SLQ Wiki facilities:fablab:equipment-cots:rayjet300

Active Carbon Absorption of Chemicals

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:11 +0000

Active Carbon Absorption of Chemicals

The Atmos 500 uses a three stage process to remove airborne contaminants. The first stage filters large particles, the second and activated carbon bed, the third is a HEPA filter (small particles).

Of the three the activated carbon stage is the most important for removing smells and potentially toxic out-gasses caused by the laser cutting process, and is most critical to the operation of the fabrication lab.

While most organic compounds will adsorb on activated carbon to some degree, the adsorption process is most effective on higher molecular weight and high boiling point compounds. Compounds having a molecular weight over 50 and a boiling point greater than 50 degrees centigrade are good candidates for adsorption ¹⁾

These charts are adapted from More information about the Regeneration of Active Carbon - Lenntech

Chemicals with very high probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

2,4-D	Deisopropyltatrazine	Linuron
Alachlor	Desethylatrazine	Malathion
Aldrin	Demeton-O	MCPA
Anthracene	Di-n-butylphthalate	Mecoprop
Atrazine	1,2-Dichlorobenzene	Metazachlor
Azinphos-ethyl	1,3-Dichlorobenzene	2-Methyl benzenamine
Bentazone	1,4-Dichlorobenzene	Methyl naphthalene
Biphenil	2,4-Dichlorocresol	2-Methylbutane
2,2-Bipyridine	2,5-Dichlorophenol	Monuron
Bis(2-Ethylhexyl)Phthalate	3,6-Dichlorophenol	Napthalene
Bromacil	2,4-Dichlorophenoxy	Nitrobenzene
Bromodichloromethane	Dieldrin	m-Nitrophenol
p-Bromophenol	Diethylphthalate	o-Nitrophenol
Butylbenzene	2,4-Dinitrocresol	p-Nitrophenol
Calcium Hypochloryte	2,4-Dinitrotoluene	Ozone
Carbofuran	2,6-Dinitrotoluene	Parathion
Chlorine	Diuron	Pentachlorophenol
Chlorine dioxide	Endosulfan	Propazine
Chlorobenzene	Endrin	Simazine
4-Chloro-2-nitrotoluene	Ethylbenzene	Terbutryn
2-Chlorophenol	Hezachlorobenzene	Tetrachloroethylene
Chlorotoluene	Hezachlorobutadiene	Triclopyr
Chrysene	Hexane	1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene
m-Cresol	Isodrin	m-Xylene
Cyanazine	Isooctane	o-Xylene
Cyclohexane	Isoproturon	p-Xylene
DDT	Lindane	2,4-Xylenol

</datatables>

Chemicals with high probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

Aniline	Dibromo-3-chloropropane	1-Pentanol
Benzene	Dibromochloromethane	Phenol
Benzyl alcohol	1,1-Dichloroethylene	Phenylalanine
Benzoic acid	cis-1,2- Dichloroethylene	o-Phthalic acid
Bis(2-chloroethyl) ether	trans-1,2- Dichloroethylene	Styrene
Bromodichloromethane	1,2-Dichloropropane	1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
Bromoform	Ethylene	Toluene
Carbon tetrachloride	Hydroquinone	1,1,1-Trichloroethane
1-Chloropropane	Methyl Isobutyl Ketone	Trichloroethylene
Chlorotoluron	4-Methylbenzenamine	Vinyl acetate

Chemicals with moderate probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

For these chemicals active carbon is only effective in certain cases.

Acetic acid	Dimethoate	Methionine
Acrylamide	Ethyl acetate	Methyl-tert-butyl ether
Chloroethane	Ethyl ether	Methyl ethyl ketone
Chloroform	Freon 11	Pyridine
1,1-Dichloroethane	Freon 113	1,1,2-Trichloroethane
1,2-Dichloroethane	Freon 12	Vinyl chloride
1,3-Dichloropropene	Glyphosate
Dikegulac	Imazypur

Chemicals for which adsorption with active carbon is unlikely to be effective

However it may be viable in certain cases such as for low flow or concentrations.

Acetone	Methylene chloride
Acetonitrile	1-Propanol
Acrylonitrile	Propionitrile
Dimethylformaldehyde	Propylene
1,4-Dioxane	Tetrahydrofuran
Isopropyl alcohol	Urea
Methyl chloride

Factors that influence the performance of active carbon in air

Type of compound to be removed: In general compounds with a high molecular weight, lower vapor pressure/higher boiling point and high refractive index are better adsorbed.
Concentration: The higher the concentration, the higher the carbon consumption.
Temperature: The lower the temperature, the better the adsorption capacity.
Pressure: The higher the pressure, the better the adsorption capacity.
Humidity: The lower the humidity, the better the adsorption capacity.

