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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:
Box Cutter
Some helpful friends to help you lift the cutter
The toolbag which will help you turn on and maintain your machine machine will be found inside the crate as well
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.
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The toolbag which will help you turn on and maintain your machine machine will be found inside the crate as well
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
Place on a sturdy stand
Set Up your Exhaust fan and tubing.
You’ll notice an important package cable tied to the honeycomb bed. Remove the keys from this package, and place the rest inside your toolkit – we’ll cover that in a minute.
Newer models may also have the laser head on the x-axis secured by cable ties as well, and even the honeycomb bed to the frame. Make sure your laser is able to move freely
Use the keys you just removed to open the laser tube door on the back of your laser cutter.
The laser tube is secured in place for shipping with foam to support the laser. Remove this and set it aside.
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 differment 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.
Included in the shipping crate, you should also find your Thunder Laser Toolbox. That contains a bunch of different parts including new nozzles, cleaning supplies, allan wrenches, and your connection cables.
We’ve made this helpful video to explain what everything does
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