Laser Cutting

In this page, I will describe:

  1. The 4 important hazards associated with the operation of laser cutting machines and their respective safety control measures (administrative/engineering control).
  2. The materials that can be cut and can't be cut using laser cutting machines.
  3. The steps include pictures of the operation, that consist of the:
    1. Starting the compressor, turning on the laser cutting machine and fume extractor
    2. Importing a .DXF file to CorelDRAW and modifying the lines/fill for cutting and engraving
    3. Sending the CorelDRAW drawing to the Universal Control Panel (UCP) and setting the laser cutter's power, speed and PPI in the software
    4. Starting the job on the laser cutter machine
    5. DOs and DON'Ts when there's a flame/fire on the material being cut
  4. My Learning reflection on the laser cutter activities

1. 4 important hazards and the respective safety control measures:

Hazards

Safety control measures

Pictures to support the explanation

1. Toxic fumes are released when laser cutting

 A fume extractor is connected to the laser cutter

2. The laser is very bright and can cause eye damage if stared at

Users are to complete multiple training tests and quizzes that remind people of this hazard multiple times


3. The material might light on fire for an extended period

There is a fire extinguisher, as well as an emergency stop button in the room with the laser cutter next to the door in case of a large fire breaks out

4. Opening the lid of the laser cutter while it is running is dangerous

If the lid is opened while the laser is still running, the laser will automatically turn off while still running

 

2. Materials that can be cut/engraved using the laser cutter:

Material

Photo of material

1. Plywood (up to 6mm)

 

2. Natural Wood (up to 6mm, contains oils that cause small fires)


3. MDF (up to 6mm, burnt marks may occur)

4. Acrylic (up to 5mm)

5. Cardboard (burnt marks and fire may occur)

6. Art Card (burnt marks and fire may occur)

7. Technical Board (burnt marks and fire may occur)

 

    Materials that cannot be cut/engraved using the laser cutter:

Material

Photo of material

1. PVC

2. Metal

 

3. Foam

4. Rubber

 


3. Steps to operate the UNIVERSAL laser cutter machine:

Startup

  1. Switch on the power for the Laser Cutter, Air Assist and Fume Extractor using the appropriate power switches.

    1. Switches for the Laser Cutter and Air Assist

    2. Switches for the Fume Extractor
                        
  1. Use the Universal Control Panel(UCP) on the computer connected to the Laser Cutter to activate it.
                (1) Activate/Deactivate the laser cutter
                (2) Play Button to start Cut/Engraving
                (3) Pause Button to Pause/Resume the Cut/Engraving

  

  1. Click on the Power Button to activate the laser cutter

  2. NOTE: If Play Button is green before activating the UCP, deactivate and reactivate again

Operation of laser cutter

  1. Import file from Fusion to CorelDRAW
    1. Select File > Import > Select the correct .DXF file and press import
    2. Ensure that the settings are correct using the RGB and Line-weight and Fill tools
    3. Tools can be found in the bottom left-hand corner of CorelDRAW
    4. Double click icon to change the settings
  2. Once all of the settings are done and confirmed, it is ready to be laser cut
    1. Click on File > Print, then cogwheel to open the Universal's Material setting
    2. Click LOAD for more material settings and then select one of the presets that matches the chosen material's type and thickness and open that file
  3. 4 Essential Tools on the UCP (from left to right in the image below)
    1. Zoom - Used to see if everything is in its correct place more accurately. Can also be used via the scroll wheel
    2. Focus - Used to check if the material and work are within a workable space with the help of a Laser dot
    3. Move - Used to move drawings within the available workspace. Note: this is not a live view/action
    4. Estimated Time - Used to determine the estimated time for the engraving/cutting to finish
  4. Once all settings and adjustments are made, close the lid gently and the cutting may be started by using either the play button on the UCP or the physical button on the Laser Cutter
  5. Monitor the cutting by glancing at it, but do not stare
  6. Once cutting is finished, wait for around 1 minute to allow for fumes to be extracted by the extractor. Open the lid gently and tap on the cut-out material to check if it was cut properly, then safely remove the materials

DOs and DON'Ts when there's a flame/fire

Do:
  1. If the fire is small enough to be negligible, try blowing at it to put it out
  2. If a flame inside of the cutter does not die out in 1 or 2 seconds, lift the lid of the laser cutter to stop the operation
  3. If the fire is uncontrollable, press the emergency stop button and use the fire extinguisher. Then call for help from the staff around.
Don't:
  1. Should the fire be small and negligible, do not use the fire extinguisher as it may damage the laser cutter

4. Reflection

These lessons on laser cutting have been interesting and quite fun. I had been looking forward to learning laser cutting for a while since I had heard about it from friends in the EEE department with experience in laser cutting.

The reason for my interest in this form of product creation was due to the difference in the amount of time required to form my design from the extremely slow 3d printing to the very fast laser cutting. The basis of product creation between 3d printing and laser cutting is quite the opposite of each other. 3d printing is a form of additive manufacturing and laser cutting is subtractive. These large changes from 3d printing to laser cutting were what made me very interested.

However, just being interested in a topic does not mean that I know everything about that certain topic. Going along this line, when I first used the CorelDRAW program, I did not understand how the highlighting of the shapes worked. I did not understand that I could not highlight the inner boxes by themselves, I could only highlight everything from the outside in. Because of this, I failed my first competency test for the laser cutter. However, I did learn to highlight everything and change the RGB setting to green first to engrave, then choose the outer layers and change them to red. This made it much easier and I went through my second time flawlessly.

Overall, the experience was fulfilling and fun, learning laser cutting will definitely make my life easier as far as project work goes.