Find the perfect Fit Tolerance for your Laser Cut Joinery?

Find the perfect Fit Tolerance for your Laser Cut Joinery? | What is Kerf and how to measure it?

Рет қаралды 18,477

Күн бұрын

In this video, I will show Explain what is Kerf, How to measure it and How to Find the Perfect Fit for your Joinery
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Timestamp
00:00 Start
00:31 What is Kerf
02:21 Why do we care about Kerf
02:53 How to measure Kerf
03:58Kerf Test
09:56 Fit Tolerance Test
See Also:
LaserGRBL In-Depth Tutorial
Part 1 [Interface and Control Plus Engraving]: • LaserGRBL In Depth Tut...
Part 2 [Open, Append & Save gcode files + Hint]: • LaserGRBL In Depth Tut...
Part 3 [Work with Image Files]: • LaserGRBL In-Depth Tut...
Machine Anatomy - Parts and Working Principle
• Parts and Working Prin...
How to cut large sheets
• Cut Large Sheets of Pl...
How to test your machine and materials in one Go
• Test your Laser Machin...
Safely home your axis
• Safely home your laser...
How to cut Leather
• Can you Cut Leather wi...
What is G-code
• What is G code
Laser Problem
• Laser Flashing Problem...
Can you engrave Metals?
• Can you Engrave Metals...
Upgrade the Neje Master with the 40W Dual Laser Module
• Neje Master Upgrade -...
Automate Layering in LightBurn using Inkscape or Autocad
• Automate layering in L...
How to engrave custom fonts with the Neje Desktop App
• How to Engrave Custom ...
See Also the in-depth tutorial of Neje Desktop App
• Neje Desktop Applicati...
See Lightburn vs Neje desktop App
• Lightburn - Editing an...
See also Useful upgrades for your Laser Cutting and Engraving Machine:
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See where you can find Project ideas ready to download:
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See how to find the right cutting height and Quickly Focus
• Find the right cutting...
Set up J Tech photonics extension for Inkscape:
• NEJE Laser Machines an...
See how you can engrave custom projects with Inkscape:
• Laser Engraving custom...
See how to engrave custom projects with AutoCAD or LibreCad:
• Laser Engraving and Cu...
See how to create projects that combine engraving and cutting:
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See how to control your NEJE machine through your smartphone:
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See how to install your NEJE Machine:
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Up Next (Not In order):
- LaserGRBL In-Depth Tutorial - Part 5
- Laser machine size upgrade
- Repairing the damaged laser module
...
Thanks for watching

Пікірлер: 30

@sigh_of_the_times 9 ай бұрын

Im new to this so its a little over my head for now but when I get my lazer next month hopefully in time I will have a better understanding of it. But thank you for the time you spend helping others to understand the life of using a Lazer. Stay safe and take care.

@alanegan641 Жыл бұрын

Great video. Thanks for the clear guidance

@user-wz3jx7xg8z 8 ай бұрын

Thank you! Very helpfull.

@abumoslemtamer7331 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@glompos21 7 ай бұрын

Great work. Where we can found the Kerf tolerance test with the joins?

@voidfish4387 4 ай бұрын

Can you show the part where you make the changes into the program itself because as such I cannot replicate this video. The kerf testfile site doesnt open and I dont know how to implement the mm changes into the test parts if they worked.

@stephaniebobroski3962 Ай бұрын

Hi, great video! I am trying to download the kerf files you posted but your website is not opening. I keep getting an error. Is there another link I can use or another website or another alternative to getting the files to test out? TY

@proudcanadianeh4663 5 ай бұрын

Can I find or download a kerf test file like this anywhere please?

@SamBatti88 Жыл бұрын

Hi, in your calculation, delta X and delta Y is the same value. Which value we use to calculate Kerf if delta X is diffrent from delta Y ? Thanks

@abumoslemtamer7331 2 жыл бұрын

I'm doing a similar trick to get a perfectly round (equidistant) circle. Since the laser beam is not in the shape of a perfect circle, it is more elongated in one axis than in the other. So I do the following: 1- Decrease the dimensions of the horizontal or vertical axis of the circle by a little (usually half a millimeter), so that the shape is semi-circle (oval). 2- Then I rotate the shape at an angle of 45 degrees, so that the direction of the slightly longer diameter of the circle is in the same direction in which the laser increases the cut .. (in order to compensate for the decrease in the end). The result: Perfect Round Shapes (or Nearly Perfect)! I hope that there is a feature in the program that allows this to be done automatically! Thank you, and sorry for my poor English because I use Google Translate!

@MIMUPREFERIDA 2 жыл бұрын

Great stuff!! How to you apply your tolerances found, in lightburn? Is that an automatic process that could be parametrized, o needs to be done by hand modifying manually the dimension of each cut? Thank you and good job!

@MiddleRoomWorkshop 2 жыл бұрын

Hello MIMUPREFERIDA, thank you for your comment. LightBurn has a Kerf option within the layer setting (specific later by layer) if you set the layer to line engraving. The option, when enabled, applies the Kerf to the entire geometry. Therefore it works fine only if you have a single Kerf value, i.e. vertical and horizontal Kerfs are equal. However, you will need to take extra care in designing your projects within LightBurn. I use Autocad, Fusion, and Inventor to design stuff that should be assembled. I create my projects parametrically to take two Kerf values for vertical and horizontal Kerf.

