Flood Fill works similarly to the fill algorithm found in graphic software, where the laser “fills” the area by following a path based on the shape and contours of objects. It usually starts from the center of an area and progressively fills it based on the borders.

The color range used is already integrated into Inkscape, so you don’t need to import it. However, if you haven’t already integrated it, you can retrieve the palette here:

Low powerobjective microscopefunction

Overscanning solves this problem by ensuring that the laser head continues to move beyond the design limits before slowing down and changing direction. During this overshoot phase, the laser is already turned off. This allows the head to decelerate outside the engraving area, preventing speed variations from affecting the quality of the engraved edges.

Overscanning is a technique used in laser engraving systems to avoid excessive burns and imperfections on the edges of engraved designs. When a laser engraving head stops or changes direction at the end of a pass, there can be an accumulation of energy at those points, creating overburnt areas or overly defined edges.

To adjust overscanning in your project, you need to set an appropriate value based on the speed and type of engraving you are performing. Here are the steps to use overscanning optimally:

Leica microscope objective lenses are designed and made by our optics specialists to have the highest performance with a minimum of aberrations. The objectives help to deliver superior microscope image quality for many applications, such as life science and materials research, industrial quality control and failure analysis, and medical and surgical imaging.

This means that the laser head will continue to move 15 mm beyond each edge before starting to decelerate. Since the laser is off during this overshoot, the edges will be cleaner and without overheating.

Flammable materials: Air Assist is particularly recommended for materials like wood, leather, paper, and some plastics, where engraving or cutting residues can easily ignite or burn. Detailed engraving: If you’re working on projects requiring high precision (such as fine engraving on sensitive surfaces), Air Assist helps keep the engraving area clean and free of debris that could interfere with the laser beam. Cutting thick materials: During the cutting of thick materials, Air Assist helps clear accumulated debris from the cut, allowing the laser to pass through more effectively and produce a cleaner cut.

All Leica objectives are marked with codes and labels. These identify the objective, its most important optical performance properties, and the main applications it can be used for. For more information, refer to: Labeling of Objectives

Microscopelabeled

Span Fill is designed to minimize laser movement time by optimizing paths over the engraving area. Unlike Printer Fill, which moves the laser across the entire length or width of the object, Span Fill uses shorter segments, engraving only the necessary areas without unnecessary movement.

Overscanning is a technique that disables the laser just before the engraving head slows down at the edges of the image or path. This prevents excessive burning and overly defined edges, ensuring a cleaner and more uniform result.

In Lasermagic, the algo-fill parameter allows you to choose from several fill algorithms by entering specific text (such as printer, spanfill, or floodfill), each with unique characteristics.

To ensure Air Assist works properly, make sure your laser machine is equipped with a compressed air system or dedicated air pump that can provide a stable and sufficient airflow. This airflow must be directed at the laser head to be effective.

When creating your drawings, remember to simplify and make them as clean as possible (fewest independent “paths” possible). A simple tip for this is to use the “Union” option in the “Path” menu to remove all intersecting paths, preventing the laser from passing over the same spot multiple times.

Images are natively supported by the software, without requiring any additional action from the user. The image is automatically converted into a suitable rendering for engraving using rasterization, which allows for an accurate black-and-white representation of the original.

This software allows the conversion of images into black and white (rasterization) for precise reproduction during laser engraving. Each pixel of the image is converted into a point or line engraved based on the desired intensity and contrast.

To make it easier for you to find which Leica objectives work best for your microscope and application, you can take advantage of the Objective Finder

For example, if the speed is set to 100 mm/s and overscanning is set to 0.1, the engraving head will travel 100 mm/s × 0.1 = 10 mm beyond the laser stop before slowing down.

Types ofmicroscopeobjectives

You’ll need to download the latest releases of the tool from here. For beginners we advise to begin with inkscape plugin method

You can configure various power levels and different speeds depending on the material’s requirements and the desired outcome (e.g., deep engraving or light engraving).

If the color you’ve chosen isn’t in the “Laser” color range, you’ll receive an error message on that path when converting to .ngc with Magic Laser.

If the elements don’t touch, they should remain as independent paths in your drawing. If you use the “Union” function to make them into a single path, the slicer may have problems calculating the path to take, making the process longer. Use the “Split path” option in the path menu to extract paths that do not touch.

In Lasermagic, selecting the fill algorithm is managed via the algo-fill parameter. This parameter takes a text input, and you can select one of the three mentioned algorithms (printer, spanfill, floodfill) by simply specifying the algorithm name. Here’s how to use this parameter:

Leica semi-apochromats are objectives for applications in the visual spectral range with higher specifications, offering field flatness up to 25 mm. The absolute values of the focus differences for the red wavelength and the blue wavelength to green wavelength (3 colors) are ≤ 2.5x depth of field of the objective.

The objective lens of a microscope forms a magnified, real, intermediate image of the sample or specimen which is then magnified further by the eyepieces or oculars and observed by the user as a virtual image. When a camera is used to observe the sample, then a phototube lens is installed after the objective in addition to, or even in place of, the eyepieces. The phototube lens forms a real image of the sample onto the camera sensor. The objective’s numerical aperture (NA), its ability to gather light, largely determines the microscope’s resolution or resolving power to distinguish fine details of the sample. Also, the working distance, the distance between the sample and objective, and the depth of field, the depth of the space in the field of view within which the sample can be moved without noticeable loss of image sharpness, both greatly depend on the properties of the objective lens. For more information, refer to: Collecting Light: The Importance of Numerical Aperture in Microscopy, How Sharp Images Are Formed, & Optical Microscopes – Some Basics & Labeling of Objectives

Not all products or services are approved or offered in every market, and approved labelling and instructions may vary between countries. Please contact your local representative for further information.

To connect to your laser machine, select the correct port, set the baud rate (usually 115200), and ensure the Firmware is set to GRBL. Then, connect by clicking the following icon:

After vectorizing your image, the different parts of your image are combined into a single path. However, as mentioned earlier, when our shapes are separate, for the sake of efficient path calculation, it’s better for each shape to be an independent path.

While the software primarily works with the GRBL protocol, it is designed to be modular and adaptable to other laser machine control systems. This allows for great flexibility and future support for other machine models. To help you get started, we have created a tutorial to assist you in preparing your file and sending it to your preferred machine. All testing has been done on the Sculpfun S9 and S30, but other machines can be used as well.

Air Assist is particularly useful for cutting thick or flammable materials, as well as for fine engraving where precision and cleanliness are crucial.

When preview image mode is enabled, the rendered preview can be exported in PNG format for later reference or sharing. The exported files are named according to the type of simulation:

When you enable this option (air-assist = true), the software sends a command to trigger Air Assist during the engraving or cutting operation. This airflow is synchronized with the laser activity, meaning air is projected onto the work area only when the laser is active.

Once the window is open, by selecting the group of your paths, you’ll find in the XML editor the different parameters for laser processing.

The current method used for image rendering is rasterization, and dithering. This technique will offer enhanced rendering, especially on less uniform materials, providing better gradation management and a visually more pleasing result.

The optics of the most basic microscope includes an objective lens and ocular or eyepiece. The objective lens is closest to the sample, specimen, or object being observed with the microscope (see the schematic diagram below). For more information, refer to the article: Optical Microscopes – Some Basics Show schematic diagram

Objectivelensmicroscopefunction

Set the fill algorithm: Adjust the algo-fill parameter based on the type of design you’re engraving and the requirements of your project. For example, for a large and regular area, you can use Printer Fill (algo-fill = printer). For complex designs, opt for Span Fill or Flood Fill. Test and optimize: It’s recommended to experiment with the different algorithms to determine which offers the best results based on the complexity of your design, the material used, and the available engraving time. Each algorithm has advantages in specific situations, and the optimal choice often depends on the project type. Practical example If you’re engraving a simple logo on a wooden plaque, you might choose Printer Fill to ensure uniform engraving across the entire surface. If you’re working on a detailed design with irregular shapes, such as a complex vector image, using Flood Fill or Span Fill will reduce engraving time while maintaining high precision in the engraved areas.

