Laser Cutter: Difference between revisions

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'''
= Welcome To Unallocated Space's Laser Cutter Wiki Page! =
= Welcome To Unallocated Space's Laser Cutter Wiki Page! =
'''


This page was created by Honey_Badger to document his trials and tribulations of learning how to utilize Unallocated Space's laser cutter. Here you will find the following information:
= Laser Information =
Model: Full Spectrum Laser Muse


* DOs and DO NOTs
Laser Tube Power: 45 Watt CO2 Laser Tube
* Laser Information (Make, Model, etc...)
* Materials Settings (Wood, Leather, Acrylic, etc...)
* Basic Checklist To Follow When Operating The Laser Cutter.


= DOs and DO NOTs =
Working Area: 20" x 12"


Web Interface: http://laser.uas.run/designer
= Getting Started =
== DOs and DO NOTs ==
* DO - Ask for help your first time
* DO - Check That The Mens Bathroom Fan Is '''ON'''
* DO - Check That The Mens Bathroom Fan Is '''ON'''
* DO NOT - Attempt To Lift The Lid While The Laser Is Cutting
* DO - Focus The Laser With The Puck To The Material You're Cutting/Engraving
* DO - Focus The Laser With The Puck To The Material You're Cutting/Engraving
* DO - Be careful with the touch screen
* DO NOT - Cut/Engrave Materials Listed Under The "Prohibited Materials" List
* DO NOT - Cut/Engrave Materials Listed Under The "Prohibited Materials" List
* DO NOT - Attempt To Lift The Lid While The Laser Is Cutting
* DO NOT - Bend the material platform
* DO NOT - Factory Reset the laser


= Laser Cutter Information =
== Safety ==
Model: Full Spectrum Laser Muse
* [https://fslaser.com/blog/five-safety-tips-for-laser-cutters/| Five Safety Tips for Laser Cutters]
Laser Tube Power: 45 Watt CO2 Laser Tube
Working Area: 20" x 12"


= Material Settings =
== Good things to know ==
* Full Spectrum Laser [https://fslaser.com/laser-101/| Laser 101]
* [https://www.xometry.com/resources/sheet/types-of-laser-cutters/| Types of Lasers]
** CO2 Laser
** Fiber Laser
** Direct Diode Laser
* [https://www.xtool.com/blogs/xtool-academy/raster-vs-vector-engraving| Vector vs Raster] - [https://www.xtool.com/blogs/xtool-academy/raster-vs-vector-engraving| Movement examples]
** Vector is primarily used for cutting a material but can be used for engraving outlines
*** SVG
*** Some PDFs
** Raster is used for engraving
*** jpg/jpeg
*** Some PDFs


