Laser Cutter

This is a wish list page - we don't have this tool yet!

We do have a limited-time loan until early 2019 though :-)

Lasers are awesome! As soon as we can afford it, a big CO₂ laser cutter (40-100 W) would be a great addition to our machine selection.

MachineInfoBox Epilog Zing 16

Synonyms:	DE: Laserschneider, "Lasercutter"
Material:	wood, glass, acrylic glass, ... (list of cuttable & engravable materials; list of only engravable materials)
Used with:	laser exhaust system
Location:	CNC room (move out during CNC routing!)
Access Requirements:	Laser Cutter Introduction
Status:	available for a limited time (early 2019)
Software:	VisiCut, Epilog printer driver, Corel Draw, any Windows software that can print
Manual:	EpilogLaser.com (EN)
Tutors:	NitramLegov Pakue Johannes Luzian Keno Utis Sebastian Kalunho Björn

The laser cutter will only be operated by members who have received a detailed introduction!

Safety Concerns

A laser cutter is a delicate and dangerous piece of equipment and should only run under direct supervision of a qualified user. The machine needs to be supervised even more than the 3D printers, with the operator standing by during the entire duration of a cutting job and being in close vicinity during engraving jobs.

Although the laser beam itself should be certified laser class 1 due to the massive housing and other safety features, the fumes generated when cutting various materials can be harmful to human health (see forbidden materials). A good exhaust filtering system can take care of fumes from the allowed materials but only an outside vent will really remove the smoky smell.

Location Requirements

no dust (roll it out into the common room when the CNC router is going to be used!)
15 °C ≤ room temperature ≤ 30 °C
CO₂ fire extinguisher in the area

Rules

supervise the entire job when cutting
- a fire can only be stopped quick enough if you open the lid immediately!
stay in close vicinity for the entire job when engraving
abort if you see, hear or smell anything out of the ordinary!

Forbidden Materials

materials that contain chlorine (Cl) - it's unhealthy and also destroys the machine
- e.g. PVC ("vinyl", found in most soft plastics and records)
- artificial leather
- neoprene
materials that contain fluorine (F) - it can kill you and also destroys the machine
- e.g. PTFE ("Teflon") - very very unhealthy!

→ with some materials it is not clear whether it contains Cl or F. If you are not sure, don't cut or engrave it. If you notice any unusal coloration of the smoke or flame, stop the job immediately!

Possible Materials (Cutting/Engraving)

Check the material settings database to see if and how something has been cut before and please add your experience as well.

In addition, you can check the official list from [Epilog].

wood
- plywood
- particle board/chip board
- MDF and HDF are also allowed but will make frequent lens cleaning necessary due to their high glue content
acrylic glass/Plexiglass (→ not the cheap polystyrene/Bastlerglas from hardware stores, it welds itself shut after being cut)
- cast acrylic (GS/gegossen) - "chemically better"
  - very suitable for engraving because the colour changes into a milky version of the original
- extruded acrylic (XT/extrudiert) - better thickness accuracy
  - very suitable for cutting
  - very suitable for parts that should fit together tightly
  - not as suitable for engraving because there is no colour difference
    - 3D engravable, though - the grooves can be filled with paint for a nice effect
leather, but no artificial leathers that contain chlorine!
paper
colored card
- discoloration when "engraving", looks nice
cardboard
rubber (special kind for stamps)
foam
fabric

When cutting wood or acrylic glass, a small flame may be observed at the focal point but is not necessarily a bad thing. However, if it burns too much or is still on when the laser beam is already somewhere else, immediately open the cover. Because the laser automatically shuts down, the fire should go out.

Possible Materials (Engraving Only)

glass
- including mirrors (front or back!)
metals
- only anodized aluminium and high quality stainless steel can be engraved directly
- for most metals you should use a special marking spray
  - only works on blank metal, any coatings will not allow the molecular bond triggered by the laser's heat

Cost

The tube and filters need to be replaced from time to time.

The owners of the loaned Zing are asking for 50 ct per minute so the wear on the machine is taken care of.