1) source: Wastewater Engineering; Metcalf & Eddy; third edition; 1991; page 317|

¹⁾

www.carbtrol.com/voc.pdf|Shepard, 2001

Approval for Laser Materials

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 13:23:39 +0000

Approval for Laser Materials

All materials need to be tested to make sure they are safe to use in The Edge's Laser Cutter. Different materials can cause damage to the equipment and can be hazardous to the health and safety of the operator and other people in the Fabrication Lab.

All participants completing a Laser induction are informed of the Edge's policy that all new materials need to be approved before use in the Laser.

Users of the Laser can apply 14 days in advance to use a new material and are asked to provide a sample of the material and MSDS sheets pertaining to the material and any other treatments applied to the material.

The Latest version of the Guidelines for Laser Material Testing is always available on the wiki and is included below, along with the list of materials that Trotec recommend, and a list of compounds that are filtered readily by the extractor.

One of the compounds of concern is Formaldehyde which is found in a range of building materials (e.g. plywood, MDF) . The document below gives a good explanation of this issue and is provided on the website of our ply supplier.

http://revolutionwoodpanels.com.au/products/plywood/product/20/cd-pine-plywood.html

http://www.ewp.asn.au/library/downloads/ewpaa_formaldehyde_emmisions.pdf

²⁾

Tested materials

Premium Glitter Flake Acrylic

(Kaleidoscope Glitter Sheet)

Test Date: 08/11/2017
Test Completed by Mick Byrne / Phil Gullberg
Supplier: Acrylics Online
3mm

Technical Data

Glitter acrylic can be cut, drilled, routed, laser cut, glued, formed, hot stamped, and silk screened like any other standard acrylic sheet. It is also ideal in applications that require other acrylic products to be used in combination with the Glitter without the need for mechanical fasteners or complex adhesives.

Suede

Test Date 13 Aug 2016 Test Completed By Mick Byrne.

Suede is a material recommended by Trotech so approved the app to use this completed tests on the laser.

The first test (Far Right) was etched at the same settings as Balsa 40% power 95% speed- this was too much (sooty and could not see the gradation in the contrast bar. 2nd test (Far left) was 20% power 95% speed 3rd test (top) was 27% power 95% speed - I'd recomend somewhere between these last 2 settings

Plybrace F27 hardwood structural ply

Test Date 15 Aug 2016 Test Completed By Mick Byrne. A bunnings product name was provided by applicant and from there an MSDS was sourced for this material. This product is also certified as low Formaldehyde.

http://www.dashwoodtimber.co.nz/downloads/Structural_Plywood_Properties_&_Applications_Manual_March_2008.pdf³⁾

http://www.ewp.asn.au/library/downloads/ewpaa_formaldehyde_emmisions.pdf⁴⁾

Slate

Test Date 28 Feb 2019 Test Completed By P. Gullberg.

This material can only be engraved ,not cut using the Rayjet. Settings come directly from Trotec's website.

The bitmap gradient and title test were engraved using error diffusion. The Rayjet struggles with the deeper engravings which end up looking like the more shallow engravings. The Engrave settings text is engraved using the Trotec recommended settings. Smoke levels were average.

Engraving: 60% power 100% Speed

Japanese Polyester

Test Date Aug 2016

PETG

Copper wire test passed and OK'd for laser

Peter Musk Nov 2017

Acrylic Felt

Sourced from Spotlight. Tested (copper wire) on 15/11/17
Smoky but passed for laser cutting.

Peter Musk

Silicone Rubber 0.5mm Test Date 22 Aug 2017 Test Completed By Mick Byrne. Silicon Rubber is a material recommended for cutting on the Trotec Website. After a few cuts we arrived at the following settings

Etching 20% Power 4% Speed

Cutting 40% Power 4% Speed

Laser Cutter New Materials Testing Guide

Content

Aim
Method
1. Approval to cut flow chart
2. Notes on the flow chart
3. Copper Wire Test Procedure
4. Test Cut Procedure
References

1: Aim

The aim of this document is to provide a guideline for the testing of the cutting and etching of new materials in the Edge’s Trotec 100w CO2 Laser Cutter.

Most of the tools in The Edge Fabrication Lab have been acquired with the intention of making these available to the public so members of our community can experiment with a range of fabrication technologies.

There is also an acknowledgement that members of the public and staff will want to experiment using different materials in equipment like The Edge’s Laser Cutter.

This section outlines a process to manage the risks of health hazards and damage to equipment that could occur from cutting/ etching different materials in the Laser cutter. These are guideline only and as such, do not cover all eventualities.

When testing new materials using the laser cutter extreme caution should be used.

Management of The Edge also reserves the right to the ban the cutting / etching of certain materials found to reduce the efficiency of the machine.

2. Method

The following Flowchart describes the process an authorized supervisor can undertake to assess a new material for approval to be cut/ etched on the Edge’s Laser cutter.

