Revision as of 14:28, 17 June 2019

Laser Cutter

The laser cutter purchase was supported by a grant from two councillors' locality funds with the remainder coming Hackspace savings. The operating and maintenance costs are expected to be minimal, so the Laser is currently free to use for all trained members.

A laser cutter is a great way to easily produce accurate and complex 2D forms in various materials, and can be designed for with limited experience in various drawing or CAD applications. The laser we have is a Blacknose A3 Laser Cutter with a cutting area of 400x300mm and an upgraded 50W laser. Currently the laser cutter is kept in a small alcove at Ransoms Rec with the extraction duct routed out of the back door.

What can it cut: not metal! it should be able to cut 10mm acrylic and 6mm laser quality plywood/mdf

Example projects

Laser cut things

Installation Requirements (still in progress)

Windows PC (Paul?/Rob?) DONE
Monitor (+ arm?) (Dave?) Monitor DONE Arm - not yet
Keyboard and mouse (?) DONE
Wall anchor point (Mike) DONE
Cable/Chain + padlock(s) (Mike) DONE
Hasp and staple + padlock to secure lid/cover (Mike) DONE
power distributon for pc / laser(?) Done but need an extension to reach distribution block at machine. DONE
plug lock out (?) Not required as machine has key lockout already installed.
non-emergency fire extinguisher (?) Provided by Paul B. Needs installing.

Operation

The laser cutter is only to be operated by those who have been trained. The full training process is linked to below. A summary of the operating procedure is available here. A key part of operating the laser is to only use materials that are safe to Laser. A reference table is available here, including links to suppliers and preferred cutting settings. Laser cutting designs can be generated by any 2D or 3D CAD/drawing package that can export to 2D dxf. A design guideline is available here.

Training and Maintenance

Trainers/maintainers

Paul Britton
Mark Mellors
Richard Cowley
Andy Mansfield

Trainers / maintainers each hold a set of keys for the laser cutter. The machine cannot be operated without a trainer / maintainer present to unlock the machine.

Trained users

Max (by MM 24/8/15)
Rob Berwick (by MM 31/08/15)
Dave Booth (by MM 31/08/15)
Alex Palfreman-Brown
Paul Cuthbertson - still to do demonstration piece (trained by RDC 21-Sep-15)
Jonny Leach
Simon Overell - still to do demonstration piece (trained by RDC 21-Sep-15)
Adam Taylor - still to do demonstration piece (trained by RDC 9-May-16)
Jordan - still to do demonstration piece (trained by RDC 9-May-16)
Mark Thompson (trained by RDC 9-May-16)
Dave Edmundson (trained by RDC 9-May-16)
Mike Roberts - still to do demonstration piece (trained by MM 9-Jan-17)
Nick Pike - still to do demonstration piece (trained by MM 9-Jan-17)
Louise Hughes (by MM 9-Jan-17)
Brian Widdas (by MM 9-Jan-17)
Andy Little - still to do demonstration piece (by MM 9-Jan-17)
Ellie Winter (by MM 9-Jan-17)

Maintenance

The machine will need to be cleaned regularly (by every operator) to stop residues from building up and becoming a fire hazard. The full maintenance procedure is stored here.

Health and safety

The laser is very safe to use, when it is well maintained the main risk is of out of control burning of materials like wood, card or residues that have built up in the machine. Hazards include:

FIRE (under normal operation) - Cutting at the wrong speed or the wrong power can result in the material igniting

FUMES - The laser cutting process will release different smoke and fumes depending on the material.

TRAPPING - The head and bed of the cutter can be moved by the front panel menu or programs in the machines memory.

LASER BURNS/LIGHT - A 50W laser can do real damage

The full risk assessment is available here.

Initial Purchase

Laser cutter: £3000, inc chiller (maintains tube life and cut consistency)
Laserable plywood mixed pack
Acrylic mixed pack

Related pages

LaserCut 5.3

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 * Louise Hughes (by MM 9-Jan-17)
 * Brian Widdas (by MM 9-Jan-17)
+* Andy Little - still to do demonstration piece (by MM 9-Jan-17)
+* Ellie Winter (by MM 9-Jan-17)
 ==Maintenance==

Difference between revisions of "Laser Cutter"