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Your first mark

This walks through a simple 2D mark end to end. It assumes you've installed FocuZ + the driver and completed first-run setup (device configured, a lens with correction).

Laser safety

Wear rated laser glasses, keep interlocks in place, and Trace before you Run. You are responsible for safe operation.

1. Connect

Open Device ▸ Connection and click Connect. The status indicator should turn green and show your controller's version and serial number.

2. Add a marking action

FocuZ jobs are an ordered sequence of actions. For a first mark you need one marking action:

  1. In the Sequencer, add an action and choose 2D Import.
  2. Click to import a vector file (SVG or DXF). Start with something simple — a small logo or some text exported as vectors.
  3. The art appears on the canvas. Drag to position it, and use the Position / Size / Rotation controls to place it where the part sits in the work area.

TODO screenshot: a 2D Import action with simple art placed on the canvas

Just want to test the beam?

Use the Calibration ▸ Offset action's quick Square / Circle buttons to drop a simple test shape without importing a file.

3. Set marking parameters

Select the action's layer and set its core parameters. Good starting points vary by material and laser — begin conservative and adjust:

Parameter What it does
Speed (mm/s) How fast the galvo moves while marking.
Power (%) Laser power.
Frequency (kHz) Pulse frequency (clamped to your device's min/max).
Q-Pulse Pulse width / energy-per-pulse control.
Passes How many times to repeat the mark.

For a filled (engraved) shape, also pick a fill type (e.g. bidirectional) and a fill spacing. To mark just the outline, leave the fill off. See The Sequencer for all parameters and fill types.

4. Focus the laser

Set the working distance so the beam is in focus on the part — jog Z to the lens's focal height (see Jog, Homing & Terminal and the per-lens Z focal height in Lenses, Corrections & Calibration).

5. Trace it (laser off)

Before firing, click Trace to run the red-light preview — the galvo outlines where the mark will land with the laser off. Confirm the position and size on the part, then stop the trace.

See Marking & Tracing for the trace modes (Full, Single Layer, Hull, Perimeter, Area).

6. Run

  1. Press Run.
  2. If a homing/lens prompt appears (when the Z axis is enabled but not homed), choose to home + run, or run anyway — see Marking & Tracing.
  3. The progress bar shows the current group / layer / pass and an estimated time remaining.
  4. Run becomes Pause while marking — you can pause/resume or cancel.

That's a complete job: connect → add action → set parameters → focus → trace → run.

Next steps