What is Galvo Laser? How it Achieves High Precision and Speed?

Today, we're diving into the wonders of the galvanometer laser and how it's advantages in laser engraving. If you've been seeking high-speed precision and versatility, this guide is tailor-made for you!

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What is Galvo Laser and How it Work?

A galvo laser employs two precision mirror galvanometers to direct the laser beam at any angle within the marking window. The two mirrors scan along the X and Y axes, detecting and deflecting the laser beams to the intended marking surface. The result is permanent and intricate mark on the material's surface.

Speed and Precision: The Galvo Advantage

Galvo lasers boast remarkable speed and accuracy, making them ideal for various applications like laser marking, engraving, and stage lighting control. Their standout features include:

High-Precision Engraving: Galvo lasers create incredibly intricate patterns and fonts, setting them apart in precision tasks.

When engraving on wood, an intricate vector image that takes nearly an hour on an other laser machine can be done in just a minute with the help of a galvo laser engraver.

Mass Production: The impressive speed and stability allow galvo lasers to handle massive tasks with ease and efficiency, and the improved accuracy and precision of the galvo marking system reduce the chance for parts rejection due to poor quality markings being applied.

Non-Metallic Material Processing: Glass, plastic, ceramics, and more—galvo lasers is good at engraving on materials hard to engrave with other types of lasers.

Galvo vs. Conventional XY Axis Laser (Diode laser & CO2 laser)

 Technology and Laser Source:

• Conventional: diode laser or CO2 laser moving along the X and Y axes like an inkjet printer. A typical diode laser can only engrave the surface that is in contact with the single compressed and focused laser dot.
• Galvo: Employs mirror-based scanning, providing a larger marking area and faster execution.

Wavelength:

• Conventional: Diode lasers cover various wavelengths, some common examples include 808 nm, 980 nm, and nm; CO2 lasers emit 10.6 micrometers (mid-infrared).
• Galvo: Depends on the laser source, but commonly uses nm (infrared laser) and 532 nm wavelengths.

Power and Cutting Capability:

• Conventional: Diode lasers have diverse power levels; CO2 lasers offer higher power for industrial cutting.
• Galvo: Typically lower to medium power levels, suitable for marking, engraving, and texturing.

Cost

• Conventional: the entry-level costs for a diode or CO2 laser can be just a few hundred dollars.
• Galvo laser machine: More expensive due to the inclusion of a precision mirroring system. Additionally, the larger the marking area, the more expensive the machine due to the complexity of the mirror adjusting system needed to cover a larger surface area.

Types of Laser Machine Can be Applied to Galvo

• Fiber Laser
• CO2 Laser
• Blue Diode Laser
• Diode-Pumped Solid-State Laser ( such as nm Infrared Laser)

They are capable of processing different materials due to their characteristics. Fiber galvo lasers are efficient at marking metals, as are nm IR lasers. IR lasers are also excellent in engraving plastics. Diode lasers are typically used in engraving wood, leather, stone, and more materials.

The xTool F1 Galvo System

The xTool F1 Galvo System combines a 10-watt, 455 nm diode laser and a 2-watt nm IR laser. It's a true powerhouse, offering incredible speed and precision while covering various materials.

Speed: xTool F1 can reach up to millimeters per second, showcasing the blazing fast capabilities unique to galvo lasers.

Accuracy: Achieving an engraving accuracy of 0.003 mm, the xTool F1 surpasses other precision diode laser engravers by 108%. It's a game-changer for high-quality results.

Automatic Focus Adjustment: Simply input your material thickness to XCS software and the xTool F1 performs a seamless adjustment. Having to manually focus other types of lasers takes valuable operation time and can sometimes be a frustrating and inaccurate process.

The galvo lens is underneath the machine, granting ease of use and flexibility for engraving larger items. The working area is 100*100mm (about 4 inches square), slightly limited by the galvo system, but still provides ample space for working.

In a nutshell, galvo lasers are the ultimate solution for makers seeking precision, speed, and versatility.

Click here to see all the amazing projects created by F1!

For more information, please visit laser galvo scanner.

Until next time, happy engraving, and stay tuned for more laser-making insights!

Galvo lasers use galvanometer mirrors to direct the laser beam instead of moving the laser head within X-Y axis.

Since the galvanometer mirrors are computer-controlled, the laser engraving process becomes faster and more accurate than the traditional lasers.

Notably, the galvanometer mirror movements reduce the need to travel the entire laser head within the gantry. These are the primary reasons why the galvo lasers are impressively faster than the traditional lasers.

How galvo laser system operate?

In galvo lasers, the computer control system operates the movement of the laser beams by controlling galvanometer scanners, mirrors, and servo motors.

Here’s how the entire galvo laser system works:

First, the laser generates a beam and directs it to the galvanometer scanners.
After the laser beam hits the first X-axis mirror, the system adjusts the beam’s spot size horizontally and sends it to the Y-axis mirror for its vertical accuracy. (this process is called deflection).

The servo motor fine-tunes the mirror positioning to get the desired precision as per the software dictation.

After both the X & Y axis mirrors are done with their positioning accuracy, the laser beam then goes to the F-theta lens that delivers the laser focus to the material.

In a nutshell, the galvo laser system works with mirrors, which are controlled by the servo motors and the F-theta lens makes the final laser output onto the material’s surface.

A perfect example of galvo laser could be the ComMarker’s B4 fiber laser that engraves metal at a speed of around mm/s.

Galvo laser machine vs Traditional X-Y Axis laser

In short, galvo lasers are expensive, faster, and more efficient than the traditional X-Y lasers. Galvo lasers are also expensive and open to advanced software integration.

Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of both laser types:

We tested between both lasers here’s the performance summary:

Galvo lasers such as the xTool F1 Ultra operate at a speed of 10,000 mm/s which is 600% higher than the traditional lasers. So, a wood engraving that requires an hour with X-Y lasers can be done within a couple of minutes.

With the X-Y lasers, it is almost impossible to perform 3d engraving or marking on curved surfaces. However, galvo lasers use an F-theta lens to adjust the focal accuracy as per the precision and the Z-axis distance.

More importantly, galvo lasers have almost zero chance of material wastage. This is a significant factor if you are considering engraving someone’s exceptional and expensive items like jewelry or a handmade leather pouch.

Application of galvanometer technology

A galvanometer is not any particular laser but a mechanism to control the laser beam.

A galvo laser can be a diode laser, CO2 laser, or even a fiber laser.

If you are a laser enthusiast, you may see that the Glowforge or the OMTEch laser machine has a laser tube on the top of the gantry that travels around the X, Y coordinates.

However, the P2 laser machine from the Makeblock (xTool) changed the mechanism by placing the laser tube on the back of the machine and directing the laser beam with the help of mirrors.

Well, that is not the modern galvo laser like the F1 ultra but was an example of integrating the galvo technology into the traditional laser machine.

Galvanometer technology do not affect the power or the precision of laser. The technology simply uses computer-controlled mirrors to direct laser beam in a faster way.

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