Skip to main content

Workpiece Positioning Guide

This guide covers all the methods available in Rayforge for accurately positioning your workpiece and aligning your designs before cutting or engraving.

Overview​

Accurate workpiece positioning is essential for:

  • Preventing waste: Avoid cutting in the wrong location
  • Precise alignment: Position designs on pre-printed materials
  • Repeatable results: Run the same job multiple times consistently
  • Multi-part jobs: Align multiple pieces on a single sheet

Rayforge provides several complementary tools for positioning:

MethodPurposeBest For
Focus ModeSee laser positionQuick visual alignment
FramingPreview job boundsVerifying design fits on material
WCS ZeroSet coordinate originRepeatable positioning
Camera OverlayVisual design placementPrecise alignment on existing features

Focus Mode (Laser Pointer)​

Focus mode turns on the laser at a low power level, acting as a "laser pointer" to help you see exactly where the laser head is positioned.

Enabling Focus Mode​

  1. Connect to your machine
  2. Click the Focus button in the toolbar (laser icon)
  3. The laser turns on at the configured focus power level
  4. Jog the laser head to see the beam position on your material
  5. Click the Focus button again to turn off when done
Safety

Even at low power, the laser can damage eyes. Never look directly into the beam or point it at reflective surfaces. Wear appropriate eye protection.

Configuring Focus Power​

The focus power determines how bright the laser dot appears:

  1. Go to Settings → Machine → Laser
  2. Find the Focus Power setting
  3. Set a value that makes the dot visible without marking your material
    • Typical values: 1-5% for most materials
    • Set to 0 to disable the feature
Finding the Right Power

Start with 1% and increase gradually. The dot should be visible but not leave any mark on your material. Darker materials may need higher power to see the dot clearly.

When to Use Focus Mode​

  • Quick alignment checks: See if the laser is roughly where you expect
  • Finding material edges: Jog to corners to verify material placement
  • Setting WCS origin: Position laser at desired zero point before setting WCS
  • Verifying home position: Check that homing worked correctly

Framing​

Framing traces the bounding rectangle of your job at low (or zero) power, showing exactly where your design will be cut or engraved.

How to Frame​

  1. Load and position your design in Rayforge
  2. Click Machine → Frame or press Ctrl+F
  3. The laser head traces the bounding box of your job
  4. Verify the outline fits within your material

Frame Settings​

Configure framing behavior in Settings → Machine → Laser:

  • Frame Speed: How fast the head moves during framing (slower = easier to see)
  • Frame Power: Laser power during framing
    • Set to 0 for air framing (laser off, just movement)
    • Set to 1-5% for a visible trace on the material
Air Framing vs. Low Power
  • Air framing (0% power): Safe for any material, but you only see the head movement
  • Low power framing: Leaves a faint visible mark, useful for precise alignment on dark materials

When to Frame​

  • Before every job: Quick verification that design fits
  • After positioning changes: Confirm new placement is correct
  • Expensive materials: Double-check before committing
  • Multi-part jobs: Verify all parts fit on the material

See Framing Your Job for more details.

Setting WCS Zero (Work Coordinate System)​

Work Coordinate Systems (WCS) let you define custom "zero points" for your jobs. This makes it easy to align jobs to your material position.

Quick WCS Setup​

  1. Jog the laser head to the corner of your material (or desired origin point)
  2. Open the Control Panel (Ctrl+L)
  3. Select a WCS (G54 is the default work coordinate system)
  4. Click Zero X and Zero Y to set current position as origin
  5. Your design's (0,0) point will now align with this position

Understanding Coordinate Systems​

Rayforge uses several coordinate systems:

SystemDescription
G53Machine coordinates (fixed, cannot be changed)
G54Work coordinate system 1 (default)
G55-G59Additional work coordinate systems
Multiple Work Areas

Use different WCS slots for different fixture positions. For example:

  • G54 for the left side of your bed
  • G55 for the right side
  • G56 for a rotary attachment

When to Set WCS Zero​

  • New material placement: Align origin to material corner
  • Fixture work: Set origin to fixture reference point
  • Repeatable jobs: Same job, different positions
  • Production runs: Consistent positioning across multiple pieces

See Work Coordinate Systems for complete documentation.

Camera-Based Positioning​

The camera overlay shows a live view of your material with your design superimposed, enabling precise visual alignment.

Setting Up the Camera​

  1. Connect a USB camera above your work area
  2. Go to Settings → Camera and add your camera device
  3. Enable the camera to see the overlay on your canvas
  4. Align the camera using the alignment procedure (required for accurate positioning)

Camera Alignment​

Camera alignment maps camera pixels to real-world coordinates:

  1. Open Camera → Align Camera
  2. Place alignment markers at known positions (at least 4 points)
  3. Enter the real-world X/Y coordinates for each point
  4. Click Apply to calculate the transformation
Alignment Accuracy
  • Use points spread across your entire work area
  • Measure world coordinates carefully with a ruler
  • Use machine positions (jog to known coordinates) for best accuracy

Positioning with Camera Overlay​

  1. Enable the camera overlay to see your material
  2. Import your design
  3. Drag the design to align with features visible in the camera
  4. Fine-tune using arrow keys for pixel-perfect placement
  5. Frame to verify before running the job

When to Use Camera Positioning​

  • Pre-printed materials: Align cuts to existing prints
  • Irregular materials: Position on non-rectangular pieces
  • Precise placement: Sub-millimeter accuracy requirements
  • Complex layouts: Multiple items with specific spacing

See Camera Integration for complete documentation.

Basic Positioning Workflow​

For simple jobs on rectangular materials:

  1. Place material on the laser bed
  2. Enable focus mode and jog to verify material position
  3. Set WCS zero at the material corner
  4. Position your design in the canvas
  5. Frame the job to verify placement
  6. Run the job

Precision Alignment Workflow​

For accurate placement on pre-printed or marked materials:

  1. Set up and align camera (one-time setup)
  2. Place material on the laser bed
  3. Enable camera overlay to see the material
  4. Import and position design visually on the camera image
  5. Disable camera and frame to verify
  6. Run the job

Production Workflow​

For running multiple identical jobs:

  1. Set up fixture on the laser bed
  2. Set WCS zero aligned to the fixture (e.g., G54)
  3. Load and configure your design
  4. Frame to verify alignment with fixture
  5. Run the job
  6. Replace material and repeat (WCS stays the same)

Multi-Position Workflow​

For running the same job at different locations:

  1. Set up multiple WCS positions:
    • Jog to position 1, set G54 zero
    • Jog to position 2, set G55 zero
    • Jog to position 3, set G56 zero
  2. Load your design (same design for all positions)
  3. Select G54, frame, and run
  4. Select G55, frame, and run
  5. Select G56, frame, and run

Troubleshooting​

Laser dot not visible in focus mode​

  • Increase focus power in laser settings
  • Dark materials may require higher power (5-10%)
  • Check laser connection and ensure machine is responding
  • Verify focus power is not set to 0

Camera overlay misaligned​

  • Re-run camera alignment with more reference points
  • Check camera mounting - it may have moved
  • Verify world coordinates were measured accurately
  • See camera troubleshooting in Camera Integration docs