@SamBatti88 Жыл бұрын

Hi, so if I understood, I need to take care about vertical and horizontal kerf at the design step ? I’m using Fusion. I’ll need to adjust dimensions to fit calculated kerf values.

@aggiefan88 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your informative video! I do have a question though, since I'm ordering my pieces from another business doing the cutting. When not having to account for kerf, is a difference of 0.254mm still too tight of a tolerance difference? or 0.395mm? (I'm converting from Imperial units). I'm trying to find the "snug" zone where the finger joints will be stable, but I'm not having to fight the inserts with a hammer to get them in.

@MiddleRoomWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Hi, Austin N; thank you for your comment. I cannot give you a precise answer to that. Have you tried asking the cutting business? They could give you a hint or directly apply the kerf compensation their selves. Usually, kerf will depend on the laser technology used and the focal length of the optics; diodes tend to be thinner than CO2 lasers, but this is not a rule. Also, the thickness and nature of the material play a significant role as the cut edge tapers. As a rule of thumb, in my experience, a 0.2mm (.008") kerf for materials 3 to 5mm (1/8" - 1/4") thick is ideal, meaning that if you want to achieve a snug fit, you should go greater than 0.2mm (.008") however for plastics like acrylic the value is a bit lower. As mentioned at the beginning, I suggest you to aks the cutting Business either to give you a more accurate value than mine based on their machine and the material type and thickness you are going to cut or ask them to test the material for you so you can account for kerf in your design before sending them the final cut design. I hope it helps, Ciao

@aggiefan88 Жыл бұрын

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop Much help, thank you!

@ewe23 2 жыл бұрын

awesome video! i'm brand new to lasers as I just got an xTool D1. do you have these files available for download? please.

@MiddleRoomWorkshop 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Eric Edwards, thank you for your comment. First of all congratulation for getting into the new hobby, and good choice for the machine. I have planned to write a post with it but I haven't yet anyhow below is the link to the kerf testing post, and following the link to the fit-test file. whathowwhysolution.com/kerf-testing-template-for-laser-engraving-machines/ whathowwhysolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Kerf-Fit-Test.zip Let me know if you are able to download the file. Ciao

@Etnassoft Жыл бұрын

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop Great work! I have downloaded the zip with the Kerf Fit Test, but LightBurn can not open it. It seems correct, but maybe it is incompatible with the current version (1.2.01). Could you update it or take a look at it? Thanks and best regards!

@anthonywalsh6605 Жыл бұрын

I am not a laser expert, but I am an aerospace engineer. If your laser beam is producing a different kerf for the x and y movement then I would be looking at the focus of the light rather than try to compensate. Just a thought.

@MiddleRoomWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Hi Anthony Walsh; thank you for your comment. Your observation and suggestion are perfectly correct and the path I would go for, but it goes beyond the control of the user, i.e., our control. The beam produced by the high-power LED (compared to a CO2 laser) has a rectangular cross-section, and optics are used to reduce the rectangle's aspect ratio as much as possible. No matter how hard manufacturers try, there will always be a slightly longer side without spending a fortune is overengineered lenses. The rectangular shape of the beam causes the kerf to be different along the two axes, and since we cannot really do much about it, if we are looking to obtain a good fit for our assemblies, we need to compensate and give different tolerances to the two axes. BTW I love Aerospace Engineering; the curriculum is not easy but lovely. I am half a Structural Engineer, half a Naval Architect (where we share lots of subjects and math), and a Robotics Engineer in a while. Ciao

@miepic3291 8 ай бұрын

I am new to laser cutting, what wood is being used here for your examples?

@safwancappan00 8 ай бұрын

mdf , Chesterboard , cardboard.

@MiddleRoomWorkshop 7 ай бұрын

Hi, thank you for your comment. The material is a variation of plywood the look like bamboo on the surface. I got it from a local supplier which claimed it was a Thay Plywood. I hope it helps Ciao

@PastaDNA Жыл бұрын

I'm having trouble with kerfs and I'd like to use your template for kerf testing. Is it available please?

@MiddleRoomWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Hi, Michael P; thank you for your comment. You will find one of the files on my site, but the Kerf fit test is still not posted. Therefore, I am pasting the download links here for your convenience: whathowwhysolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Kerf-Fit-Test.zip whathowwhysolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Kerf-Test.zip I hope it helps Ciao

@PastaDNA Жыл бұрын

@@MiddleRoomWorkshop Very kind and thank you, Happy Holidays...

@ld-madeingarage9900 Жыл бұрын

Hello, I tried to download the test file, but the link does not work. Could you check? Thank you very much

@MSRWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Couldn’t you cut a line and use a feeler gauge in the gap ?

@MiddleRoomWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Hi, MSR Workshop, thank you for your comment. Yes, you can use a feeler gauge, but you cannot really measure with it. You will need a set that goes as low as 0.04mm; mine, for example, goes down to 0.06 mm, which does not fit onto a laser kerf of 0.04mm. Also, measuring partial thicknesses might not be feasible all the time. Last but not least, not everyone has a set of feeler gauges; therefore, I believe that a standard Vernier calliper with a sensitivity of 0.01mm for the digital (0.02mm for the old one) is more suitable for the job. Of course, if you have a feeler gauge and not a calliper, then just try I combination of gauges until you find the approximate kerf thickness. Ciao