---
title: Laser engraving image preparation, cut-and-engrave files, engraving settings and rotary attachments — AM training/support how-to videos
source_url:
  - /data/amcoza/sources/youtube/channel-main.md
  - /data/amcoza/sources/youtube/channel-tools.md
  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBfGDDjtHDA
  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czuAENyumQI
  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOtyNXSmNMw
  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S95-Ahgrck
  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb_HtQxCYV4
  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn0mZ47w50I
  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyyfFQl9-wo
fetched_at: 2026-10-18T14:14:00Z
category: laser-engraving
pass: laser-engraving-prep-rotary-youtube-howtos-index
refreshed_from: youtube.jsonl dump 2026-10-18 00:25 SAST, buythis.jsonl dump and am.im product JSON (no crawl)
---

# Laser engraving preparation and rotary how-to videos (AM training / support)

**Product:** AM.CO.ZA **CO2 laser engraving and cutting machines** (such as the TruCUT desktop lasers) and their **rotary attachments**. This index collects 7 short technique videos that were not yet listed in another AM how-to index: turning a picture into a bitmap, preparing an image for stone engraving, putting a cut and an engraving in the same file, choosing speed and power for a shallow or deep engraving, choosing between a wheel surface driven and a claw centre driven rotary, wiring a rotary, and engraving a picture on a round object. General CO2 laser videos are in the [CO2 laser how-to index](co2-laser-howtos.md), and RDWorks software videos are in the [RDWorks how-to index](rdworks-howtos.md). Deduplicated by watch ID across all AM how-to index pages (channel indexes alone do not count as how-to coverage).

**Source:** local AM YouTube dump `youtube.jsonl` (main / tools channels; refreshed 2026-10-18 00:25 SAST). First written 2026-10-18 16:14 SAST with 7 videos. **YouTube was not crawled.** Titles and watch URLs below are taken from the dump as written. Videos were **not** watched. Three clips have no dump transcript, so only their titles are listed. For the four clips that do have one, the short summaries below are paraphrased from the dump transcript only; nothing was invented to fill gaps, and where a transcript is unclear this page says so.

## English dump titles (7 unique watch URLs)

Grouped by topic and sorted by date. AM-channel uploads are framed as **AM training/support sources**. Each watch URL is a source.

### Preparing pictures and files for laser engraving, and engraving settings

These clips cover getting artwork ready before you press start. The 2023 tools-channel pair shows converting a picture to a bitmap and preparing an image for engraving on stone (no transcripts in the dump). The other two have transcripts:

- **Cut and engrave in the same file (2024):** the file starts with one layer, the cut outline in black. The presenter adds text and gives it a different colour (blue), because objects in the same colour go to the same layer and would both be cut. The software then shows two layers, and the black layer is left on **Cut** while the blue layer is set to **Scan**, which is the engraving mode. Each layer can be switched between Scan and Cut depending on the result you want.
- **Clean engraving tips (2023):** for a shallow, clean engraving the presenter uses a high speed (800) and low power (20%%). For a deeper engraving the speed is halved to 400 with the same power, which cuts deeper because the head moves more slowly; the presenter notes a slight side effect from the slower pass but says the result still looks good. The units for speed are not stated in the transcript, so test on scrap material on your own machine before copying these numbers.

| Date | Title (from dump) | Watch URL (source) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2023-10-16 | How to prepare an image to engrave on stone! | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBfGDDjtHDA |
| 2023-10-16 | How To Convert a Picture to Bitmap: The Process | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czuAENyumQI |
| 2023-12-04 | Clean Engraving Tips | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOtyNXSmNMw |
| 2024-01-26 | How To Cut and Engrave In Same File | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S95-Ahgrck |

### Rotary attachments for engraving round objects

These clips cover engraving round objects with a rotary attachment:

- **Surface drive vs claw centre drive (2020):** AM offers two rotaries for its TruCUT laser cutters: the ROTARY-300/S70 (70 mm, wheel surface driven) and the ROTARY-300/C80 (80 mm, claw centre driven). On the surface driven unit the object turns freely on the wheels, which works well for items with a constant diameter such as a bottle. On the claw centre unit the object is held by a claw on one side and the tailstock on the other, so it turns as one piece with the rotary; this is needed for conical items such as a drinking glass. Both run on a stepper motor and have up to a 300 mm long working area.
- **Rotary connection (2023):** the rotary motor has four wires (A+, A−, B+ and B−). Use a multimeter to find which two wires belong together, connect each pair to its own terminal group, and swap the wires of one pair to reverse the direction of rotation. On the signal side the driver uses direction (+ and −) and pulse (+ and −) lines to a 5-pin connector; the transcript says two of the pins are not used because the machine's power supply already powers the driver. The rest of the pin-by-pin description in the transcript is too unclear to quote, so confirm the pinout with AM support before wiring. Note that product names list a 3-phase U/V/W stepper motor on the ROTARY-300 units and a 2-phase AABB motor on the ROTARY-250/S30 and the TruCUT rotary cable, so check which motor type you have first; the four-wire method in this clip matches the 2-phase AABB type.
- **Picture rotary engraving (2024):** a tools-channel clip showing a picture engraved with a rotary (no transcript in the dump).

