What is the best way to position a workpiece on the rotary attachment?

Clamp the desired workpiece into the rotary engraving attachment, and fix it with springs. Make sure the workpiece is not clamped too tightly or too loosely. This allows quick exchange of the workpiece to be engraved, as well.

If the workpiece is not cylindrical but conical, as wine glasses are, some engravers such as the Speedy 300, 360, and 400 allow you to align the engraving area parallel to the working table using the rocker lever. In addition, the cones are height-adjustable on both sides in order to permit work with various workpiece diameters.

If you want to engrave glasses or cups with handles, they must be placed so that the handle is not rotated into the engraving field. First, move the Y-axis (rotary motion) to the very top. Clamp the workpiece so that the handle is slightly above the laser beam. Since the workpiece is rotated backwards for the laser process, there is no risk of collision with the laser head.

For safety, detach the nozzle in order to avoid collision with the rotary engraving attachment. Then focus on the engraving area of the workpiece.

Tip: If you want to engrave conical objects, the engraving area must be set parallel to the X-axis to ensure a constant focus position. In the models Speedy 300, Speedy 360, Speedy 400, and SP 500, the rotary engraving attachment can be tilted to this end. Your machine capabilities may vary.

Now, position the job from the queue on the plate. If working with a job management software such as JobControl, notice that as the job was sent with the “Cylindrical Engraving” option, the background of the plate likewise changes and displays a rotary attachment.

From here, use the crosshairs to position the job to your workpiece and start the job.

-Josh Stephens, Trotec Laser