Laser Cutting

Laser Cutting Documentation Blog Entry

In this page, I will describe:

1. The 4 important hazards associated to the operation of laser cutting machine and their respective safety control measures (administrative/engineering control).

2. The materials that can be cut and can’t be cut using laser cutting machine.

3. The steps including pictures on the operation of UNIVERSAL laser cutter, that consist of:

1. Starting the compressor, turning on the laser cutter machine and fume extractor.

2. Importing a .DXF file to coreldraw and modify the lines/fill for cutting and engraving.

3. Sending the coreldraw drawing to laser cutter software and setting the laser cutter power, speed, PPI in the software.

4. Starting the job on the laser cutter machine.

5. DOs and DONTs when there’s flame/fire on the material being cut.

4. My Learning reflection on the laser cutter activities.

1. These are the 4 important hazards and the respective safety control measures on the operation of laser cutting machine:

Hazards	Safety control measures	Pictures to support the explanation
1. Fire can occur during laser cutting	Fire extinguisher can be found to put out fire
Accumulation of smoke and gases in laser cutter	Fume extractor installed to remove gases and smoke
3. Debris on material can cause fire during laser cutting	Air assist installed to blow debris away from the path of laser
4. Laser can cause eye damage	Do not stare at the beam

2. Below are the materials that can be cut/engraved using laser cutting machine in FabLab.

Material	Photo of material
1. Paper/ White Card
2. Cardboard
3. Balsa wood
4. Acrylic
5. Plywood

Below are the materials that can’t be cut/engraved using laser cutting machine in Fablab.

Material	Photo of material
1. PVC
2. Metal
3. Foam
4. Rubber

3. Below are the steps on the operation of UNIVERSAL laser cutter machine in FabLab:

1. Starting the compressor, turning on the laser cutting machine and fume extractor.

Steps and description	Photos to support the description
1. Turn on the switch for the air assist 2. Turn on the switch for the fume extractor 3. Turn on the switch for the laser cutter

2. Importing a .DXF file to coreldraw and modify the lines/fill for cutting and engraving.

Steps and description	Photos to support the description
1. Select file (top left)    2. Select import 3. Select your file and ensure that it is in .DXF format and press on import
Changing fill colour 1. Double click on the fill tool at the bottom right 2. Select the solid colour icon 3. Select RGB in the colour model drop-down list 4. Change the RGB colour to R:0 G:255 B:0 5. Click ok
Changing line colour 1. Double click on the Pen tool at the bottom right 2. Select colour drop-down list 3. A pop-up will appear, select RGB 4. Change R:255 G:0 B:0 5. Select Width to Hairline

3. Sending the coreldraw drawing to laser cutter software and setting the laser cutter power, speed, PPI in the software.

Steps and description	Photos to support the description
1. Click on file at the top left 2. Click on print
3. Click on the Cogwheel for setting
4. Click on LOAD for more material setting
5.Select the presets that matches your material type and thickness and select OPEN
6. Ensure that the Mode for Red and Green is on Rast/Vect 7. Check the setting for power(<50%), speed(slow and steady), PPI POWER: describes the output power of the laser. 100% is maximum power (will cause ugly charring). For dark wood engravings or stamp engravings, you generally need high power, whereas low values are used for materials such as paper.  SPEED: describes the movement of the laser head. Fast speeds lead to short exposure times, slow speeds lead to long exposure times.  PPI: Pulses Per Inch, Frequency may also be known as PPI or pulses per inch and is a way to control how many times the laser pulses over a given distance during the cutting process. The higher the frequency the more pulses you have and the more they will overlap resulting in a smoother cut, however the downside to this is that the higher the frequency the more heat it creates while cutting which can cause melting or charring on certain materials.  Z-Axis: Usually set as the material height for optimal focus point  7. Click Ok
8. Click on the UCP which is running on the background

4. Starting the job on the laser cutter machine.

Steps and description	Photos to support the description
1. Place the selected material into the laser cutter machine 2. Check if the material length and width is enough using the build in ruler
1. Activate/ Deactivate the laser cutter  2. Play Button to start Cut/ Engraving 3. Pause Button to pause/ resume the Cut/ Engraving 4. Essential tools
On the UCP, click on the power button to activate the laser cutter on the top right of the control panel. If play button is green before you activate the UCP. Please deactivate and reactivate it again
1. After checking whether your file is within the safe cut zone on your material 2. Click on estimate time button  3. Press the start button to check for the timing
4. If all is good, shut the lid gently 5. Press either the Play button on UCP or the Physical button on the Laser cutter
6. Once done, wait around 1 minute before lifting up the lid 7. Tap on the cut material to see if it is free from its main material 8.Remove your cut material

5. DOs and DONTs when there’s flame/fire on the material being cut.

DOs and DONTs	Photos to support the description
Do pause the laser cutter to allow flame to die out
Do lift up the lid of laser cutter to stop the laser cutter
Do try to blow off the flame
Do remove the material if flame is unable to blow off and step on it to put out the flame
Do notify the staff
Do use a fire extinguisher if fire become uncontrollable
Don’t continue the operation of laser cutting when there a flame on the material

4. Below is my Learning Reflection on the laser cutter activities.

When I first heard that we are going to do a practical on laser cutting, I thought that it was going to be difficult as there are a lot of things I have to know so that I can operate the laser cutter. Even knowing how to operate the laser cutter, My class had to undergo a competency test to see if we can apply what we had learned during class. We had to complete a quiz online first before we can go on with our competency test. Luckily, I got 80% which is a pass for my first attempt in the quiz which made me feel relieved that I do not have to redo it again as the questions were tough to answer. Afterward, We had to create a Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) which we could bring into the competency test and we were very happy but stressful as it was quite difficult to make one. Luckily, the lecturer provided some guide to aid us in our SOP. After one week, we went to our competency test. While waiting for my turn, even though I was prepared, I was still feeling a bit nervous. When the assessor called the next 5 to go in, he was kind enough to show us a live example on how to do it before we carried on with our competency test. This gave me a boost of confidence to pass this test. When it was my turn, I followed my SOP and did the best I could. When we got back to our class, my lecturer said that the whole class passed and we felt a sense of relief. In conclusion, I learnt another skill called laser cutting.