Wes' Laser Engraving Journey

I like my ACMER products, even when they require unexpected maintenance. The design is simple enough to figure out, and for the most part well engineered. My Z-Axis Module did not fit in this "most part" category. Still, for the price nothing beats ACMER. What is great about the Z-Axis Module: I have to start out with, I do love my Z-Axis Module. It is super easy to use. I can quickly adjust focus, saving me time in setup, resolving any focusing concerns I would have had when adjusting manually. I can still do the original manual adjustments if needed. I also find the Z-Axis Module gives me greater access to the two lock screws, which have always been a problem for me to get my fingers on. That alone makes it nice, but there is more. The Z-Axis Module can be used on the P1S Pro, P1, P2, and P3 machines. I have the P3. When cutting material (right now I cut only wood), I focus the laser half the depth of the material thickness. Without the Z-Axis Module you would have to do th...

  (And no, available information on the subject did not help me.) Yep, them pesky little buggers that make your "select all" size larger than the image itself. You do not see anything there, but when you try to engrave or cut, you get the equivalent to the Microsoft blue screen of death, that  " Cut might be out of bounds - continue anyway? " . Yet, you do not see anything outside the image which is in the work area on your screen. Case in point, I was working on a four layer 1/8" Baltic Birch plywood project, and the top layer I needed to paint two different colors. This would be a repeat project for me, so I needed to paint quick and not spend time with a brush. Spray can it is. You cannot control paint out of a spray can very well. Some options are, hold up a piece of cardboard to block what you do not want painted, mask it off, or create a reusable mask. I chose the reusable mask approach. This was my mask shape. I made this large for a reason. Do you see a...