Laser Cutter

Lasers are awesome! We will soon add a big CO₂ laser cutter (80 W) to our machine selection.

Interesting starting points:

"6090 New install" - someone's first experiences with our model (but without water chiller)
...

MachineInfoBox Laserscript LS 6090

Synonyms:	DE: Laserschneider, "Lasercutter"
Material:	wood, glass, acrylic glass, ... (list of cuttable & engravable materials; list of only engravable materials)
Used with:	laser exhaust system
Access Requirements:	Laser Cutter Introduction
Status:	[[Has InfoBox Status::awaiting commissioning (do NOT unbox without at least one manager present!)]]
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
15 °C ≤ room temperature ≤ 30 °C
CO₂ fire extinguisher in the area

==> will be moved into the eRoom

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 which will add up to several hundred €.

We will need to think of an appropriate user contribution per minute

Machine Control

TO BE DETERMINED!

(see (Archived) Epilog Zing 16 for the kind of information we are aiming for)

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 cut metal. You could use a CNC mill instead, or try one of these services: