RDworks and Basic Rabbit Laser Operation Tutorial

File Setup
Layer color is how
the Rabbit Software
designates different
operations so, regardless
of design software, you
will want to organize
geometry into layers that
match the processes you
want to perform:

- Cut
- Etch
- Fill
- Material Boundary
(this layer is always used to tell
the machine the boundary of
the material.)

Note - Each layer needs

to be a different color for
the Rabbit to process it
separately.

RDworks only accepts

.DXF files for vector
based operations.

(The Rabbit is capable of

engraving from a Raster
image and the best format
for this is .JPG. See follow
up tutorial for raster
engraving.)

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First open the Rabbit
Laser Software,
RDworks by clicking its
icon in the taskbar:

To the left is the default

screen. The highlighted
areas are the only tools
that will be used under
regular operation.

Geometry in this space

can be selected, moved
and reorganized for
optimal layout as needed.

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Import a File
Use File-Import or click the
highlighted button.

Import RDWtutorial.dxf
from the RDworks_Tutorial
folder on the desktop.

The data will show

up selected red. Click
anywhere on the
background field to
deselect.

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Layer Setup
Layers organize both
the Settings and the
Cut-Order of operations
in RDworks. Geometry
is processed by the
machine from the top
layer to the bottom.

The layers you set up in

your design software
will show up on the right,
designated by color only.

For this exercise,

ignore the settings
that appear and simply
drag the layers into the
following sequence:

Purple
Blue
Red
Green

NOTE - To change an
object’s layer or make
a new layer, either
highlight specific
geometry or right-click
the layer color to select-
all. Then choose a new
color from the bottom of
the screen.

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Setting up a Process
Double-click on the purple layer on the right side of the
screen.

Then click Layer Parameter. This is where we adjust the

mode, speed and power of the Laser machine. The next page
shows all the settings you may need to adjust.

Tip - Order your layers so that the cut-out operations

happen last because otherwise a cut out part could shift and
cause subsequent fill and etch operations to be inaccurate.

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Setting Up a Fill (SCAN) Operation
The Parameter Library is where the STL staff will save
settings for different materials. For a Fill operation (the
laser scans and creates a consistent engraved field), Click
the Parameter Library button and select RPC Chipboard_
Fill from the list and click load.

Note - Settings in the Layer Parameter often need to be

adjusted after testing for optimal results.

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 Parameter Library - Preset settings database

Layer - Selects the Layer being set up

Is Output - Determines if layer geometry will be processed
Speed - Determines the speed of the Lens assembly
If Blowing - Turns on or off the machine nozzle air supply
Processing Mode - Determines process to be run (SCAN)

Max Power - % of Power when at full speed

Min Power - % of Power when speed slows to round corners

(Set the same as max for scanning.)

Scan Mode - Tells the laser to fire in one direction or two

Interval - Determines the scan resolution
(the space between scan lines.)

FILL (SCAN) REFERENCE PAGE 7

Setting Up an Etch Operation
Etching is a cut process that does not cut all the way
through the material. For this operation, double-click
the bluish layer, select RPC Chipboard_Etch from the
Parameter Library and click load.
Note - Settings in the Layer Parameter often need to be
adjusted after testing for optimal results.

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Adjusting the Speed and Power
This step represents the process for fine-tuning settings
for specific materials.

Laser operation is a negotiation between the machine’s

speed and the percentage of its available power used.

Speed can be set as high as 300 and the machine’s

Operational Power Limits are 5% - 80%.

DO NOT EXCEED 80% POWER!

Lets assume we tested the Etch and the burn was not deep
enough. We can either slow down the feed rate to get a
hotter burn or raise the laser’s power settings.

In this case, lets raise the power so we don’t have to slow the
process down. (If your power is already close to 80, you will
have to slow down the speed.)

Change the Max power to 18%.

Min Power is the power it uses when it slows down to go

around a corner. It gets hotter as it slows down so Min must
be set lower than the Max. You might have to test for this
number but for now, make it 14.

Note - If Min Power is too low, corners will not cut. If

it’s too high, the corners will burn.

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Setting Up a Cut Operation
For the cutting operation, Double-click the red layer, select
RPC _Chipboard_.0625_Cut from the Parameter Library
and click load.

Note - Settings in the Layer Parameter often need to be

adjusted after testing for optimal results.

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 Parameter Library - Preset settings database

Layer - Selects the Layer being set up

Is Output - Determines if layer geometry will be processed
Speed - Determines the speed of the Lens assembly
If Blowing - Turns on or off the machine nozzle air supply
Processing Mode - Determines process to be run (CUT)

Max Power - % of Power when at full speed

Min Power - % of Power when speed slows to round corners

(usually about ten less than max)

CUT/ETCH OPERATION REFERENCE PAGE 11

Disabling the Material Boundary
To ensure the Material Boundary is not cut, first select the
Green layer and change the Output to NO.

The machine will recognize all layers, On or Off, as the

extents of the geometry and will start its operation from the
green dot. This allows parts to be precisely organized on a
specific sized material without actually cutting the border.

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Preview
Before you print, make
sure you preview the file
by clicking the Preview
button at the top.

Notice that one of the

Fill layer shapes is not
visible. This is because
there is a gap between
the lines at the corner.
Close the Preview
and zoom in to check
the geometry. we will
correct the small gap in
the next step.

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Curve
Auto-Close

To fix the unjoined

geometry that caused
the error in the preview,
Select the geometry that
failed, click the Curve
Auto-Close button at the
top, then click OK.

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 RDworks has some other
useful tools for cleaning
up Vector geometry to
insure a good cut.

Combine Curves
can be run before
any operation to join
unjoined curves and save
a lot of time.

Delete Overlap
removes overlapping
geometry that will cut
twice, burn the material
and waste time.

NOTE: Overlapping
lines can start a fire!

GEOMETRY OPTIMIZATION REFERENCE PAGE 15

Preview
Re-open the preview
window and make sure
the join worked.

Make sure to check the

estimated time at the
right! If your estimate is
longer than the time you
signed up for, you need to
change something.

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Start up the Laser Machine
Before turning on the laser, you must first:

- Rotate the Yellow Compressed Air Valve in the

corner of the room until it is vertical. This blows
air at the cut point to minimize burning.

- Turn on the BOFA Air Purifier to collect toxic gas

and smoke.

Lift up the Cover, make sure the bed is free of

obstructions and turn the Laser Machine Key On.

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Now that the machine is
on, you can download the
output layers to the Laser
Machine. This is done by
clicking the Download
button.

Note - The file name must

be under 8 characters long
with no spaces.

If you use DEFAULT - wait

5 seconds for the pop-up
window to appear and then
save over the previous file!

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 1 Loading Material

First, place your material anywhere on the bed and

move the Lens Assembly (the part of the machine
pictured below) over it.

It is a possibility that thicker materials will not fit

under the laser so we will practice moving the bed
down.

To move the bed down, press the Z/U button and

then use the right Arrow.

(Left is Up and Right is Down.)

Auto Focus

2 Focusing the Lens

Press ESC to get out of the Z/U control and use

all four Arrow buttons to drive the Auto-Focus
Sensor over the material as pictured.

Press Z/U again and use the Down Arrow to

highlight Auto Focus.

Press Enter and the bed will raise the material till
it is in focus.

Auto Focus Sensor

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 3 Loading a File

To begin, push the File button.

The browser screen at left should appear.

Use the Down Arrow to highlight the file you want

to load and press Enter.

FILE
This screen tells you it is loaded. Check the image
to make sure you selected the right one.

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 4 Setting the Origin

Since materials come in all different sizes and

shapes, the machine needs to be told where to
begin its operation.

Use the arrows to drive the Lens Assembly

directly over the corner of the material so that
the red laser point corresponds with the corner
location of the green dot in RDworks.

Once in place, press the Origin Button to lock it in.

5 Test

Once your file is loaded, it is helpful to use the

Frame button to test the operation. This will drive
the lens assembly around the perimeter of your
loaded geometry so you can be sure it will cut or
engrave in the right place.

ORIGIN FRAME

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 You must stay in the room while the machine
EMERGENCY STOP is running and monitor for flare ups or
collisions.

6 Start

With the lid closed, press the Start button to begin

your operation.

7 Operation

During operation, Pause/Start will pause the

operation. Once paused, ESC sends the lens
assembly back to your origin. This is useful if you
ESCAPE need to restart an operation.

In the case of a crash or dangerous situation,

hit the big red Emergency Stop and the entire
machine will be disabled.

If you need to stop for any non-emergency reason

such as material that is lifting or if you need to
check the quality of a cut, press the Start-Pause
button to Pause. If you press Start-Pause again, it
will resume exactly where it left off. If you press
START/PAUSE Esc, the lens assembly will return to your Origin.

Small Fire Procedure:

Step 1 - Pause Laser

Step 2 - Turn off BOFA Air Cleaner
Step 3 - Use water or fire extinguisher to put out fire

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OFF
8 Shut Down

When your job is done, move the Lens Assembly to

the top right corner of the bed, press ORIGIN, and
remove your material from the bed.

If any small parts fall through the grid, they can

be retrieved from a small tray that is accessible
through the red doors on the front of the machine.

- Turn the Key to Off

- Shut off the air supply valve

- Turn off the Bofa Air Cleaner.

Make sure you find an RPC employee to stamp

your badge and add your name to the database
before you leave!

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