Laser Cutting

For our first practical of the semester,  we did laser cutting!! This is my first time using & seeing a laser cutting machine in person, so I am VERY eager to learn more about it 👽

These are the different types of laser cutting machine available in our school's FabLab:

Laser cutters create patterns and designs by cutting into materials. It uses a powerful laser 💥 beam that is thin and focused to melt, burn, vaporize, or cut custom designs onto the material of choice. 

This then brings us to 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. Materials can catch fire during the laser cutting process	If the fire is big, use the fire extinguisher in the FabLab or any nearest fire extinguisher you can find
2. Residue can pose a fire hazard	Make sure to turn on the air assist before starting the cutting job to debris formed around the laser head
3. Accumulation of fumes and gases can cause fire and breathing hazards	Make sure to turn on the fume extractor to prevent gases and fumes from accumulating
4. Small flames are to be expected when cutting the material	Open the lid to stop the cutting process. Blow on the flame if you are comfortable to extinguish it

In addition to knowing the hazards present when performing laser cutting, we should also know what are the appropriate materials that can be cut, as using the wrong materials can be dangerous 💀🚑🚩

✅ Approved materials ✅	Pictures
Paper/ White cards
Cardboard
Balsa wood
Acrylic
Plywood

⛔ Prohibited materials ⛔	Pictures
PVC
Metal
Foam
Rubber

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Steps to operate a laser cutter (for universal laser cutter) :

Starting the compressor, turning on the laser cutter machine and fume extractor
1.	Switch on the power for the laser cutter, air assist & extractor T1442 : MAKERSPACE : Switches for fume extractor:

Importing a .DXF file to coreldraw and modify the lines/fill for cutting and engraving
1.	Importing file from Fusion to Corel-Draw : Select File > Import > Select your .DXF file and press import
2.	Changing the line colour/width to meet laser cutting requirement (vector cut or engrave) : Double click on pen tool on the bottom right hand corner to change settings  →   Click on the colour drop down list to change the line colour. Ensure that the colour type is RGB.   Change the line width to hairline (vector cutting & vector engraving) or none (for engraving)  Vector cut  Engrave Vector engrave  Pen outline colour RGB red  *(R:255 G:0 B:0)* RGB green *(R:0 G:255 B:0)* RGB green  *(R:0 G:255 B:0)*  Line width  Hairline None  Hairline Fill None  Green  None  Filling colour to meet laser cutting requirement (only engraving) : Click on the fill tool on the bottom right hand corner               Ensure colour mode is RGB and select wanted colour

Sending the coreldraw drawing to laser cutter software and setting the laser cutter power, speed, and PPI in the software
1.	Click on File > Print
2.	Click on the cogwheel and click “load”
3.	Select the presets that matches material type and thickness and select “open”
4.	Check the power, speed, and PPI before sending it for cut  *** Also ensure that the mode of the colours (red & green) is “Rast/Vect” ***
5.	Click “Apply”, “Ok”, then “Print”

Starting the job on the laser cutter machine
1.	Click on UCP (Universal Control Panel) on the taskbar
2.	Use the tools to check coordinates of the laser pointer so as to ensure that the laser beam is focused on the desired position of the material
4.	Activate the machine (red button)
5.	Close the lid gently
6.	Start the print by either pressing the green button or the green button on the machine itself

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DOS and DON'TS when there's a flame/ fire 🔥🧯on the material being cut

DO	Pictures
If the fire is small, blow at it to put it out
If the fire is severe and uncontrollable, use a fire extinguisher
Open up the cover of the laser cutter to stop the cutting immediately
Hit the emergency button

DON’T	Pictures
Do not use fire extinguisher if the fire is small

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Learning reflection on the laser cutter activities:

For this practical, we were tasked to come up with our own SOP to operate the laser cutting machine during our competency test. Initially, it felt daunting 😐as there were a lot of instructions given and I have no idea how a laser cutter works.

However, I still managed to get my SOP done after going through the packages on Brightspace. There was also a video on how to use the software CorelDraw. You can say that the video saved me because it helped me visualize the instructions given 👻

Before taking the competency test, I re-read my SOP and re-watched the video again and again because I was worried that I would mess up during the test. Given that I have no experience in using the software previously, and that I only learned about it through a video and chunks of words, it was only reasonable that I felt nervous 😔😅

After the test, I was relieved that I could successfully print out a design and I do not have to retake the test. To my surprise, the whole process was actually very straightforward and manageable 👍. The software was not as complicated as I imagined it to be and more importantly, I finally had a chance to operate the laser cutter machine by myself. Although there might still be some areas that I have to improve on, I had fun during the practical. 

I think that laser cutting is a fast way to do prototyping as there is not much waiting time ⏰needed. I have also heard a lot about laser cutter being used widely in the working industry from my father. He often share that there are several laser cutting machines at his workshop and he, together with his colleagues, would use it to cut materials that are needed for their project works. I hope that one day, I will be skilled enough to make him a gift using through the use of laser cutting. 🎁👹