 1600 for your $100, $101 and $102 settings. These essentially control how far you machine travels each time you send a command. This video explains how to calibrate them
th-cam.com/video/nGwUf8uNWBU/w-d-xo.html
Thanks again for a fantastic video, I bought the laser to go with the 3018 PROVer. You recommend LightBurn for the laser but what software would you use for carving with this machine, plus generating G code. I tried the one you use instead of Candle and I find it will not work with my machine.
Was going to try Fushion 360 but I'm just looking for simple software to create my designs. I also have a small 3d printer as well and wondered if there was any software that would cover both machines .
Cheers.
Stay Safe and Seasons Greetings to You.
Unfortunately I find all the free software for carving have draw backs which push you towards purchasing their upgraded version. The only software I know that will cover both is Fusion360. Yes, its a little bit more of a learning curve but it will cover everything.
3018 pro speed 6000 ? is correct? thank you
Probably unlikely a 3018 will reach 6000mm/min
@@JamesDeanDesigns thank you very much
I am new to laser engraving and bought a vevor l3 3040 5.5w (laser output)
I have gotten through so much stock trying to get details on photos in lightburn and still haven't got the settings nailed down.
Do you have any ideas or guidance?
Thank you
When you say stock, is it wood you are using? I found wood quite difficult to get good photos on. A lot of the effort is done in the production of the image. I have a video on it but I used to find the Imag-r website useful as it would try and adjust your photo to suit the material you were using
@@JamesDeanDesigns yeah that soft plywood coasters I think is to soft of a wood to get details, I have bought some other plywood and mdf just waiting on delivery.
I have also bought some clear acrylic and some white ceramic tiles to try the Norton method on.
I guess it's a learning curve with the settings.
With them super softwood coasters I found slowing the laser down to 500mm/m and 30% on the laser brought some details out with a light sand of the wood makes what details are there look good.
Oh yeah by stock I mean wood that I have in already
i have no limit switch and when I am turning on my laser it moves laser to front left and does not stop it want to keep moving and wont stop making a terrible noise
If you select the device button towards the bottom right and go into Edit. On one of the screens it will say Auto-Home on startup or something similar. Make sure that is turned off.
Followed this one and the laser runs etc but its not leaving any cuts? Is there a power setting I am missing??
Are your $30 and Smax values the same?
@@JamesDeanDesigns yes both set at 1000
@@thegenxproject5941 saw a comment saying you've solved it but looks like TH-cam has deleted it or am I going crazy 🤔
@@JamesDeanDesigns I deleted it because I hadn’t solved it. But I have since got it dialed in. Works perfectly in Black Walnut. Going to try on maple and cherry.
Can it be used to cut holes on thin soft aluminium?
I'm really not sure to be honest. Possibly not but I couldn't say for sure
Hi, James! I tried Lightburn software on your advice. A really handy laser app. But I ran into such a problem: the Y-axis is inverted on my CNC 3018 when working in Lightburn. At the same time, when working in a Candle or Laser GDBL, the Y-axis moves in the right direction. You have to change the $3 parameter every time you use Lightburn, and change it back when you exit the application. Have you encountered a similar problem?
That seems really odd. When you go into device settings, which dot is selected for the origin?
@@JamesDeanDesigns Тор left dot is selected as origin in device settings. Limit switches are installed on the machine and the top left point set as "home" of machine. Can the settings of the limit switches affect this?
@@SenyaRusty I'm not 100% sure as i don't have limit switches but I believe the origin should be set to bottom left. I think its something to do with sending negative values if the top dots are selected
@@JamesDeanDesigns You were right. Indeed, the origin point affects the inversion of the axes and has nothing to do with the "home" position in the machine settings. I put dot in bottom left and now Y-axis moves correctly. Thanks for your help, James!
@@SenyaRusty excellent. Glad you got it working 👍
Hi, I've been watching your videos, specifically the ones about the 3018PRO. I purchased the 3018 MX3 for the Mach3 software. I started using Lightburn and found that I would have to save the file as GCode. That worked for the most part but it leaves a lot to be desired. I am thinking of purchasing the GRBL control board and asked Lightburn if it will work ok. They responded with this, "The GRBL-M3 output is very minimal, using M3 / M5 to enable / disable the laser, and the S parameter on G1 moves to control the laser power. In many cases, this GCode can be run directly without changes on other controllers." Do you know what they mean by that statement? I am hoping to have Lightburn adjust the laser power and feed speed on the fly. If I save a file as GCode and run it on the Mach3 board, the GCode doesn't include any laser control, ie: power and feed rate. My main concern is what they meant by, "The GRBL-M3 output is very minimal"? Thank you, Bob PS. You are an excellent teacher and your videos are the exception to the rule. Thank you again.
