Laser Cutting

Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is a process in which a high-power laser is used to cut through materials. In this process, a high-density beam is created by stimulating lasing material with an electrical discharge, within an enclosed container. Optics are used to focus the created laser beam onto the workpiece, effectively cutting it by melting, vaporizing, to burning through it.

The laser cutter that is used in our school FAB lab is the CO2 laser cutter. There are two options for the laser cutter, vector and engrave.  Vector means to cut through the material and engrave is cut the patterns on the surface of the material. 

In the SP fab lab, I got a chance to operate this CO2 laser cutter.  but before I start the laser cutting machine. Safety is the most important thing that needs to be considered. Thus, when we want to use the laser cutter, we need to be well prepared and develop a standard  operation procedure (SOP)

EPILOG PRO LASER CUTTER  SOP

Purpose 

The laser cutter is to be used for the cutting of materials for academic or research purposes for the staff or students of the School of Chemical Engineering.  

Scope 

The Epilog Pro Laser Cutter should be operated only by trained personnel who have read this SOP. The risk assessment and manufacturer’s manual are also available locally and trained operators should also make themselves familiar with the contents of same. The overall risk of injury to the user is low once all control measures are implemented, but the incorrect operation of the machine may result in damage to the machine which could be prohibitively expensive to repair. This SOP is compiled with the best and most up to date information available at the time of writing. It is the responsibility of the user to update themselves with the best and most up to date information at the time of use of the device.

 

Safety

Do’s	Don’ts
Long Hair -        Females to tie up long hair. -        Males to pin up long fringe.	Do not have anything around your neck (e.g., lanyard, necklace etc) as these objects might get caught in the laser cutting machine when closing it.
Open the laser cutter cover fully.	Do not use materials that contains Chlorine or Foam.
Ensure that the LED of both “L” and “R” button on the laser cutter machine is on before starting.	Do not cut or engrave metal materials.
Ensure that the top cover is closed whilst the machine is operating.	Do not put your head into the laser cutter machine.
Always monitor cutting during operation.	Do not slam the cover of the laser cutter machine when closing.
If there is a small fire, stop the laser cutting process, open the lid and blow out the fire or remove material from laser cutter.	Do not assume that the LED of the laser cutter machine is faulty.
If there is a huge fire, stop the laser cutting process, open the lid and use fire extinguisher.	Do not lean your body over the laser cutter when the machine is cutting.
If material cannot be cut through, stop and check the focus lens as it might be dirty.	Do not look at the laser when the machine is cutting as it may spoil your eyesight.
-	Do not leave the laser system unsupervised when in operation.

 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

 

Start-Up 

Step 1: Turn on the fume extractor by pressing the On/Off button.

Step 2: Turn on the Epilog Fusion Pro

Since the Epilog Fusion Pro has installed the air compressor inside the machine. Once the machine is turned on,  the air compressor is automatically on

　Step 3: Wait until the laser cutter finishes initialization.  

　Step 4: Measure the material thickness.

     Step 5: Proceed to the computer.

 

Operation

Step 1: Click on File. Start a new page in CorelDraw. Import Fusion360 (.DXF file, SVG file), online resources (downloaded DXF/SVG file), or image file (BMP, JPEG, PNG) into CorelDraw.

Step 2: Click on the sketch to select the outline of the sketch.

Step 3: Click the fill button at the bottom right.

Step 4:Set line weight, colour and fill depending on your requirements. For vector cut, fill the colour to red(R:255, G:0, B:0) and hairline for the line weight. For engrave cut, fill the colour to green (R:0, G:255, B:0) and no line weight.

Step 5: Click on print. A new interface will be shown. 

Step 6:  Place the material into Epilog pro.

Step 7: To change the location of the cutting on the material, move the outline of the cutting on CorelDraw to your desired location and the laser cutter will respond accordingly. Adjust the position by looking at the built-in camera.  

Step 8: On Epilog Dashboard, Choose Auto Focus: Thickness 

Step 9: On the right side of the screen. Select the material used and the thickness.

Step 10: Click on print

Step 11: To Cut, check your file name and estimated time to cut on the LED Touch screen. Once confirmed, press the PLAY button.

Step 12: After the printing is done. Wait for 1 min before taking out the product from the machine.  

Shutdown

Step 1: Open the lid fully and remove the finished pieces from the honeycomb bed.  

Step 2: Remove and dispose all the waste materials.  

Step 3: Close the lid of the laser cutter gently. 

Step 4: Shutdown the laser cutter. 

Step 6:  Turn off the Fume Extractor by pressing the ON/OFF button

Step 5: Shutdown the PC 

 

 

Personally, I had learned a lot of things in laser cutting but most importantly, I learned how to operate the laser cutting machine safely. This means I can convert my imagination products to a real thing by design using Fusion 360 and be able to laser cut any design that I want to make. I will use laser cutting in my CO detector project. I believe that I am able to apply the parameter design and the idea of the kerf when I use laser cutting.👍