Material database and material effects in Ruby laser software

Unlike the JobControl^® material database, the Ruby material database works with so-called material effects. On this page we explain what these material effects are exactly and how they are set.

Superior laser parameters per material

The main focus of the new Ruby laser software is a clear user interface with maximum editability of your data.

Instead of countless individual parameters for different effects, Ruby ideally has just one parent parameter per material. A number of different engraving and cutting effects can then be added to this material, such as "Engraving Detail", "Engraving Fast", "Photo High Detail", "Cutting Quality", "Scribing", and so on. These material effects can be customized and named according to your needs. The specific settings are stored in each effect.

The layers (colors) can then be assigned individually depending on the job and engraving or cutting preference.

Add parent parameter to the material list

Parent parameter for TroLase with "Foto Stucki" material effect

Add effect to material

In the material database you will find the material and effect list. Different effects can be added to each material:

Select existing material or create new material
By default, "Engraving Quality" and "Cutting Quality" effects are added to new materials
Replace or add effects: Additional effects are listed in the effect list. Click on an effect to add it to the material or replace another effect with it
Create new effect: By clicking on the "+" symbol, new effects can be created. Afterwards, the effect can be assigned to any material and adjusted accordingly.

What happens to my existing JobControl® material database?

Your existing JobControl^® material database will be imported automatically during the installation of Ruby. You can also import and export the parameters individually as usual. Thus, no data will be lost.

Unlike in JobControl^®, all settings are made for the respective effect. This also includes resolution and raster. For example, jobs with different resolutions can be laser engraved on the same plate.

The following settings can be made in the effect

Levels:	Here the colours (which are assigned in the graphic) are assigned to the respective effect - this can also be several colors per effect.
Power:	The laser power to be used in percent
Speed:	The engraving or cutting speed to be used as a percentage
dpi/Hz:	dpi are selected via drop-down for the engravings - ppi are selected automatically by Ruby. Frequency (in hertz) can be set between 1,000 and 60,000 Hz (1 to 60 kHz).
Laser source:	CO₂ or FLP
Advanced Settings:
Inflation:	Enables activation and deactivation of the air flow via the nozzle to the material
z-Offset:	Targeted defocus for engraving or cutting effects
Power correction:	Determines the minimum percentage of the selected laser power that is set during a slow movement, e.g. for curves in vector mode or in the acceleration phase during engraving mode.
Direction:	Starting point of the engraving (top or bottom). Is helpful with some materials e.g. TroLase or acrylic to minimise the cleaning effort.
Dithering:	Assignment of the engraving grid. The choices are None, Ordered, Stucki, Floyd-Steinberg, Jarvis-Judice-Ninke.
Engraving mode: working off the engraving lines	-Standard: engrave when moving the machining head to the left and right. -Unidirectional: engrave each line in the same direction (Note: This function is used in special cases. Please note that this will increase the engraving time
Optimised quality:	Uniform laser engraving by consistently traversing the entire job width at the same speed so that acceleration and speed remain constant across the entire graphic.
Engrave layer below:	If objects on different layers overlap, this option allows objects lying in the background to be engraved as well.
Relief:	Used for three-dimensional effects. Adjusts the laser power to the gray tunes - the darker the area, the more power is delivered.