A: Approval to cut flow chart

B: Notes to the Flowchart

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS/SDS) for the material. MSDS sheets can be obtained through Google searches or from http://www.msds.com. Examine the MSDS for ‘Hazards’ and ‘Hazard Identification’ sections, particularly hazards related to heating the material. For example from the Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) MSDS:
While the laser cutter is equipped with a HEPA air filter, ALL gas release may be hazardous, so any unapproved materials releasing toxic fumes may not be used without express exception permission from senior management of The Edge
If unsure of a material or the data contained within the MSDS, contact the manufacturer and enquire about laser cutting of the material

THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS ARE KNOWN TO BE HAZARDOUS AND CANNONT BE CUT

Polyvinylchloride (PVC) based materials
Materials containing melamine resins
Plastics containing Nylon
High Density Foam or other materials containing polyurethane
MDF or Plywood or other materials containing either urea- or phenol-formaldehyde
Foam-core board or other materials containing Polystyrene or Styrene
1. If you are unsure of the type of plastic you are dealing with refer to http://www.chymist.com/polymers.html or to the charts below
2. If the material is a reflective material such as a glass or mirror surface, it is recommended to cut from the non-reflective side if available

C: Copper Wire Test

Use appropriate PPE (personal respirator, eye protection)
If you haven’t performed this test before, use PVC sample in the kit to establish a positive result
Obtain a piece of copper wire about 5 cm long. Push one end of the wire into a small cork. (The cork is used as a handle so you are not touching a hot wire)
Place one plastic pellet or sample near your Bunsen burner. This is the sample you will be testing
Hold the free end of the copper wire in the burner flame until it is red hot and the flame no longer has a green color
Remove the wire from the flame and touch the hot wire to the plastic pellet or sample you will be testing. A small amount of the plastic should melt onto the wire. If the wire sticks to the plastic sample, use a pair of tongs to remove it. (You do not want to burn a large piece of plastic). Place the end of the wire, with the small amount of plastic on it, into the flame. You should see a slight flash of a luminous flame (a yellow-orange color). If the flame turns green in color, then the sample contains chlorine

- Needs sentence here about whether test is passed when chlorine is or is not present

D: Test Cut Procedure

If the material is found to be suitable for cutting, set up the material and focus the laser as per standard Edge Laser Cutter Induction procedure
In CorelDraw, create a small 20mm x 20mm square set to RED Hairline
For low density materials or materials LESS than 2mm thick:
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the RED CUTTING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 5% with a single pass
- Select skip in the BLACK ENGRAVING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this cut
- Move laser to top left corner away from material
- Remove material and examine cut. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the cut. i.e. 5/5
- If the cut did not penetrate the material completely, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive cuts next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each cut
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a complete cut is made. At this point, fine tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking notes on the test material for each cut
For high density materials or materials more than 2mm thick:
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the RED CUTTING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 5% with TWO passes
- Select skip in the BLACK ENGRAVING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this cut
- Remove material and examine cut. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the cut. i.e. 5/5
- If the cut did not penetrate the material completely, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive cuts next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each cut
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a complete cut is made. At this point, fine-tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking notes on the test material for each cut
- Once successful cuts have been made, examine the cut edges. If these are smooth and straight note down the cut settings for use. If the edges are melted or beveled / rounded, you may need to increase the passes, in which case, perform the procedure from the 5/5 % setting start again
Once settings have been found for cutting, test for engraving as follows:
- In CorelDraw, create a small 20mm x 20mm square set to filled with BLACK
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the BLACK ENGRAVING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 50%.
- Select skip in the RED CUTTING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this engrave
- Move laser to top left corner away from material
- Remove material and examine engraving. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the engrave. i.e. 5/50
- If you are not happy with the engraving, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive engraves next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each engrave
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a good deep engrave is performed. At this point, fine tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking note on the test material for each engrave
- If 100% power is reached and with 50% speed and the engrave is not sufficient, set power to 90% and reduce the speed until desire engraving depth is reached

Sections 3, 4 and 5 above all say 'perform the test again from Step 8, but there is no Step 8 - re-write needed

As with normal operation, the laser cutter must always be monitored during operation in case of smoke, fire or flare up

3: References

Harvard Fab Lab, n.d. Laser Training Checklist, Retrieved 27 May 2015 from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1198394.files/training_checklist_LASER.pdf

Active Carbon Absorption of Chemicals

The Atmos 500 uses a three stage process to remove airborne contaminants. The first stage filters large particles, the second and activated carbon bed, the third is a HEPA filter (small particles).