{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1" align="center" class="wikitable"
== Starting the Laser ==
!colspan="3"|Prohibited Materials
# Turn on Men's Bathroom fan
|-
## Lock the switch if the cover is installed
! Material
# Flip switch on power strip behind laser
! DANGER!
# Wait for Laser to boot
! Cause/Consequence
# Click Agree after reading the warning on the Touch Screen
|-
# Load the [http://laser.uas.run/designer Web Interface]
| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/vinyl/pleather/artificial leather
## DO NOT FACTORY RESET
| Emits chlorine gas when cut!
| Don't ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, causes the metal of the machine to corrode as chlorine is released and ruins the motion control system.
|-
| Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan
| Cuts very poorly discolors, catches fire
| Polycarbonate is often found as flat, sheet material. The window of the laser cutter is made of Polycarbonate because ''polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation!'' This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a poor choice for laser cutting.  It creates long stringy clouds of soot that float up, ruins the optics and messes up the machine.
|-
| ABS
| Melts / Cyanide
| ABS does not cut well in a laser cutter. It tends to melt rather than vaporize and has a higher chance of catching on fire and leaving behind melted gooey deposits on the vector cutting grid. It also does not engrave well (again, tends to melt).  Cutting ABS plastic emits hydrogen cyanide, which is unsafe at any concentration.
|-
| HDPE/milk bottle plastic
| Catches fire and melts
| It melts. It gets gooey. It catches fire. Don't use it.
|-
| PolyStyrene Foam
| Catches fire
| It catches fire quickly, burns rapidly, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!
|-
| PolyPropylene Foam
| Catches fire
| Like PolyStyrene, it melts, catches fire, and the melted drops continue to burn and turn into rock-hard drips and pebbles.
|-
| Epoxy
| burn/smoke
| Epoxy is an aliphatic resin, strongly cross-linked carbon chains.  A CO2 laser can't cut it, and the resulting burned mess creates toxic fumes ( like cyanide! ).  Items coated in Epoxy, or cast Epoxy resins must not be used in the laser cutter. ( see Fiberglass )
|-
| Fiberglass
| Emits fumes
| It's a mix of two materials that cant' be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes)
|-
| Coated Carbon Fiber
| Emits noxious fumes
| A mix of two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying - but not when coated.
|-
| Any foodstuff ( such as meat, seaweed 'nori' sheets, cookie dough, bread, tortillas... )
| The laser is not designed to cut food, and people cut things that create poisonous/noxious substances such as wood smoke and acrylic smoke.
| If you want to cut foodstuffs, consider sponsoring a food-only laser cutter for the space that is kept as clean as a commercial kitchen would require.
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1"
== Capturing Bed Image ==
!colspan="7"|Vector Cutting
# Move the laser towards the middle of the build area while still being over your material
|-
# Place the black puck or taped stack of quarters under the laser nozzle
! Material
# Click the capture image button
! Max Thickness
## Web Interface - Camera icon in the 3rd Toolbar group
! Speed
## Touch Screen - Camera Capture button
! Power
# Remove the puck or quarters before you start cutting
! Current
! Passes
! Notes/Warnings
|-
| Most Woods
| 1/4"
| 30
| 70 - 80
| 35 - 40
| 2 - 3
| Avoid oily/resinous woods
|-
| Acrylics
| 1/2"
| 80
| 35
| 100
| 6 - 9
| These numbers are intentionally low. With less power and more passes the better the cut will turn out. Higher power/current will cut with fewer passes, however, the acrylic may overheat and chip along the cut line. If you find yourself with small chips along the cut, lower the power/current and up the passes.
|-
| Paper
| < 0.1 mm
| 100
| Like, 1
| 50
| 1
| Cuts nice and quickly.
|-
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1"
= Materials =
!colspan="7"| Blank's Raster settings in beta
For detailed material cautions and settings, please check [[laser materials|HERE]]
|-
 
! Material  
[https://fslaser.com/material-test/| Material Test files]
! Texture
 
! Power
== Good Materials to Use ==
! Speed
* Wood (up to 1/4")
! Blur
** Basswood
! Edge
** Balsa
! One Passes
** Birch
! Notes/Warnings
* Acrylic
|-
** Make sure it is not poly-carbonate/Lexan
| Most Woods
* Paper
| almost smooth
* Cork
| 30
* Glass (for etching)
| 70 - 80
* Leather (Authentic only)
| 35 - 40
 
| 2 - 3
== Prohibited Materials ==
| Avoid oily/resinous woods
* PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/vinyl/pleather/artificial leather
|-
** PLA can contain PVC and thus is also not recommend to be laser cut
| Cork
* Thick ( >1mm ) Poly-carbonate/Lexan
| Not burned
* ABS
| 10 (15 if not dark enough)
* HDPE/milk bottle plastic
| 100
* Polystyrene Foam
| -
* Polypropylene Foam
| -
* Epoxy
|
* Fiberglass
|-
* Coated Carbon Fiber
| Glass etching
* Any foodstuff
| Looks good during condensation
| 45
| 80
| -
| -
|
|
| Leather
| Black etch
| 30
| 100
| -
| -
|}


= Rotary =
= Rotary =
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9) Place images/shapes in the UI.  
9) Place images/shapes in the UI.  
10) VERIFY that the orientation of the material is consistent with the orientation of the rotary.
10) VERIFY that the orientation of the material is consistent with the orientation of the rotary.
= Maintenence =
* How to align the mirrors - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln_VayQBWc4| Video]
* How to align the mirrors (Archived) - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKdp_mEwdJw| Video]


= Coming Soon =
= Coming Soon =
* Vector Engraving/Etching vs Raster Engraving
* File types and when to use them
* File types and when to use them
* Using the laser cutters web interface
* Using the laser cutters web interface
* Maintenance?
* Using the rotary attachment?
* Using the rotary attachment?
* Formal Training?
* Formal Training?
[[Category:Station]]

Latest revision as of 06:10, 16 April 2024

Welcome To Unallocated Space's Laser Cutter Wiki Page!