Function of condenserin microscope

When you want to generate your gcode file you can go to Extension -> Export -> Export Laser or save your file and use the cli or the ui as explain above.

The preview image mode allows you to visualize a simulation of the laser path before performing the actual engraving. By enabling this option, you’ll see a preview of the final output on a wood-like representation, helping you confirm that the path aligns with your expectations. This mode is useful for simulating both engraving and cutting results.

For standard applications, Leica Microsystems offers an extensive range of top-class microscope objectives. There are also Leica objectives which have been optimized for special applications. The highest-performance Leica objectives feature maximum correction and optical efficiency and have won several awards. All over the world, scientists are relying on Leica microscope objectives to gain insights into their area of research.

Microscopeparts

The Span fill algorithm should be slightly more efficient for file generation, but it’s advisable to experiment with the different outputs to choose what you prefer.

The Air Assist feature blows air during engraving or cutting, helping to reduce burns and residue buildup on the material. The directed airflow also removes debris and improves the quality of cutting or engraving, which is especially useful for sensitive materials.

Suppose you are engraving a design on wood at a speed of 150 mm/s and notice that the edges are slightly burned, even when the laser is set correctly. To improve engraving quality at the edges, you can adjust the overscanning.

Fill (or hatching) is a method used in laser engraving to cover solid areas of a design or image with engraved lines. Unlike cutting, where the laser follows outlines to cut material, laser engraving involves filling entire areas with an engraved pattern, which requires a strategy for moving the laser efficiently across the surface. The goal of fill is to maximize efficiency (reduce engraving time) while maintaining engraving quality (uniform coverage on solid surfaces).

After generating your G-code file with LaserMagic, you need to transfer this file to your CNC machine. We recommend using Universal Gcode Sender (UGS), a popular open-source software for sending G-code to machines controlled by GRBL.

In Lasermagic, overscanning is controlled by a floating-point value overscanning. This value determines the additional distance the engraving head must travel after the laser has been turned off, before slowing down or changing direction.

Air Assist is a feature used in laser engraving and cutting to improve the quality of work and protect the material. This feature works by projecting a constant high-pressure air stream directly onto the area where the laser is engraving or cutting.

MicroscopeObjectives magnification

In Lasermagic, activating Air Assist is simple. It is a binary parameter (true/false) that can be controlled through the air-assist option.

Leica achromats are powerful objectives for standard applications in the visual spectral range, offering field flatness (OFN) up to 25 mm. The absolute value of the focus differences between red wavelength and blue wavelength (2 colors) is ≤ 2x depth of field of the objective.

The tool allows vectorized elements to be converted into commands for the machine, whether for cutting or engraving. It also supports advanced options to optimize the quality and precision of laser work.

Stagemicroscopefunction

Description: The Printer Fill works in a linear fashion, engraving line by line, similar to how an inkjet printer operates. The laser moves from side to side across the engraving area, following horizontal or vertical lines, and systematically engraves the surface.

Leica apochromats are objectives for applications with highest specifications in the visual range and beyond, offering field flatness up to 25 mm. The absolute values of the focus differences for the red wavelength and the blue wavelength to green wavelength (3 colors) are ≤ 1.0 x depth of field of the objective.

For this documentation, we will be using the open-source software Inkscape. There are other vector drawing software options available, such as Illustrator.

It’s imperative to use colors from this range; otherwise, the path will not be considered when creating the .ngc file, which is used by the laser.

Then, fill in the values according to your needs and materials. You also have the option to choose between different algorithms.

This is an open-source and free software designed to simplify the preparation of files for laser engraving or cutting machines. Primarily oriented towards communication with machines running on the GRBL protocol, it can be easily extended to support other laser controller models. To download the latest version of the software, you can go there

Do you need an individual objective for your application? Then contact our Leica OEM Optic Center so that we can offer you a customized solution.