Revision as of 16:00, 30 January 2012

Calendar

• January 31 2012, 7:00pm - 9:00pm: Lazzor Cutter Class - Learn to use our Lazzor Cutter!

Overview

This is How to Use the laser cutter.

SAFETY

• Treat the Laser Cutter like an angry cobra and you should be just fine.
  • As long as the safety mechanisms are working the laser is perfectly safe. If you defeat the magnetic safety interlock switch and run the laser with the case open, then you are exposing yourself to Class 4 Laser Radiation and you deserve what you get. Class 4 means that a coherent reflection can cause "DEVASTATING AND PERMANENT" eye damage with less than 1/100th second exposure, and even diffuse reflections are harmful within a certain distance. Add to that the fact that this is an infrared laser, which means the beam is invisible, and it falls more along the lines of an angry radioactive cobra. DO. NOT. DEFEAT. THE. SAFETY. INTERLOCK.
• Do Not Adjust The Current via the Control Knob. Use the Software Settings.
  • DO NOT run the laser at greater than 15mA. Doing so will shorten the life span.
    • >20mA will drastically shorten the lifespan.
    • Replacement laser tubes are $300 a piece. Don't be a doofus.
• The big red E-STOP button is there for a reason. Use it if things go awry.

40W Full Spectrum Deluxe Hobby Laser

link

HAVE A PATTERN TO CUT (the computer has internet and a couple of programs for editing images)

1. Turn on the Laser and dedicated Laser Control Computer via Power Splitter. (classy? yes!)
2. Make sure the Laser Control Computer boots into Windows, it really wants to be a linux box.
3. Transfer the Pattern to the LCC
4. On the Taskbar, click the RetinaEngrave icon (it looks like a blue triangle)
5. When it has loaded, check to see that it is connected to the Laser Cutter (bottom left corner should say "Connected")
   1. Minimize it
6. Open the Pattern
   1. Inkscape is suggested for Vector Mode
   2. Corel Draw is available, as is GIMP and a number of other programs
7. Print the Pattern and make sure the "Full Spectrum Engineering Driver" is the selected printer
8. RetinaEngrave should receive the pattern.
9. See the table below for RetinaEngrave settings
10. Insert the Material to be cut.
    1. Set the Laser's height based on the ruler. (picture below)
       1. Manually turn the height adjust wheel to raise or lower the bed.
    2. Be sure to click the "Perimeter" button in Retina engrave to verify that the Material is properly spaced, move the laser head as needed.
11. Click the "Go" button to begin cutting.
    1. You can do a test run by leaving the door open. The laser head will move, but the laser will not engage.

WHEN YOU ARE DONE

1. There is a 'Shutdown' link on the desktop that turns the computer off
2. Flip the power button on the Power Splitter
3. Blow the water out of the Laser Tube in the Orange Bucket (to prevent freezing)

Retina Engrave Power Settings

• High Density Fiberboard (HDF) 1/8"
  • Vector Mode: POWER: 100% | SPEED: 90% | NUM CUTS: 30 to 35

Vector Cutting Setting Suggestions

S= Speed
P= Power
R= Number of repetitions

A Note About Height Settings:

blah blah blah, I need to fill this in

Acrylic: 1/4"

S:30
P:100
R:2

Tempered Fiberboard: 3/8"

S:30
P:100
R:3

Cardstock: 110 lb, white

Cutting
S:100
P:10
R:1

Fold Lines
S:100
P:0.2-0.5
R:1
Other Instructions: In Pepakura, set the dotted line settings to be ~ Line= 0.1, Gap= 0.5 for the mountain/valley fold lines. This will produce a nice dotted line down to even very small scales and doesn't burn too much material, so the joint still remains fairly strong.
Reminder: When cutting out Pepakura shapes, make the cut lines and the fold lines different colors so they'll show up as separate layers in RasterEngrave's vector setup screen.

Software Notes

Inkscape

Making perforated lines:

(for creating perforated fold lines on cardstock paper)

1. Draw the lines
2. Select the line you want to be perforated
3. Got to "Object->Fill and Stroke"
4. Under "Stroke Style" set:
   • Width = 0.1mm (remember to set unit to mm in the box next to it)
   • Dashes = 5th to 7th dashed line down in the selection box
5. go to "Extensions->Modify Path->Convert to Dashes"
   • try to do this as close to printing as possible, as moving and editing the lines after you convert to dashes is a pain in the ass inconvenient.

• Suggested laser settings: S:100% P:0.5-10% (0.5% will make perforations most of the way through the page. 10% will go all the way through. Both usually leave enough material between the holes to maintain material strength, but sometimes the higher power one can be easier to fold, though slightly weaker. Tweak depending on how close your dots are, application, and personal preference. My personal preference is 0.5)

Proposed Upgrades

Beam Combiner

Function: Combines the aiming laser beam in with the cutting laser beam. This makes the aiming laser take the same path as the cutting laser and pass through the lens aperture. This takes the beam from a slopy 0.25" beam that shoots in from the side to a very tight 0.001" beam that comes from the cutting aperture and illuminates the exact spot the cutting beam will hit.
Use: I think it would be especially useful for precision alignment of work or for jobs that require multiple stages. (ex: print a design off on a normal printer, then line the laser cutter up to precisely cut out the pattern)
Cost: $300
Current Pledges:

• Candleknight: $100-150

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