Machine Control

Software

The Bachelor thesis on VisiCut gives a great overview on available software. We will also keep a settings repository, which you can access in VisiCut via Options > download Recommended Settings. There you can find all tested materials and related settings as well as the right printer dimensions/presets. If you experiment with new materials, please add to this list by talking to Patrick or submitting a pull request.

When accessing the laser, please note it currently uses 192.168.1.20 as its IP-Adress.

Confirmed to Work

the official Epilog printer driver for Windows can cut with Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator, but not with Inkscape
- raster engraving is possible with almost any Windows program that is capable to print
VisiCut (preferred) provides an Inkscape and Illustrator extension to directly import from these programs

Other Options

cups-epilog does not support this model
ctrl-cut should work on Linux and Mac, used by Metalab Vienna

Control Pad/Manual Control

File:Controllpanel-LaserCutter.jpg

the control panel of the Laser Cutter.

Homing

The machine will home every time it is turned on.

Setting Zero Coordinate on the Workpiece

For setting the zero position it is good practice to turn on the pilot laser (POINTER) to see where the laser would cut. Afterwards disable the stepper motors by pressing (X/Y AUS [8]) and confirming with the (ENTER/START) button – now the mirror head can moved freely. Be aware to only apply light pressure on the metal parts, not on the lens or mirror. Set the laser to the new zero position and press (ANFANG [7]). The steppers are now reengaged so don't try to move the head again.

Focusing

The laser cutter has a fixed focus from the head. In order to change the cutting point you have to move the object by raising or lowering the Z-axis platform. Press the (FOKUS [9]) – be aware the head will move a few centimeters on positive X and Y direction – with the (UP) and (DOWN) arrow buttons the position of the platform can be moved. The right distance to your cutting object can be measured with the focusing triangle which can be attached to the head of the cutter. Raise the platform until the tip of the triangle touches your object. Now the focus is directly on the surface of you object. Note that for cutting, the focal point should ideally be within the workpiece! Remove the triangle again (!) and press (RESET) to finish the focusing.

Changing Job Settings

Speed and power settings for raster jobs can be adjusted without a computer.

Maintenance

Cleaning the Optics

The optics (two mirrors, the lens and the laser window) are cleaned with special optics cleaner or isopropanol (NEVER ANYTHING ELSE!) every 2-3 operating days, using Q-tips in a rolling motion.

partially cleaned lens (from below)

Lens

The lens is the last optical device in front of the object you are cutting and therefore it usually gets the dirtiest. Clean the lens (both sides) with nothing but isopropanol and Q-tips by rolling the tip, NOT wiping. If the lens is quite dirty it usually takes 3-4 tips to clean it.

"Primary" Mirror

This mirror is just above the lens and will require an equal amount of cleaning compared to the lens. The process is similar to the lens.

"Secondary" Mirror & Laser Window

Every two months, the mirror on the right side of the Y axis and the window in the back of the machine (where the laser beam enters the machine) should be cleaned using the same technique.

Cleaning the Rails

The rails the Y axis moves on (left and right side of the machine) should only be wiped with a dry lint-free cloth (or a bit of isopropanol/window cleaner).

Cleaning the Cutting Table

Until we have some experience ourselves, we'll stick with the RZL's procedure for cleaning the interior and the honeycomb table (wet wipes & oven cleaner not purchased yet).

Changing Filters

(main article: "Laser Exhaust System")

Laser Tube Replacement

The laser source itself will hopefully last 5 years before too much gas has diffused out of it and a noticable drop in power will occur. Tube replacement will be very expensive and will require careful calibration.

Useful Links

Downloadable Designs

Tutorials

photo engraving on wood by Epilog
- uses CorelDRAW, but works fine in GIMP as well! Don't take the sample values too literally.
- see also our own writeup

Inspiration

Etsy pages like this one
Emblaser on Instagram
"kirigami" pop up cards
overview of sample applications from trotec
Japanese Secret Box (in case you've got a few weeks time for designing)
Glowforge (scroll down)

Laser Cutting Services

You could also order laser cut parts online:

Formulor for acrylics, soft wood and paper
China Laser Cutting Service offers low cost cutting service of acrylics and other materials

Metal Cutting

Not many laser cutters can not cut metal. You could use a CNC mill instead, or try one of these services: