Laser cutter

Location

The big red thing in the common area.

Features

• Red Sail X700
• 60 watt
• Water cooled
• 700mm x 500mm cut area

Safety

• Never let the machine run unattended especially when its cutting!
• Always use approved materials. Some materials can release chlorine gas or catch fire.
• Remember to pull bed leveling knob before running a job.
• Run the machine with the interlock on. The interlock is a key switch that will override the option to turn the laser off when the door is opened.

If a fire Occurs

• Immediately stop the laser, this will more than likely extinguish the fire.
• If fire still exist, try to blow it out.
• If fire still exist, spritz it with the water bottle. Notify the board.
• All else fails, use the fire extinguisher. Notify board.

Testing Plastics for Chlorine

A blow torch and copper wire will be needed for the test.

• With a pair of pliers heat up the end of the copper wire and burn off any residue.
• While still hot, touch a sample piece of the plastic you would like to cut with the hot end of the copper wire.
• Place the wire back into the flame and burn the plastic. If the flame is blue/green the material is not safe and will emit chlorine gas when cut.

Materials

Note: If the material you want to cut isn't listed on this page, email the mailing list.

Material	Safe to use with a laser cutter?	Can you cut it?	Can you engrave it?
Acrylic	Safe!	Yes	Yes
Wood	Safe!	Yes	Yes
Paper/Cardboard	Safe!	Yes	Difficult
Steel	Safe!	No	Yes (oxidize)
Titanium	Safe!	No	Yields a rainbow of colors depending on power.
All other metals	Safe!	No	Yes, if you use Cermark or other marking chemical.
Glass	Mostly safe, don't breathe the glass dust.	No	Yes
Nylon	Not recommended.	Discoloration, low cut quality.	Melts, doesn't engrave well.
ABS	Not recommended.	Discoloration, low cut quality.	Slight engraving marks.
Polyethylene	Not recommended.	No. Lots of melting.	Slight marks with melting.
Lexan/polycarbonate	Black smoke and awful smell. DO NOT CUT.	No	No
PVC	Creates Chlorine Gas. DO NOT CUT.	No	No
Vinyl	Toxic fumes. DO NOT CUT.	No	No
Teflon/PTFE	Toxic fumes. DO NOT CUT.	No	No
CF/Carbon Fiber	DO NOT CUT.	No	No

Feeds and Speeds

Different materials and thicknesses will require different cut speed and power. Table below is a good starting point for some common materials.

Cutting

Material	Power (%)	Speed (mm/s)	Notes
5mm Wood
1/2in Wood
3/4in Wood
1/8in Acrylic
1/4in Acrylic
1/2in Acrylic

Maintenance

• Every 8 hours of run time, lenses/mirrors need to be checked/cleaned.
• Lense/Mirror can easily be damaged and should be done by qualified personnel.

Maintenance Log

• 11/16/2014 Laser Init.
• 11/17/2014 Alignment and lense cleaning
• 12/08/2014 Improved ventilation completed.

Consumables

• Mirrors/Lenses. They are replaced when worn/scratched/damaged $160
• Laser Tube. 3,000 HR runtime. $410

Authorized Users

• Ben
• Brett