Laser Cutting Blog Entry

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:
   a. Starting the compressor, turning on the laser cutter machine and fume extractor.
   b. Importing a .DXF file to coreldraw and modify the lines/fill for cutting and engraving.
   c. Sending the coreldraw drawing to laser cutter software and setting the laser cutter power, speed, PPI in the software.
   d. Starting the job on the laser cutter machine.
   e. 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.  User may get burnt by the laser	Engineering Laser is cut off immediately once lid is open Administrative Users are trained not to put their hands carelessly into the laser cutter when it is on
2. User may suffer eye damage from the laser beam	Administrative Users are told to not stare into the beam and only briefly glance at it when the laser cutter is on
3. Material may catch on fire	Engineering There is an emergency stop button for the laser cutter There is a fire extinguisher present nearby to put out any potential fires The air assist helps to blow away any debris from the laser cutter to prevent fires Administrative Users are trained on what to do when there is a fire Users are taught what materials that are compatible to use Users are trained to not leave the machine unattended to when it is being used
4. Toxic fumes from the laser cutter	Engineering There is a fume extractor which helps to remove any harmful gases produced during the cutting Administrative Users are taught to not open the laser cutter immediately after the cutting is done to allow the fume extractor time to completely remove the harmful gases produced

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

Material	Photo of Material
1. Acrylic
2. Plywood (Laserply)
3. Cardboard

Below are the materials that can't be cut/engraved using laser cutting machine in FabLab

Material	Photo of Material
1. Metal
2. Foam
3. Rubber

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

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

Steps and description	Photos to support description
1. Turn on switches for:  laser cutter, air assist and extractor
2. Turn on switches for: fume extractor

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

Steps and description	Photos to support description
1. Importing a .DXF file to coreldraw [Select file > Import > Select .DXF file > Import]
2. Choose settings for vector cut/engrave/vector engrave Vector cut Pen outline colour: RGB Red Line width: Hairline Engrave Fill colour: RGB Green Line width: None Vector engrave Pen outline colour: RGB Green Line width: Hairline Fill colour: None

c. 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 description
1. Click on File > Print
2. Click on the cogwheel icon for settings
3. Universal's Material settings will appear Click on LOAD for more material settings
4. Select the presets that matches your material type and thickness Select OPEN
5. Details on certain settings 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
6. Click OK

d. Starting the job on the laser cutter machine.

Steps and description	Photos to support description
1. On the UCP, click on the POWER button (bar at the bottom of the screen) [IF PLAY BUTTON IS GREEN, DEACTIVATE AND REACTIVATE AGAIN]
2. Place material within the laser cutting bed and use Tools on the right hand side to ensure it is within cutting area [Zoom to zoom in to your work] [Focus to hover the laser over the material] [Relocate the objects to as close as the edge (0.50mm from the edge) to save materials] [Estimate for estimated time]
3. If everything is checked and ok, I. shut the lid GENTLY Ii. Press either the play button on UCP or the physical button
4. Monitor the cut by glancing at it

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

DOs and DONTs	Photos to support description
1. DOs: Any flame MUST DIE OUT within 1-2 seconds. If the flame persists, lift the lid of the laser cutter and stop the cutting operation. If the fire is negligible, try putting it out by blowing it off If the fire is unable to blow off, A. remove material from the laser cutter B. place it on the floor and step on it to put out the fire If the fire is uncontrollable,  go to the closest fire extinguisher and put it out. Get people’s attention by shouting for help.
2. DONTs: Leave the fire unattended and ignore it	-

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

Before this laser cutting competency test, I was honestly quite anxious as I had completely no experience with laser cutting and it sounded dangerous since quite a number of things could go wrong even with all the things that I have learnt from the learning package and I have a tendency to overlook certain details when under pressure.

After everything, I managed to learn the basics on how to do laser cutting, one of them being how to choose the correct settings for vector cut, engrave and vector engraving respectively as well as selecting the material settings based on the type and thickness. Additionally, I now know what to do in the situation that a fire occurs and what kind of materials are compatible with laser cutting.

Even though before the test, I was quite apprehensive, I'm glad I got to have this opportunity to do laser cutting as it was a great learning experience and I managed to learn a new skill. Now that I have tried laser cutting firsthand, I am still not very confident in my abilities but am proud that I have at least made something out of it. 

Picture of a turtle I laser cut from the competency test 🐢