Laser Cutting

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:

1. Starting the compressor, turning on the laser cutter machine and fume extractor.

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

3. Sending the coreldraw drawing to laser cutter software and setting the laser cutter power, speed, PPI in the software.

4. Starting the job on the laser cutter machine.

5. 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. Fire hazards caused by the materials being burnt by the laser cutter	Fire extinguishers are placed at the entrance of the lab in case of a fire outbreak Students are also briefed in how to use a fire extinguisher if the need arises
2. Potential damage to eyes when looking directly into laser cutter	Students are told to not look directly into the laser cutter
3. Accumulation of smoke or gases in the laser cutter when the laser cutter is in use	A smoke extractor is used to remove the gases when the laser cutter is in use to prevent accumulation Students are also told to switch on the smoke extractor before they use the laser cutter
4. The lens of the laser cutter could crack of the lens is dirty	Students are to check if the lens is dirty and to inform the lab-in-charge if it is cracked	(Cracked laser cutter lens)

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

Material	Photo of material
1. Acrylic (<5mm)
2. Plywood (<5mm)
3. Cardboard (<5mm)

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. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

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

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

Steps and description	Photos to support the description
Locate the switches for the air compressor and the fume extractor
Switch on the power for the laser cutter

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

Steps and description	Photos to support the description
Select file > import > select your .DXF file and press import
Adjust the settings to make either a vector cut, vector engrave or engrave
Add in the fill colour

3. 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 the description
Click on File > Print and click on the cogwheel for settings
Click on LOAD to access more material settings and elect the presets that matches your material type and thickness and select open
Adjust the Power, Speed, PPI and Z axis and once done, click OK	POWER: describes the output power of the laser. For thicker materials, higher power is needed, whereas lower values are used for materials like paper. SPEED: describes the movement of the laser head. Fast speeds lead to short exposure times, slow speeds lead to long exposure times. PPI: 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 higher the frequency, the more heat it creates while cutting which can cause melting or charring on certain materials, Z-Axis: set as the material height for optimal focus point

4. Starting the job on the laser cutter machine.

Steps and description	Photos to support the description
Using the built-in ruler, check the horizontal and vertical side of the ruler and using the 'Move' tool, move the object to an empty space of the material
With the lid still open, click as close as possible to the bottom right and top left corner of the file to ensure that the object is within the safe area cutting area
When the material is placed appropriately, shut the lid gently and either press the PLAY button on the UCP (Universal Control Panel) or the physical button on the laser cutter

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

DOs and DONTs	Photos to support the description
DOS:  - Lift the lid of the laser cutter and stop the cutting procedure - Try putting out the fire by blowing it out if the fire is negligible - If the fire is unable to blow off, remove the material from the laser cutter, place it on the floor and step on it - If the fire is incontrollable, go to the nearest fire extinguisher and put it out. Notify the staff immediately.
DON'T -Leave the fire unattended and leave the laser cutter running

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

On our first lesson back from our semester break, Mr Chua told us that we would be using a laser cutter. Upon hearing that, I was quite excited as I would be able to learn how to use a new equipment and considering how much fun I had when we had to use the 3D printer last semester for ICPD, I couldn't wait for the practical lesson. However, before we could use the laser cutter, since it was a new equipment that we would be handling, we first had to pass an online quiz, which was quite easy, and had to make our own SOP for our face-to-face test. 

Once I heard this, I started to get quite worried as if I failed the physical test, I wouldn't be able to use the laser cutter. Mr Chua could sense our worries and told us that there was a Universal SOP that we could refer to when making our own SOP. When I checked the Universal SOP, all my worries were gone since the Universal SOP was very straight forward and systematic with all the steps provided in order with pictures included. This made making my SOP quite easy since all the information needed was already provided.

Now comes the actual day of the physical quiz. I was quite nervous upon entering the Fablab as I wasn't sure of how hard or easy the test would be. While waiting for my turn, I was looking through my SOP to ensure that I wasn't missing out any crucial information. When it was my turn, our accessor Mr Louis, gave us a final briefing on how to use the laser cuter before we sat for the test. I took that time to clarify any doubts I had since I was the first one in my group to be tested. During the test, Mr Louis was very helpful as he would clarify any doubts or would help me if I happened to be stuck or unsure. In the end, my whole class managed to pass. Thank god!!

Overall, the whole experience was quite fun, from making my own SOP to actually operating the laser cutter. Mr Louis gave my class come general feedback which I found to be quite useful. He mentioned that we should be more confident as we had our SOP next to us. He also mentioned that most of us didn't even refer to our SOP when doing the test and looking back, I realized that I didn't even use my SOP which I found quite funny as I spent quite some time doing it. Even after passing the test, I knew that I wasn't confident when I was using the laser cutter which Mr Louis pointed out to me when I was doing the test. Comparing the laser cutter to the 3D printer last semester, I didn't really understand the laser cutter as deeply as I did with the 3D printer but since it is my first time, I felt that it was quite acceptable. I am very much looking forward to the next time I have to use the laser cutter and coming from this initial experience, I guess it's only up from here!!!

Thanks for reading up till here and stay tuned for my next blog!!!