Visual Preview for Laser Fabrication
A computer numerically controlled machine may include a movable head configured to deliver electromagnetic energy to a part of a working area in which the movable head may be commanded to cause delivery of the electromagnetic energy. The interior space may be defined by a housing and may include an openable barrier that attenuates transmission of light between the interior space and an exterior of the computer numerically controlled machine when the openable barrier is in a closed position. The computer numerically controlled machine may include an interlock that prevents emission of the electromagnetic energy when detecting that the openable barrier is not in the closed position. The commanding may result in the computer numerically controlled machine executing operations of a motion plan for causing movement of the movable head to deliver the electromagnetic energy to effect a change in a material at least partially contained within the interior space.
1 . A computing system comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine configured to deliver electromagnetic energy to a material disposed within an interior portion of the CNC machine;
at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium; and
program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
capture, via at least one camera mounted to an interior surface of the CNC machine, an image of a watermark positioned on a material disposed within an interior portion of the CNC machine;
based on the image of the watermark, determine target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to the material;
determine that current settings to be used by the CNC machine do not match the target settings;
based on determining that the current settings to be used by the CNC machine do not match the target settings, update the current settings to be used by the CNC machine to match the target settings; and
cause the CNC machine to use the updated settings to execute a set of machine instructions to deliver electromagnetic energy to the material and thereby effect one or more changes to the material.
2 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the watermark comprises an indicator that is usable by the computing system to obtain the target settings, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to use the indicator to obtain the target settings from a network connected computing system.
3 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to determine at least one of (i) a power setting, (ii) a laser head speed setting, or (iii) a laser focus setting.
4 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the watermark comprises information indicating a set of characteristics of the material, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that computing system machine is configured to determine the target settings based on the set of characteristics of the material.
5 . The computing system of claim 4 , wherein the set of characteristics comprises a first characteristic of a first region of the material and a second characteristic of a second region of the material, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to:
determine first target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to the first region of the material based on the first characteristic of the first region of the material; and
determine second target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to the second region of the material based on the second characteristic of the second region of the material.
6 . The computing system of claim 4 , wherein the set of characteristics comprises a type of the material.
7 . The computing system of claim 4 , wherein the set of characteristics comprises a thickness of the material.
8 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the watermark is a machine-readable code.
9 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the watermark is positioned on the material via a cover sheet attached to the material.
10 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the watermark is positioned on the material via a printed tag attached to the material.
11 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the watermark is positioned directly on the material.
12 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the watermark comprises information indicating the target settings, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to read the information indicating the target settings from the image of the watermark.
13 . The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the target settings comprise (i) first target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to a first region of the material and (ii) second target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to a second region of the material, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the computing system is configured to determine the first target settings and the second target settings.
14 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computing system to:
capture, via at least one camera mounted to an interior surface of a CNC machine, an image of a watermark positioned on a material disposed within an interior portion of the CNC machine;
based on the image of the watermark, determine target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to the material;
determine that current settings to be used by the CNC machine do not match the target settings;
based on determining that the current settings to be used by the CNC machine do not match the target settings, update the current settings to be used by the CNC machine to match the target settings; and
cause the CNC machine to use the updated settings to execute a set of machine instructions to deliver electromagnetic energy to the material and thereby effect one or more changes to the material.
15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the watermark comprises an indicator that is usable by the computing system to obtain the target settings, and, wherein the program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing system to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing system to use the indicator to obtain the target settings from a network connected computing system.
16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing system to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing system to determine at least one of (i) a power setting, (ii) a laser head speed setting, or (iii) a laser focus setting.
17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the watermark comprises information indicating a set of characteristics of the material, and wherein the program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing system to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing system to determine the target settings based on the set of characteristics of the material.
18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the set of characteristics comprises a first characteristic of a first region of the material and a second characteristic of a second region of the material, and wherein the program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing system to determine the target settings based on the image of the watermark comprise program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computing system to:
determine first target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to the first region of the material based on the first characteristic of the first region of the material; and
determine second target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to the second region of the material based on the second characteristic of the second region of the material.
19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the set of characteristics comprises a type or a thickness of the material.
20 . A method carried out by a computing system, the method comprising:
capturing, via at least one camera mounted to an interior surface of a CNC machine, an image of a watermark positioned on a material disposed within an interior portion of the CNC machine;
based on the image of the watermark, determining target settings to be used by the CNC machine when delivering electromagnetic energy to the material;
determining that current settings to be used by the CNC machine do not match the target settings;
based on determining that the current settings to be used by the CNC machine do not match the target settings, updating the current settings to be used by the CNC machine to match the target settings; and
causing the CNC machine to use the updated settings to execute a set of machine instructions to deliver electromagnetic energy to the material and thereby effect one or more changes to the material.