Laser Cutting: Difference between revisions

The laser room is equiped with a Trotec Speedy 300, 80W, CO₂ laser capable of cutting, engraving, and marking a variety of materials. Two Windows desktop computers with Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape are available for preparing laser job files.

The Laser Basic Use & Safety class is a required certification to use this machine.

[[File:Trotec Speedy 300 Laser Cutter.jpg|thumb|alt=Trotec Speedy 300 laser cutter and engraver|Trotec Speedy 300 laser cutter and engraver]]

A majority of questions about the laser can be answered in the manual. Please consult the manual if you need help and no one is around to provide an answer.

[https://itee.uq.edu.au/files/6777/Speedy-300-Manual-EN.pdf Manufacturer's Manual]

* Bitmap - Representation of an image as bits of information (pixels); used to allow logos/stencils to be changed into colors.

* Vector - Representation of an image as shapes, rather than bits; used to allow logos/stencils to be modified as objects.

Cut lines in file should be drawn with a width of 0.001 mm.

The only software that is able to run the Laser is the manufacturers [https://www.troteclaser.com/en-us/laser-machines/laser-software/jobcontrol/ Trotec Job Control]

In the case of whatever computer controlling the laser breaks down, a backup of the JobControl ISO is backed up to the internal Fat Cat Fab Lab Google Drive, and can be reinstalled from that.

These listed materials are tested and approved by Fat Cat Fab Lab for lasering. Not every material on this list can be laser cut, some can only be engraved or marked--see "Considerations / Uses" for details.

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Do NOT laser any of these materials. It can cause harm to the machine and any human being in the area.

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Never leave the laser unattended while in operation! Materials can catch fire so the laser must always be used with attention by the operator and they must stay present in the laser room.

We have 2" (default) and 4" focal length lenses.

* Make sure your job is smaller than 27" x 17"

* Make sure you're sending your job in the correct orientation.

* Make sure you don't have overlapping cut lines. This can be caused by using the "Paste in Place" function in Illustrator.

* In Illustrator:

** Select your vectors and bring up the color dialog. Edit menu -> Edit Colors -> RGB

* Check that the air filter is working, by manually toggling the air filter power button. On the airfilter console, this button's icon is a circle with a line through it. If it's not running, stop working and notify the #laser Slack channel or the Board.

[https://www.troteclaser.com/en-us/knowledge/tips-for-laser-users/cleaning-lenses/ Manufacturer Instructions ]

The air filter has 5 different layers and usually the top fiberglass one needs cleaning about every 2 weeks, depending on usage.

* Fiberglass

A replacement can be found on eBay for much less than it can be purchased from Trotec.

Re-assemble frame.

The laser setup is a bit clunky since we're making it so that multiple computers can use a single laser, which is not a normal feature of Trotec JobControl. This section attempts to describe the setup so it can be recreated as necessary,