These charts are adapted from More information about the Regeneration of Active Carbon - Lenntech

Chemicals with very high probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

2,4-D	Deisopropyltatrazine	Linuron
Alachlor	Desethylatrazine	Malathion
Aldrin	Demeton-O	MCPA
Anthracene	Di-n-butylphthalate	Mecoprop
Atrazine	1,2-Dichlorobenzene	Metazachlor
Azinphos-ethyl	1,3-Dichlorobenzene	2-Methyl benzenamine
Bentazone	1,4-Dichlorobenzene	Methyl naphthalene
Biphenil	2,4-Dichlorocresol	2-Methylbutane
2,2-Bipyridine	2,5-Dichlorophenol	Monuron
Bis(2-Ethylhexyl)Phthalate	3,6-Dichlorophenol	Napthalene
Bromacil	2,4-Dichlorophenoxy	Nitrobenzene
Bromodichloromethane	Dieldrin	m-Nitrophenol
p-Bromophenol	Diethylphthalate	o-Nitrophenol
Butylbenzene	2,4-Dinitrocresol	p-Nitrophenol
Calcium Hypochloryte	2,4-Dinitrotoluene	Ozone
Carbofuran	2,6-Dinitrotoluene	Parathion
Chlorine	Diuron	Pentachlorophenol
Chlorine dioxide	Endosulfan	Propazine
Chlorobenzene	Endrin	Simazine
4-Chloro-2-nitrotoluene	Ethylbenzene	Terbutryn
2-Chlorophenol	Hezachlorobenzene	Tetrachloroethylene
Chlorotoluene	Hezachlorobutadiene	Triclopyr
Chrysene	Hexane	1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene
m-Cresol	Isodrin	m-Xylene
Cyanazine	Isooctane	o-Xylene
Cyclohexane	Isoproturon	p-Xylene
DDT	Lindane	2,4-Xylenol

</datatables>

Chemicals with high probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

Aniline	Dibromo-3-chloropropane	1-Pentanol
Benzene	Dibromochloromethane	Phenol
Benzyl alcohol	1,1-Dichloroethylene	Phenylalanine
Benzoic acid	cis-1,2- Dichloroethylene	o-Phthalic acid
Bis(2-chloroethyl) ether	trans-1,2- Dichloroethylene	Styrene
Bromodichloromethane	1,2-Dichloropropane	1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
Bromoform	Ethylene	Toluene
Carbon tetrachloride	Hydroquinone	1,1,1-Trichloroethane
1-Chloropropane	Methyl Isobutyl Ketone	Trichloroethylene
Chlorotoluron	4-Methylbenzenamine	Vinyl acetate

Chemicals with moderate probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

For these chemicals active carbon is only effective in certain cases.

Acetic acid	Dimethoate	Methionine
Acrylamide	Ethyl acetate	Methyl-tert-butyl ether
Chloroethane	Ethyl ether	Methyl ethyl ketone
Chloroform	Freon 11	Pyridine
1,1-Dichloroethane	Freon 113	1,1,2-Trichloroethane
1,2-Dichloroethane	Freon 12	Vinyl chloride
1,3-Dichloropropene	Glyphosate
Dikegulac	Imazypur

Chemicals for which adsorption with active carbon is unlikely to be effective

However it may be viable in certain cases such as for low flow or concentrations.

Acetone	Methylene chloride
Acetonitrile	1-Propanol
Acrylonitrile	Propionitrile
Dimethylformaldehyde	Propylene
1,4-Dioxane	Tetrahydrofuran
Isopropyl alcohol	Urea
Methyl chloride

Factors that influence the performance of active carbon in air

Type of compound to be removed: In general compounds with a high molecular weight, lower vapor pressure/higher boiling point and high refractive index are better adsorbed.
Concentration: The higher the concentration, the higher the carbon consumption.
Temperature: The lower the temperature, the better the adsorption capacity.
Pressure: The higher the pressure, the better the adsorption capacity.
Humidity: The lower the humidity, the better the adsorption capacity.

1) source: Wastewater Engineering; Metcalf & Eddy; third edition; 1991; page 317|

backup_of_laser_test.cdr

laser_engrave_calibrate.cdr

²⁾

:facilities:fablab:equipment-cots:ewpaa-formaldehyde_emmisions_fact_sheeet_1_.pdf|

³⁾

structural_plywood-chhmsds.pdf

⁴⁾

austral_formaldehyde_emissions_cert_1_2.pdf

⁵⁾

www.carbtrol.com/voc.pdf|Shepard, 2001

Compressor Options

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 15:20:40 +0000

Compressor Options

7.9 cfm “free air”– 70 litres $865 http://www.compressorcare.com.au/product/royce-rc13-10amp-air-compressor/

Laser Condition Log

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:11 +0000

Laser Condition Log

This page is to document the condition of the Laser Cutter. For each entry, please make a new level 3 heading with ===== Date - component ==== I will start each monday with a photo of the lens.

6-03-2017 Lens

Lens One week old. Two small scratches.

14-03-2017 Lens

log

Machine Failure and Damage

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:12 +0000

Machine Failure and Damage

All significant Machine Failures or damage inflicted on the machine should be documented on this page of Wiki within 24hrs of the event here. Take a photo of the damage, and note the supervisor at the time.

This is a non-exhaustive list of our fails with the Trotec Rayjet 300. Please edit and expand as you see fit.

Bed Damage Types

The removable cutter bed has been accidently etched a number of times, mostly during the first months of operation. Four incident types have occurred.

