The LONGER Rotary Roller makes it possible to engrave curved surfaces with a laser engraver. However, rotary engraving works differently from engraving on a flat surface. The correct settings and design orientation are important for getting the expected engraving result.
This guide explains how to set up the LONGER Rotary Roller in LightBurn, prepare your design, and understand the engraving direction.
1. Setting Up the Rotary Roller in LightBurn
Because of its gear-based operation, the Rotary Roller requires a lower Step value to be set than is normally used for the motor that handles flat linear engravings. However, constantly changing this value to switch between flat and curved engravings can be annoying, so Lightburn has included a special setting for using the Rotary Roller.
Therefore, first open the Laser Tools – Rotary Setup menu.
In this menu, select Roller & Enable Rotary & Mirror Output to Rotary, and set "mm for rotation" & "Roller Diameter" as indicated in the Rotay User Manual. Enabling Mirror Output to Rotary is important, as it allows you to get engravings in the same orientation as the one shown on the screen in Lightburn.
2. Preparing Your Design
At this point, proceed to create a text in Lightburn or import an image; once this is done, it is necessary to rotate the text or image 90 degrees counterclockwise, as enabling Mirror Output to Rotary allows you to have the engraving as represented in Lightburn, i.e. with the upper part facing left.
3. Engraving Process
Once this is done, it is possible to proceed with the engraving on the object placed on the Rotary Roller, but it must be borne in mind that the engraving will be carried out retrograde, i.e. considering the example in the figure it will be carried out starting from the "r" of Longer, with the "L" as the last letter engraved. In other words, the engraving thus oriented, as shown in Lightburn, will be made from top to bottom.
4. Key Operation Summary
From what we have seen so far, using the Rotary Roller is much easier than expected: simply place the Roller with the motor positioned on the left, then place the object, and the engraving will be made with its upper part facing left, and will be done from top to bottom.
Conclusion
Rotary engraving in LightBurn becomes easier once you understand the setup and engraving direction. Set the Rotary Roller parameters correctly, enable Mirror Output to Rotary, and prepare the design in the correct orientation.
With these settings, the LONGER Rotary Roller can be used more easily for engraving curved surfaces while keeping the design orientation consistent with the LightBurn preview.
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