Gravograph Laser cutter

Upon opening gravostyle you will be asked to define your work area. This is pre-set to the laser cutters table size, this should be fine for most operations. Change the safety margins to something reasonable( 0-2mm) by hooking of the "identical margins" box and changing the margins size.

Next, press the mouse pointer icon. Then use Ctrl + i to import file. Alternatively you can drag and drop file into the program. (For some reason the current version of Gravostyle (v8, 02.10.2019) opens the program in text editing mode, you will not be able to use the import command (CTRL + i) without entering the selection tool instead)

Import settings:
Once a file is imported, all of the data from that file is added to a group. Un-group the different objects by selecting the group (ctrl + A for all) and press the purple dots (next to purple dots with red line around).

Depending on the program you used to design your vector file, you might need to change import parameters for the file to be imported correctly. Play around with node merging settings, merging of layers etc. until you are satisfied with how the program imports the file. You will know that vectors are connected if their internal area is completely black.

You might want to make small edits to you vector before cutting. (bigger edits are not recommended in the program unless you are confident with it)

To Rotate, Scale, and  Position the objects accurately press F2 after selecting the object. You might have to press twice.

You can also drag with the selection tool if accuracy is not your thing..

Mirror objects by pressing F2 and scaling them -100% in one direction.

Add text by using the text tool (Big "T"). The text tool is locked to the center of the build area as default. Press the "hand on a T" icon in the top left corner once in the text tool to enable free movement of text.

To connect unconnected paths and nodes. Select the node editing tool (mouse pointer on small red dot on blue line). Click the paths you want to join and press the auto connect option (looks like a bow/scissors). This often works, but best practice is to import the files correctly.

Make multiple copies of object by using the linear pattern tool to fit objects efficiently on work area. Chose a small of-set(look at arrows to decide negative/positive numbers for directions), and number of copies.

Place and align objects according to each other by using alignment tools. All tools are found under the "axis icon" with arrows pointing in four directions. The object you FIRST select will stay stationary, and other object move according to it.

You can generate simple shapes by using the shapes menu. To select scale press F2 once you have selected you shape instead of pressing and dragging the shape in the work area. Boolean operations are accessable under "Laser_User".

If you wish to engrave an area/object/picture you should group all the vectors that make up the area. Gravostyle will automatically deduce what to engrave, and what not to engrave (aka. "holes" in the vector object) if they are grouped by subtracting the vectors from each other. Otherwise holes, such as the internal holes of letters such as A. Å, O, P, R, D will be engraved away.

The color of the vectors define with which settings and in which order they are cut.
The order is important, as pieces will fall down once their outer perimeter is cut. Any internal geometries, restereing and holes needs to be cut BEFORE cutting the outer perimeter.

Open the color selection tool-box (if not already open):

The top color will be cut first, while the bottom color last. Note that White color will NOT be cut. Also note that red and orange are visibly indistinguishable, so try to only use one of them for your file.

To apply a color to you vector. Select the vector, then press the colored "ball"

You should also select the type of cut/engraving you will be doing to the vectors belonging to each color in your file. Cross the boxes for each color (usually you want to only select one "mode", so remove existing checked boxes if you change the settings).

There are three attributes that we usually use, See figure: The one marked blue will engrave the enclosed areas. The green will engrave the lines with specified thickens. While the red will cut or engrave along the line.

In the material settings later, the bottom four are usually used for cutting, while the top four are usually used for engraving operations, meaning that the orange color should be used for cutting the outer perimiter of objects, blue for internal holes etc.

Note: Engraving needs to come before "vector mode" cuts, otherwise the engraving will be ignored by the machine.

In brief: There are two settings you need to check for every time you press run.
The drop down menu, marked with red, is where you select the material you are cutting. You need to select material every time, even if it is already correct. as the settings need to be loaded in.

The settings marked with green defines the position of the piece that you want to cut. Be aware of which setting is being used, and where the deffining point is placed. The setting is usually floating top left corner, cut some might change this.

If your work area is in the top left corner use 0, 0. Or give yourself some margin if you have not done this previously.

If the size of your vector file added with the position coordinates is larger than the bed of the machine (1220x610mm) you will crash the machine! Don't.

If you have not reduced the size of your work area from default and use a position other than 0,0, you will get a warning that a crash might occur. Be certain that you are well within the work area before ignoring this warning.

The material settings will usually work (for orange setting, change other cutting colors to match), but they are continiously changed and updated depending on the health of the laser. If the settings does not cut all the way through, clean the lenses and mirrors properly, reduce the speed,  increase number of cuts or increase laser strength.

For engraving, you should chose settings based on your desired depth of engraving. Test pieces hang on the computer table.

Note that the DPI as well as speed and strength will all effect the strength of the engraving.

Low DPI is better for high contrast engraving of grayscale images, and is faster than high DPI.

Once you have double checked your settings, press run. (preview can be used to see if you file is interperetaed correctly in the G-code conversion)

The G-code will begin to be uploaded to the machine, you will see this by "recieving bytes" and an increasing number. For advanced vectors this might take a while.