Type I : Move Job to Laser

Using the 'move job to laser' option in the rajet minimanager software with laser head positioned over frame means that the cutter can cut into the bed frame.

Solutions:

supervisor checks initial laser position
Change training to allow origin (0x, 0Y) cutting only but users - 'move job to laser' is facilitator only.

Type II : Wrong Template or Document type

Cutting from an template or document other than The Edge spec may have the 0,0 point not in the top left position. This will mean that the cutter can move over the bed.

Solutions

supervisor checks initial document conforms
Re-enforce in training usage of The Edge template ONLY.

Type III : Bed not positioned properly

If the cutter bed is not correctly aligned and slotted into place, the cutter can move over the edge of the bed. Solutions

supervisor checks bed is in correct position
Adherence to procedure and signage - supervision of bed removal and replacement.

Type IV : Laser restarts after lid lifted

If the laser job is interrupted by lifting the lid, then a resume is attempted by shutting the lid and restarting the machine from the control panel, the laser will behave erratically and may cut into bed

Always power cycle laser after aborting job by lifting the lid

Lense Damage Types

This is our in house catalogue of ways to stuff up the laser lens. In addition to our own experience, asearch of the sawmillcreek forums is recomended.

Lense Scratching

Scratched on Insertion/removal

Lens can be scratched on the edge of the lens mount on insertion and removal.

Solution

fully loosen collar.
remove and replace lens horizontally.

Scratched when cleaning

Any grit combined with excessive scrubbing will scratch the lens.

Solutions

blow dust off lense before wetting with cleanser.
Wear disposable gloves
Only clean with a damp wipe or lens.

Lens Cracking

The laser lens is soft, brittle and vulnerable to thermal shock.

Lens overheating

An accumulation of “gunk” from the vaporised material can stick to the lens as a dark spot. If this spot is heated by the laser, the lens can crack.

Solution

regular (2hr) inspection and clean were needed.
Make sure only known tested materials are cut.

Lens Thermal Shock

If the lense is touched or wetted while hot it may shatter or crack

Solutions

Always wear gloves
Wait for lense to cool before removing and cleaning
Make sure lense is dry before reinsertion.

Damage Logs

We lost our first lense on 26/06/2016. After heavy use engraving ply the lense chipped in cleaning.

I'm not sure what the cause of this was - but after research ⁶⁾ ⁷⁾ it appears that cleaning before lense was cool is likely.

Z Limit Error

Sometimes all of the lights on the control panel will be flashing and the machine made a continuous beeping sound. It will not commence the boot cycle. On the computer you'll probably see an machine error message on the computer the laser is connected to; LaserError: 163 (Firmware – Error Code).

This might be an X/Y/Z access limit issue caused if the laser arm (or I am assuming bed) is moved manually onto a limit switch when the machine is off or in standby the laser can go into error. To resolve:

* Start by moving the head to the middle of the bed and switch on again.

* If it is on a z axis limit then open a side and wind the z axis belt to lower or raise the table 10mm.

Head Crash

In its working life, we've had two head crashes (that I'm are aware off). I'm not sure what caused the first one, but the second which occurred 01/06/2016 was definitely operator error - auto-focus switched on. As confirmed with Marc from Trotec there is no way to disable auto-focus in software.

As an attempt to technical solve this problem I delved into the nature of printer spooling on windows 7, to see if we can re-write the document post spooling but pre-printing and force auto-focus off. Its possible. You can use something like this

http://splviewer.sourceforge.net/

to poke at the windows spool files, but would require .NET programming to implement.

An open source soultion to use inkscape plug-ins to generate Trotec Spool Files. https://github.com/bumblebeefr/fablab-inkscape-plugins

Atmos Mono Speedy 500 Filter Level Readings

These are the filter readings on the Atmos Mono Speedy 500 we took on 17/06/2016.

With a borked filter (reading 100% in use and shutting down) and requiring replacement:

Activated Carbon + (OLD) HEPA only 90 %

Replace Honeycomb Bed

Replace bed honeycomb - search for 'aluminium composite'. Available as ingot.

Found a supplier here - http://polycorecomposites.com/Home.php

Quoted $880 for a 2440 x 1200 x 25mm rigid sheet. 1mm cell wall - 8 mm cell

Test flow through extraction by removing a filter component at a time.
Carbon can be topped up further - the only change between the current model and the next up is another bag of carbon
use compressed air to remove large particles from the filter and foam

damaged lens

Thursday 25 Aug Brendan reported crack in the lens found after laser was cutting underpowered. New lens order

Michael from trotec came out with Temporary replacement ( different size lens 2“) that did not end up fitting. 2x stock lenses (1.5”) are on order from Sydney. Michael cleaned damaged lens and said it would be right to use but that it was on its way out.

