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Location

The Laser Cutter is in the OEDK Room 111, right next to the 3D printer.

Charging Use Time

The Laser Cutter is technically under the shared equipment authority and requires the user to have fund and group number in order to use.


Modes Of Operation

Raster vs. Vector


Rubber Stamp Mode


Using Multiple Modes in the same File


Important Settings

Speed and Power

Unless you are popping off many, many parts the speed setting of the laser cutter is more like a modifier coefficient to the power since the laser cutter makes its cuts relatively quick regardless of the speed setting. Imagine the laser cutter is to power 70, but is going really slowly. That power now has more time to "soak in" to the material and cut deeper (and possible wider). If the laser cutter is set to the same power but to a higher speed the cutting laser will only be over any particular spot for a very short period of time and hence may only scratch the surface.

While this may make it seem like the speed should always be as slow as possible it is also important to note that if the laser sits in one place for too long and it cuts all the way through the material on the bed, the laser will begin to scatter off of the honeycomb and aluminum backing. This can cause pits and scratches on the back of your material. Care should therefore be taken to optimize the speed for maximum penetration whilst avoiding unnecessarily long soak times. This setting varies on the material and thickness being cut. Precomputed tables for optimal speed and power settings have been provided in the  Tables  section.


Backlash

Since the laser cutter is not a perfect machine it is susceptible to backlash. The laser head builds up considerable momentum at high speeds, since the machine is not bolted to the floor this can cause the entire machine to shift in one direction or another. While not a problem for most cuts, if great accuracy is needed this should be taken into account.

Effects of Too Much Speed

Effects of Too Much Power


Gas Assist


DPI

 Useful for making smooth circles. The Higher the DPI the smoother the shape comes out. Also usually slows down speed of cut.

Training Materials

[Link to youtube oedk training video]

Supported Materials

Wood

    • Ply Wood -- (How many layers)
    • Hardwood
    • Particle Board


Plastic

    • Acrylic -- sizes
    • ABS -- Sizes


Paper

Foam


Printing From Programs

We suggest you export your file to an Adobe Illustrator file if possible. Most drawing programs will be able to export to an illustrator file. If you can not do this then simple export to one of the vector file formats (svg, eps, ai). DO NOT just take a screen shot or try to print a rastered picture (jpg, png, bmp, etc). The laser cutter needs a vector file to correctly cut things. You can go through the vectorization process to turn a rastered image into a vector set, but the results are never perfect. Export to vector to ensure a good cut. 

Adobe Illustrator


AutoCAD

SolidWorks

Materials

The laser is generally good for anything that isn't metal. Remember that it works by heating the material up very quickly with the laser. If the material doesn't heat well, it probably won't cut well.

  • ABS Plastic
  • Acrylic Plastic
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