Laser Information

Model: Full Spectrum Laser Muse

Laser Tube Power: 45 Watt CO2 Laser Tube

Working Area: 20" x 12"


Web Interface: http://laser.uas.run/designer

Getting Started

DOs and DO NOTs

  • DO - Ask for help your first time
  • DO - Check That The Mens Bathroom Fan Is ON
  • DO - Focus The Laser With The Puck To The Material You're Cutting/Engraving
  • DO - Be careful with the touch screen
  • DO NOT - Cut/Engrave Materials Listed Under The "Prohibited Materials" List
  • DO NOT - Attempt To Lift The Lid While The Laser Is Cutting
  • DO NOT - Bend the material platform
  • DO NOT - Factory Reset the laser

Safety

Good things to know

Starting the Laser

  1. Turn on Men's Bathroom fan
    1. Lock the switch if the cover is installed
  2. Flip switch on power strip behind laser
  3. Wait for Laser to boot
  4. Click Agree after reading the warning on the Touch Screen
  5. Load the Web Interface
    1. DO NOT FACTORY RESET

Capturing Bed Image

  1. Move the laser towards the middle of the build area while still being over your material
  2. Place the black puck or taped stack of quarters under the laser nozzle
  3. Click the capture image button
    1. Web Interface - Camera icon in the 3rd Toolbar group
    2. Touch Screen - Camera Capture button
  4. Remove the puck or quarters before you start cutting

Materials

For detailed material cautions and settings, please check HERE

Material Test files

Good Materials to Use

  • Wood (up to 1/4")
    • Basswood
    • Balsa
    • Birch
  • Acrylic
    • Make sure it is not poly-carbonate/Lexan
  • Paper
  • Cork
  • Glass (for etching)
  • Leather (Authentic only)

Prohibited Materials

  • PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/vinyl/pleather/artificial leather
    • PLA can contain PVC and thus is also not recommend to be laser cut
  • Thick ( >1mm ) Poly-carbonate/Lexan
  • ABS
  • HDPE/milk bottle plastic
  • Polystyrene Foam
  • Polypropylene Foam
  • Epoxy
  • Fiberglass
  • Coated Carbon Fiber
  • Any foodstuff

Rotary

= Jellys Lessons learned

  • Always run a perimeter before cutting
  • Do move the laser "up and down" before every print to verify that the laser is aligned to the center of your material.
  • Enable rotary in web UI by going to Settings and something in the second tab. The UI on the engraver doesn't alwatys work.
  • Do always align your material with the buck. Also check the level of your item. You always want to cut at a consistent level. ESPECIALLY important when working on glasses that are inherently uneven.
  • It doesn't matter where you place your stencil/image/shapes in the laser engraver software. The SIZE is what matters.

= How to use?

1) Remove existing bed. Insert some wood about 4 inches thick

2) Insert rotary and connect 4 pin molex like connector

3) Switch Muse to rotary mode in web ui

4) Place material to cut on rotary. Modify the 12 knobs such that your material is consistently level.

5) Cry on the inside and outside because it's really hard to do all of this manually.

6) Use the left <-> right move buttons we typically use to move the laser, to now rotate your material.

  • Watch the back of your material to make sure it doesn't "lift up" (super important with lighter materials).

7) Place laser over center of material, or wherever you intent to center your cut.

8) Calibrate laser height with puck.

9) Place images/shapes in the UI. 10) VERIFY that the orientation of the material is consistent with the orientation of the rotary.

Maintenence

  • How to align the mirrors - Video
  • How to align the mirrors (Archived) - Video

Coming Soon

  • File types and when to use them
  • Using the laser cutters web interface
  • Using the rotary attachment?
  • Formal Training?
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