Photos show black dot inside body of lens. this will grow. Questions to be asked about

is cleaning being done regularly enough.
is cleaning being done to the Right standard
lens being mis handled. finger oil damaging

Update 29 Aug 2016

Michael from Trotec returned with the 2“ Lense ( black) and showed me how to fit this.

unscrew lense retaining collar
remove 1.5” lense (Red)
continue unscrewing lense retaining collar. Once completely unscrewed remove from lense/ mirror assembly and rotate 180Deg
screw rotated collar into threaded receiver. This receiver is directly below face that the 1.5“ Lense rests on.

now slide 2” lense (black into space above retaining collar making sure that lense is maintained in a horizontal plane ( to stop scratching its pushed in) and that the raised edges on the Lense holder are slotted into the paired slots on the lense/ mirror assembly.

Tighten retaining Collar
Replace the 1.5“ focal length calibration tool with the 2” focal length calibration tool.

2“ Lense (Black) 2” Lense Focal Length Calibration Tool

FIRE! 08 sept

Phil had to put a fire out today 2ply corrugated cardboard again. The settings appear correct (no second pas which is usually the problem). The Laser was also doing weird stuff after - etching the ruler starting in a weird position. this was rectified by cycling power on Laser and PC.

Phil did raise the concerns about extinguishing the fire. When it came to it he didn't know what to do ( he tried to put it out with his hand which sounds silly but the first time i had to put out a cardboard fire in the laser i reached in pulled the cardboard out and stamped it out - not ideal either) my suggestion from the experience is to use the fire blanket. i did this the second time and it worked a treat. MB

Heat Damage to Nozzle 06 Oct

Had an incident this evening where the 1st laser job at the HtE was well and truely under power. When i went to inspect the lense i found that all the parts of the Laser Head (Lense, mirror, retaining collar, and head body)was overheated ( approx 60C). We left this to cool before cleaning anything.

The only explanation i can give is that perhaps the trusted participant that cleaned the Laser after their session accidently or unknowingly reassembled the Lense/retaining collar upside down. (Lense on top of collar for 2“; lense Collar on top of Lense for 1.5” lense) This would have put the laser beam badly out of focus and directed energy at the nozzle which is now heat affected.

This is just a theory… i don't know for sure and wouldn't want to blame this participant. However if it is true the incident points possibly to a failure to communicate new procedures to the couple of trusted participants we allow to clean the machine and possibly to other level 3 facilitators we'd trust to operate and supervise the machine.

Heating Lense/ Lense falling out

24 Nov 2016 had another incidence of the Lense falling out/ heating up due to not being aligned. The Theory is that this was caused by the lense collar not being tightend properly ( or working undone - probably) the Last person to use and clean the machine was a recently level 3 inducted Edge employee.

Proposed remedy Actions

have a quiet ( nonconfrontational ) word with the staff member.
Add a note to the digital signage or a sign?

Lens Coating Damage?

29 Nov 2016

Its difficult to see, but in the the top right hand quarter of the lens, near the rim it seems like there is a coating on the lens which is lifting off or be abraded.

Proposed Remedy

~~Consult with Mark from Trotec regarding lens coating. Is it coated?~~ Lens is Zinc Selenium good guide to cleaning here.

Filthy Lense - near Miss

13/12/2016

So I’ve have a near miss with the lense – it was so dirty after cutting a single sheet of masked 6mm ply that it took a good 30 min to clean that I think any further cutting would have resulted in damage for sure.

First I tried the spray and soak then wipe method, but I had a stubborn spot of bunge that persisted despite repeated attempts. I then moved up to acetone on a cotton tip wrapped with lense cleaner. After a couple of applications this did the trick.

I would suggest we replace the current lense cleaner with the original trotec supplied bottle as this did seem to deal with stubborn gunk better.

Another reason to replace the pump spray bottle is that it cools the lense quickly. While we should never clean the lense warm anyway , this might just eliminate another possible point of failure.

Lens Damage Log

This is a heavily used lens - notice the damage to the lens coating and scratches.

This is the brand new lens - received in the first week on March 2017. Already scratched by 6/03/2017.

Filthy ATOMOS Filter

11/2/2017

The filter had not been cleaned in over two months. The pre-filter was caked solid with materials and the HEPA component of the filter system blew out. Would suggest that this as a direct result of the lack of cleaning and maintenance on the system and that this shortened the life of the filter.

Suggest that established maintenance schedule be adhered to.
Suggest that the date on the last cleaned acrylic sign be changed to due to be changed

Corrosion in Laser cutting enclosure

⁶⁾

http://evds.ucalgary.ca/files/evds/evdslasertraining2011.pdf

⁷⁾

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jNRoxLWovc

General Tips

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:12 +0000

General Tips

Text Engraving

When using text on the laser you will usually be stuck with a large quantity of engraving. For example, if every part of a kit of workshop material that needs to be mass-produced requires text, it will take a lot of time.

After some research I've found that there are a few fonts that are suitable to use. This means that when we convert to outline in illustrator, instead of creating multiple lines (one outer and one inner), it will only create a single line which makes it a lot more convenient.

Here is a link to a list of fonts that work well. Remember to remove any fill before converting!

