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So the big day has come – the machine is here and it is GO TIME for unpacking your Thunder Laser. Hopefully you spent the past few weeks doing your own research and going through the resources we sent you, and have you feel comfortable for what comes next. Now we’re going to cover setting up your machine in its space to get ready for your first cuts
This video will offer a quick overview of the process we’ll explain in this article, but you can see just how easy the set-up process is going to be!
For this step, you’re going to need:
All the accessories to run the machine will be found inside the crate as well. If you have a Nova series machine this also included:
Air compressor
Water Chiller
Exhaust Fan
Please Note: Any other accessories you ordered, like a rotary, or extra laser head kits will be arriving in a separate package shipped from our showroom in Calgary.
Time to set the machine in place:
Remove all cable ties
Level your machine
Connect and Fill the Chiller
Setup the Air Compressor
Set Up your Exhaust fan and tubing.
Connect to your computer
You will need to buy 8 Liters of Distilled Water, as well as extra hose clamps to connect your exhaust tube to whatever outlet you have for removing it from your space
(Note that your fan and chiller may look different, same setup still applies)
The Laser head and X Axis gantry will have several cable ties holding it in place. Careful remove these until the laser head can move freely
There should also be two more holding the honeycomb bed in place (the front and the rear). Remove these as well.
Then you can open up the back lid where the laser tube is, and remove the foam keeping the tube secure (It may be helpful to store this foam in case you ever need to move/transport your laser)
Along with all the other accessories that were included in your crate, you can also find your Thunder Laser Toolbox. In here you will find all your power cables and tubes, along with a multitude of maintenance tools that will help clean your machine and allow for quick repairs if something goes wrong. Check out the contents of the toolkit at the link below
Next, you can connect the tubing between the chiller and laser cutter (yours may be colour coded to make this process even easier).
Connect the OUTLET spout to the WATER IN spout on your Nova
Connect the INLET spout to the WATER OUT spout on your Nova
Lastly, we need to connect the alarm cable and power cord to the plugs just above the water spouts on the Nova
The alarm cable is the thinner of the two and will need to have the nut tightened at both ends to secure it.
The power cable can then be plugged into the chiller and machine
If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to fill your water chiller with the 7 – 8 Litres of Distilled Water
NOTE: After your first startup of the machine,, the chiller will fill the tube with water. Be sure to re-check and adjust the water levels accordingly
Connect the attached power cord to the Left side of your machine at the clearly labelled input jack
We recommend you place you air compressor on the foam mat it arrives in to help reduce any loud vibration noises when operating
The last major accessory to attach is the exhaust fan and tubing.
Begin by attaching the vent tubing to the 6” exhaust port on the back of your laser. Secure this with 6” hose clamps until you are sure it is lacked on air tight – you can adjust this later if you detect smoke while cutting
Next, attach the tubing to the intake side of your exhaust fan. There will be a sticker of an arrow to indicate the direction of airflow.
Plug your exhaust fan into the remaining outlet plug on the back left side of the laser, below the compressor plug.
See the article below for more information about our recommended exhaust setup
Venting the Exhaust from your Thunder Laser
The final step in setting up your laser is plugging it into your computer. In the last section, we discusses the different ways you can connect – USB or Ethernet – so now is the time to go back and review those articles if you need any extra help connecting to your computer: Setting up LightBurn on your Thunder Laser Machine
Before You Power Up for the First Time
Now that the machine is set up and ready to run, it is time to power up the machine using the switches on the right side of the machine
Things to note about powering up the machine:
The MAIN switch provides power to lights, controller and motor
The LASER switch provides power to the Chiller Laser Power Supply. Your laser won’t be able to fire without this switch engaged.
The Chiller has its own power switch which you should turn it on and leave it on. Let the Laser power switch mentioned above control the chiller.
The chiller will beep upon power up, that is normal. That is the initial flow alarm while the pump is starting to get the water moving. After about 30 to 45 seconds, you should hear it kick into gear, and now your laser should be ready to cut (if you try and start a cut before this secondary start up, you may encounter an error on your LCD screen)
The BIG red E-stop button. This will immediately cut power to the machine when you press it down, and it will take a solid twist in the direction of the arrows to reset the E-stop after (Even when activated, there is some slight spring action). If you ever encounter a moment where you machine will not turn on, check this switch first – it happens to us all.
If everything goes properly, you should have complete control of your laser using the arrow keys on your controller.
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