Hi Bob. So generally speaking GRBL is considered to have less functions than mach3 which is essentially what they are saying. However GRBL is open source and more than capable of running the laser and spindle for 99.9% of the people. And can also control the laser power during a job. I always advise people to go for GRBL over Mach3. A new control board does not cost too much but should hopefully make your life easier. You will just need to make sure it is running at least GRBL 1.1f. If its older you will not be able to control the laser power
@@JamesDeanDesigns Hi James, Thank you for the fast response. I believe the GRBL board is version 1.1f. I appreciate your feedback. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos. Thank you, Bob
example i wuold like engrave the name K e v i n, but between the letters is a line of engraving
Can someone help me? I am trying to connect my 5.5W fixed focus laser module to Lightburn but it is not working. "Detect My Laser" worked and it detected it just fine but the console just keeps repeating "Waiting for connection..."
Occasionally I find I have to literally unplug the USB cable and then insert it again for lightburn to detect it
Hi James, me again.. Another great tutorial!
I have started my free trail and im also trying to make a caution sign but when I select 'enable laser fire button', it isn't there in my move tab. Any ideas?
Also my laser is turned on and my $32 is set at 1 and $31 is set at 0
@@jacklee5020 first, have you restarted the software?
Second, I just want to check you have a diode laser?
@@JamesDeanDesigns Yeah I tried restarting the software (I lined it up in laserGRBL and its running my design now).
And yeah it’s a diode laser, thanks.
@@jacklee5020 that is very unusual. Usually once you restart the software it should appear. Also it doesnt show for CO2 lasers I believe. Might be worth posting on their Facebook user group or their actual support forum as nothing is showing up on Google either
Cheers, i’ll leave it for tomorrow now 👍
I have followed the video several times on connecting the Lazer everything works but the traversal lines show when I tex how can I turn them off I have tried so many things I am starting to give up can you help me please David Polley
Go to the console tab, and in the text box type $32=1 and hit enter. This should put it into laser mode
@@JamesDeanDesigns everything is stopped working the Lazer is disconnected now and this is what I got . waiting for conection. port failed to open aleady in use ?
@@davidpolley885 usually means something is already trying to connect to the machine. I typically restart the PC and make sure lightburn is the first thing I open. Usually resolves it. The settings I told you to enter would not have caused the connection issue
Watching your video every time I home the CNC it goes to the bottom left if i try to jog it anywhere no matter what it moves to the top right. I have absolute coordinates set and bottom left for homing. Have no idea what to do. Only does this in light burn. When i click the laser icon to move to a position, it starts going to the top right every single time. Following along your video nothing different.
I'm not an expert on homing but there is the origin setting typically towards the bottom right of the screen, but somewhere in the settings there is also a homing position setting. Might be worth playing with that as that seems to solve most people issues
Thanks I’m working on it. Great tutorials man super job!.
Looks like my machine works with negative coordinates. As the bottom left always shows max travel limits but negative. This document will help you fix it. Simple console command with my working space entered with negative values.
G10 L2 P1 X-264 Y-264
Now it works from the bottom left. This document will help those who run into this.
github.com/LightBurnSoftware/Documentation/blob/master/CommonGrblSetups.md
James. Even though I’ve enabled the fire button in the device settings it doesn’t appear on the move page. Any suggestions? Great video by the way
Once activated it should show, worst case scenario you restart the software and it should appear. Only time it doesnt is when using a CO2 laser. There was someone else who said this wasn't possible further down the comments, I've just asked if he resolved it.
The guy came back and basically said the button did appear the day after. Didnt change any settings or anything so perhaps just a full restart might resolve it.
Good news rebooting solved the problem
The
@@russellmorris5324 thats what I like to hear. Glad you got it sorted
Nice! :-)
Do you know why I'm not seeng $30 on my GRBL settings?
Chances are your GRBL firmware is an older version. I suspect if you type $$ and hit enter you'll likely see 0.9 at the top somewhere where as it needs to be at least 1.1f.
It can be upgraded, but can be a but fidly unless your comfortable on computers. Alternatively it may be easier to buy a new control board
@@JamesDeanDesigns yes. You are right. I'll need to update the firmware version then.
Is an internet connection required?
Its easier to activate it with an Internet connection but it can be done offline. For the general running of the software it doesn't require an Internet connection
@@JamesDeanDesigns I got the twotrees engraver on the way but it will have to go in the shed when in operation and i don't have internet out there, at least i can activate it indoors then use it in the shed. Thanks
@@chris-tg6ki if you struggle, there are ways to get temporary Internet in the shed. For example I bought a cheap WiFi dongle off amazon for about £7 and just used my phone as a hotspot when required.
I have not got $30 setting on my machine