CamBam Stick Fonts (Scroll down for download link and examples)

These are by no means perfect and most of the fonts have symbols missing. I recommend #4 as it seems to have most of the features.

Also - Inkscape now has built-in support for hershey text - an engraving font generator.

Using lower DPI to speed up Engraving and Cutting

Another way to speed up engraving (and even cutting) is to lower the DPI in the print preferences. Laser regular Paul Morris showed me the results reducing the DPI down from 500 to 125 DPI. Reducing the DPI by 1/4 reduced the engrave time.

Results shown below

He also did a low resolution cut, pictured below

the example on the left is at 500 DPI (default). The example to the right is at 125 DPI

Warped Plywood

While we have had issues with the stock plywood for the laser warping, the last batch we had was off the charts (10mm off true on an A2 piece of plywood). This warpage puts the laser out of focus and participants don't want to pay for it.

This week we experimented with clamping the plywood down with Nylon Nuts and Bolts, pictured below

We fed the bolts ( with a metal spring washer) up through the honeycomb and clamped the timber down with the corner of the nut. When I get around to it I'll make some acrylic washers/ clamps to grab the timber in a more secure way. The timber popped up when it was cut but at least it was cut etched and then flat.

ARCHIVED: Laser Settings

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 12:49:24 +0000

~~REVEAL~~

ARCHIVED: Laser Settings

These settings are for a retired piece of equipment, our Rayjet Laser cutter. We now have Trotech Speedy 300 Laser cutters. You can find their settings here.

Material		Engraving			Cutting
		Power	Speed	Air Assist	Power	Speed	Air Assist	Passes
Plastic	Acrylic 1.5 mm experimental			No	100	4.5	Yes	1
Plastic	Acrylic 3 mm	60	80	No	100	1.7	Yes	1
Plastic	Acrylic 4.5mm	60	80	Yes	100	1.2	Yes	1
Plastic	Acrylic 6mm	50	50	No	100	1.7	Yes	2
Plastic	Acrylic 6mm experimental	50	50	No	100	1.1	Yes	1
Plastic	Polyproplene (0.6mm)	10	2	Yes	25	2	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Paper-80gsm (regular paper)	11	100	No	11	5	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Paper- 350 gsm	11	5	No	25	5	No	1
Paper & Card	Paper- 200 gsm			No	100	1.5	No	1
Paper & Card	*Cardboard-650gsm Single Ply 3mm Natural /White**	45	100	Yes	25	2	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Corrugated Card Single Ply 2.5mm (Pizza Box)	11	30	Yes	25	3	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Corrugated Card Double Ply 6mm	40	100	Yes	40	2	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Craft Cardboard Dense natural board 3mm	70	100	Yes	75	2	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Craft Cardboard Dense natural board 1.5 mm	11	20	Yes	50	8	Yes	1
Wood	Plywood 4mm	80	95	Yes	85	2	Yes	1
Wood	Plywood 6mm	80	95	Yes	100	2	Yes	2
Wood	Wooden Veneer 1mm	11	20	Yes	50	8	Yes	1
Wood	Fleece Back Veneer	17	20	Yes	50	6	Yes	1
Wood	Balsa Wood 1.5 mm	40	100	Yes	30	4	Yes	1
Wood	Balsa Wood 3 mm	40	100	Yes	30	3	Yes	1
Wood	Balsa Wood 5mm	40	100	Yes	30	2	Yes	1
Wood	Camphor Laurel 12mm experimental			Yes	100	2	Yes	7
Leather	Bovine, natural 5-6mm	65	80	Yes	100	1	Yes	1
Leather	Bovine, black 2.5mm			Yes	65	1	Yes	1
Silicone	Black 0.5mm	20	4	Yes	40	4	Yes	1
Silicone foam	White 2.0mm			Yes	100	2.4	Yes	1
Silk	White 40momies			Yes	14	7	Yes	1

</datatables>

Maintenance

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 13:34:51 +0000

Maintenance

Here are The Edge Laser cutter maintenance routines. There is a regular schedule, but maintenance is only carried out when required. The tasks below are based on the maintenance established when we first took delivery of the Laser and have been sourced from the Trello Fab Lab Equipment Logs.