| Date | Title (from dump) | Watch URL (source) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2020-02-08 | Surface Drive and Claw Centre Drive Rotary Attachment for Laser Cutting Machine Function Explained | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb_HtQxCYV4 |
| 2023-06-19 | Model Rotary Connection | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn0mZ47w50I |
| 2024-01-03 | How To Do Picture Rotary Engraving | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyyfFQl9-wo |

## Related SKUs (Buythis dump and am.im product JSON only; no prices, no stock)

Product names come from the Buythis product dump (`buythis.jsonl`; **not crawled**) and am.im product JSON. Prices and stock are not stored on this index. Check each product page for what is included and which motor type and connector a rotary uses before quoting.

| SKU | Product | Dump link | AM KB page | Why it is here |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ROTARY-300/S70 | ⌀70mm Wheel Surface Driven Rotating Unit for Laser Cutting Machine with 300mm Length Working Area, 3-Phase U/V/W Stepper Motor | https://buythis.co.za/rotary-300-s70#ai | [ROTARY-300/S70](../products/rotary-300-s70.md) | The wheel surface driven rotary named in the 2020 rotary clip; suits objects with a constant diameter, such as bottles |
| ROTARY-300/C80 | ⌀80mm Claw Center Driven Rotating Unit for Laser Cutting Machine with 300mm Length Working Area, 3-Phase U/V/W Stepper Motor | https://buythis.co.za/rotary-300-c80#ai | [ROTARY-300/C80](../products/rotary-300-c80.md) | The claw centre driven rotary named in the 2020 rotary clip; holds conical objects, such as drinking glasses, steady while they turn |
| ROTARY-250/S30 | ⌀30mm Grit Steel Bar Surface Driven Rotating Unit for Laser Engraving Machine with 250mm+ Length Working Area, 2-Phase AABB Stepper Motor | https://buythis.co.za/rotary-250-s30#ai | [ROTARY-250/S30](../products/rotary-250-s30.md) | Smaller surface driven rotary for laser engraving machines; its product name lists a 2-phase AABB stepper motor |
| AG-CORD/60/3 | 10 Pieces of 3mm Cord Diameter 60mm Outer Diameter Rubber Ring (Can Stretch to 70mm) for Surface Drive Rotary Driving Wheel | https://buythis.co.za/ag-cord-60-3#ai | [AG-CORD/60/3](../products/ag-cord-60-3.md) | Replacement rubber rings for the driving wheels of surface drive rotaries |
| AE-CABLE/2P/15 | TruCUT/TruCUT-Lite Laser Cutter Rotary Driving Cable, Single Phase (AABB Stepper), About 1.5 Meters Long | https://buythis.co.za/ae-cable-2p-15#ai | [AE-CABLE/2P/15](../products/ae-cable-2p-15.md) | TruCUT and TruCUT-Lite rotary driving cable for 2-phase AABB stepper rotaries |
| AE-CONNECTOR/GX12-5/M | Generic GC12-5 5PIN Male Screw Aviation Connector, for Laser Machine Rotary | https://buythis.co.za/ae-connector-gx12-5-m#ai | [AE-CONNECTOR/GX12-5/M](../products/ae-connector-gx12-5-m.md) | 5-pin aviation connector for laser machine rotaries (the 2023 clip wires the rotary signal side to a 5-pin connector) |
| AE-CONNECTOR/GX12-5/F | Generic GC12-5 5PIN Female Screw Aviation Connector, for Laser Machine Rotary (Circular Connector GX16-5) | https://buythis.co.za/ae-connector-gx12-5-f#ai | [AE-CONNECTOR/GX12-5/F](../products/ae-connector-gx12-5-f.md) | Matching female 5-pin aviation connector for laser machine rotaries |
| LC-4030/40 | AM.CO.ZA® TruCUT™ Lite 400×300mm Desktop 40W CO2 Laser Engraving Machine Complete Package with Rotary | https://buythis.co.za/lc-4030-40#ai | [LC-4030/40](../products/lc-4030-40.md) | TruCUT Lite desktop CO2 laser package that its product name says comes with a rotary |
| LC-6040L | AM.CO.ZA® TruCUT™ 600×400mm Desktop CO2 Laser Machine Barebone Unit with 90W Laser Power Supply and Rotary | https://buythis.co.za/lc-6040l#ai | [LC-6040L](../products/lc-6040l.md) | TruCUT desktop CO2 laser barebone unit that its product name says comes with a rotary |

## Related AM how-to indexes

- [CO2 laser how-to videos (generic)](co2-laser-howtos.md)
- [TruCUT how-to videos](trucut-howtos.md)
- [RDWorks how-to videos](rdworks-howtos.md)
- [Laser marking how-to videos](laser-marking-howtos.md)
- [Tools channel index](channel-tools.md)
- [Main channel index](channel-main.md)

## Notes

- Matching: dump titles about laser image preparation, engraving technique and rotary attachments, minus any video already in another AM how-to index page. Channel indexes listing the same watch URL do not count as how-to coverage.
- Older videos may show earlier machine or software versions; quote current specifications from the product page.
- Live stock is never stored here; check the live stock feed for availability.