Xtool Ra2 Pro Rotary

[Agenor Ramadan]

I was helping a new user set up her RA2 today in a Zoom session.
Although we had the rotary settings for chuck set to mirror, it was inconsistent. Sometimes switching layers would get it to be ok. The odd things is that if it came out mirrored, and then I mirrored the object to compensate, it still came out mirrored. Then when I put it back the way it was intended, it worked fine where it had failed one or two tests earlier. The job used current position, with the job origin left middle, chuck is on the left.
The job was text and shapes created in Lightburn. Behavior was the same for both line and fill tests.

I appreciate all these reviews and learned a lot from all of them but when I get my mitts on a piece of gear I want to fill in the gaps that others may not touch on and I will discuss Lightburn settings quite a bit in this blog.

I own several rotary devices. I have an Ortur YRR, two OMTech rotaries, and I even 3D printed and built a low profile rotary device that I used in an K40 laser that I used to have. So, I am no stranger to rotary devices and their use.

My last observation is that with some parts you may want to remove the plexiglass eye shield from the laser head when doing rotary operations. It really makes it difficult to align your part with any marks you may have made, and it is difficult to really see all of your framing operations with that orange shield in the way. Just remember, if you remove that shield to always WEAR YOUR EYE PROTECTION.

In a nutshell, if You are using the roller, your steps per rotation are 32mm, and the roller diameter is 17mm. When using the Chuck, the rotation settings are 128mm. The green boxes are what your constant settings should be. The red boxes are the diameter or circumference of the part you are working on and you need to fill it out EVERY TIME FOR EVERY ITEM.

Now, DO NOT just fire up the laser. TEST YOUR SETTINGS. And you can test it with the Test button on the Rotary Setup page but then I recommend doing it again in Lightburn, because Lightburn is where you are going to push the Start button.

PRO TIP: Now that you have a block set up in Lightburn that is the length of the circumference of your part, you can widen the block to the size of your working area and drop your text or logo in the block and make yourself a template. With this template you can then set up perfectly centered items on a tumbler or cup or mug. AND BURN ON BOTH SIDES OF YOUR CUP WITH ONE PRESS OF THE START BUTTON.

Now, put a sharpie mark on your cup and align the laser to that mark. When you frame the part it should perform one perfect rotation and return to the mark you placed on the cup. This video will explain the process.

The best thing I can tell you to do is to do what I did and take a roll of tape or some other sacrificial material and do a test run. Another thing you can do is to wrap construction paper or tape around your item and set your burn at really low power so you can observe the direction of the output. BE CAREFUL AND TEST FOR CORRECT ORIENTATION BEFORE YOU BURN.

There is a popular grid available on Etsy which I purchased. There are alignment marks made in the grid already for placement of the xTool rotary. This allows you to center your part PERFECTLY. My example below is just when the roller is in the C position or the Chuck and Jaws are being utilized. If the roller is in the B position, you would use the B line.

PRO TIP: Before you connect the rotary make sure to move your Y axis to 200 and then turn off the machine and connect the rotary. Take care not to move the rails forward or backwards after you have set the coordinates to the centerline of Y=200 when using this grid.

And here is the coolest recommendation of all. Facebook xTool D-Series Official Group user Cody Toothman figured out that you can engrave a line on the top dead center of the stationary part of the chuck for aligning your center PERFECTLY. Absolutely brilliant.

Kate, are you talking about the adjustment on the right side of the laser head? That is for cutting. When focusing you aim at the top of the material for best focus. For cutting you want to aim for the middle of what you are cutting. You use that scale for adjusting for the thickness of material you are cutting.

Upgrade your XTool RA2 Pro rotary attachment with the parts as seen in the video above. The video begins at the timestamp where the tilt mechanism is being assembled and installed. Continue watching the video to see engraving examples using this upgrade.

Despite being quite versatile as-is, the RA2 pro is missing a key feature that is incredibly important for engraving objects with non-uniform profiles. It lacks the ability to tilt which would allow you to keep the section of the workpiece profile parallel to the x-axis travel. Therefore, along the section you want to engrave your laser will lose focus and result in a less sharp image.

Of course you can wedge materials under the base and try and find the perfect sized object to fit underneath but this can be frustrating and not very precise or repeatable. This tilt mechanism kit allows you to continuously adjust the position up to 40 degrees both ways. Other tilt kits on the market often just lift the metal base in one direction only. Additionally, other kits lift the end of the base. This kit mounts the main assembly on top of the T-slot profile and allows you adjust the center of mass above the base so that there is no risk of the assembly tipping over.

The other benefit to the tilt mechanism kit is that it raises the workpiece higher above the metal base. Work pieces with large handles will now clear the base. You can also slide the whole assembly farther away from the base for extremely large handles to completely clear the base while not tipping the assembly over.

I am trrying to set up my RA2 rotary attachment on my S1.I am using CXS. It appears that I has all my setting right but the problem is that I can not get the tumbler to rotate at all, the RA2 does not move. I have tried framing, and all the laser head does it go top to bottom and says framing complete and when i try and run the design all I get is a straight line.

You can engrave glass, tumblers, and other cylindrical objects when using the rotary attachment. The removable bottom plate also supports engraving an unlimited height of materials. It is a perfect gift-making machine for birthdays/holidays/weddings/families/pets/decorations or small business items.

I started with something small for my first rotary project and used an antique wooden clothespin. Since the clothespin was small, I adjusted the rollers by using the small screwdriver and unscrewing one roller, and bringing it as close as possible to the other roller.

I removed the bottom of the machine, as the instructions list to do when using the rotary attachment. I also added the height blocks under the machine. These steps make it possible to attach the power cord for the rotary attachment. I placed the rotary and the item directly under the laser light then I started designing in Creative Space.

I set the image as Laser Cylindrical and it totally changes the view of the item and has a yellow line with half the screen. The image should not cross over that yellow line and it took a little back and forth to get the placement just right. This is why the tape was helpful to use as a guide to knowing where the image boundaries were.

I put the bottom of the machine back in and made a quick dog tag. I designed an image to use and uploaded it to Creative Space. I used the cut settings that are already entered for you and the engraving turned out amazing. I wiped any residue off the dog tag and it looked perfect.

When the machine finished the engraved coaster was perfect. After every project, I made sure to wipe down the surface with a damp cloth and wipe down the bottom of the machine as well. I think these would make great wedding favor or gifts that you can easily personalize.

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But I finally got up the nerve to give it a shot recently and I am so glad I did! This tool has a bit of a learning curve (pun intended!), but the results you can get with it are absolutely amazing. It really does give you so many more options when it comes to laser crafting and the detail it can engrave is pretty spectacular.

You will need the riser base for your laser so there is enough room for your project. I talked about setting up the riser base in my post xTool S1 Accessories. Other types of xTool machines will have different ways to set up their particular riser bases.

The rotary tool comes with 3 different cords. Be sure to select the cord for your particular machine. For my S1, I am using the cord that has one end that looks like a mini USB and a white connector on the other end.

Now we need to measure the height of our tumbler so that the laser will be properly focused. Place your laser head over the center of the tumbler. You want it to be anywhere along the highest point of the tumbler.

Then I really like this new EasySet panel for selecting your settings. I played around with a few different settings and for my laser and my tumblers, I found that 75% power, 300mm/s speed, and 240 lines per cm worked really well. You may need to play around with your settings if you find that your engraving is too deep or too shallow.

Watch the crosshairs on your laser as they frame around where your image will go. The rollers will spin your tumbler. If at any point during this process it looks like your image will NOT be on the tumbler, start over.

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