Daily Maintenance: OPEN

Check internal mirror and laser optics at open and clean if necessary
Check “Last Cleaned” plate on Atmos Extractor to ensure maintenance is up to date
Check that the machine was given general clean after last use
Record Date, Time & Initials on “Last Checked” plate

Daily Maintenance: Every 2 Hours of Operation

Check internal mirror and laser optics and clean if necessary
Check for excessive debris on Lens Cone and in bed
Check Lens retaining collar is screwed in tight
Record Date, Time & Initials on “Last Checked” plate
Wipe down inside of machine with baby wipes to get rid of dust

Daily Maintenance: CLOSE

Remove cutting bed and clean debris from under bed. Wipe down with baby cloth
Check and clean internal mirror and laser optics if required
Remove Lense collar and clean thread on collar and Laser head
Remove laser head nozzle and clean inside and out with baby wipes
Wipe exterior down with baby wipe
Power down Laser
Delete all old cut files from RayJet software
~~Clean up files from desktop.~~ not needed as edgeuser account refreshes on restart
Shut down laser computer
Put scrap pieces into scrap box

Weekly Maintenance

~~Clean mirrors inside side panel.~~ Not needed weekly - inspect only and clean if needed
Clean any debris from side housing
Scrub air-intake with toothbrush
Clean entire enclosure
Check bed alignment plate screws (on bottom of bed) - tighten if needed
Clean glass
Check/replace top foam filter and clean top of extractor
Photograph laser lens and note any damage in log

Lens and Mirror Cleaning and Inspection

The RayJet lens is the most delicate part of the machine. It has a relatively soft Zinc Selenide (ZnSe) Lens, which is vulnerable to scratches from cleaning with dust on the lens, scraping, drop or thermal shock. Trotec Lenses are manufactured by http://www.iiviinfrared.com/, which as of 11/2021 is down. However there is a web archive of theircleaning handling page here

For a comprehensive overview of cleaning a ZnSe lens, check out the ULO Optics cleaning page.

The RayJet can take ether 1.5 inch or 2 inch lenses. We have been supplied with two types of lens - one fits on top of the lens holding nut (2 inch lens - black ), the other below (1.5 inch lens -red). The current lens is a 2 inch top mounted.

The mirror located in the lens housing is much more robust, but still requires delicate handling.

Before you start

You will need:

lens cleaning solution
lens cleaning tissue
a sheet of polypropelene or a clean cloth
The lense loupe - and/or your glasses :)

Cleaning Lens and Mirror

This procedure is adapted from the officialtrotec manual

Never use a cleaning tissue twice. Dust accumulated in the cleaning tissue could scratch the lens surface.

Remove Lens and Mirror

Move bed to about 10cm below lens assembly
Turn off Laser or power down with the button on the front panel
Move the lens to about the centre of bed, place sheet of poly or clean cloth under lens
Loosen mirror nuts, remove and place upside-down on poly
Loosen lens holding nut (turn clockwise for 2 inch top-seated lens - counter-clockwise for 1.5inch bottom seated lens)
Remove lens by sliding straight out
Place lens carefully on poly or cloth

Inspect and Clean Mirror

blow off the mirror the squeezy blower
Check the surface of the mirror again
If necessary clean the mirror
1. Spray with cleaner
2. Put on gloves
3. tilt to wash away coarse soiling
4. Dab dry with a clean cloth
5. Spray again and wipe clean with a new damp cloth (spray cloth with cleaner)
6. if necessary dry with a clean cloth
7. Replace Mirror

Inspect and Clean Lens

blow off the mirror the squeezy blower
Check the surface of the lens again
If necessary clean the lens
1. Hold the lens assembly by its edge and spray
2. While holding the lens at an angle, flush both surfaces of the lens, to wash away coarse soiling
3. Put the lens on a clean lens cleaning tissue
4. Put on gloves
5. Spray some lens cleaning liquid on one side of the lens
6. Leave the liquid to take effect for approximately one minute
7. Gently wipe it away with lens cleaning tissues soaked with lens cleaning liquid
8. Dry this side of the lens with dry lens cleaning tissues and repeat the cleaning process on the other side of the lens
Examine the lens. If it is still soiled, repeat the cleaning process until the lens is clean
1. this process may have to be repeated - with baked on crud expect at least five cleaning cycles
Carefully insert the lens holder with lens into the working head
The side marked “top” is facing up. This is guaranteed by the design of the lens holder
Tighten the lens holder - turning counter-clockwise for a 2 inch (black) lens and clockwise for a 1.5 (red) lense

Laser Cutter Air Filter Maintenance

How often should this be done? Maintenance of the Atmos500 is essential to keep fumes and particulates from the Fabrication Lab air. The top filter is augmented by a thin layer of rockwool insulation, which is the regular consumable for the filter.

Before you start

Always wear gloves and a respirator type mask. Collect a bin liner from the cleaning store.

Unlock top filter with large allan key from service kit
roll-up rockwool and place in garbage bag
Check filth level on filter liner (the cream coloured foam)
1. if there are visible beads of gunk, then discard into bin
wipe down internals of top filter
replace filter liner
tear off a section of rockwool, make a layer about 1 inch thick
lay rockwool on top of filter liner
close and lock top filter
update filter maintenance panel

Baseline Measurements

This is the base line measurement for the Atmos 500. Any time the filter components are changed refer to these settings.

Activated Carbon only 27%
Activated Carbon + (new) HEPA only 27-28 %
Activated Carbon + (new) HEPA + fiber filter 29 %
Activated Carbon + (new) HEPA + fiber filter + foam 34%

Laser Cutter New Materials Testing Guide

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:12 +0000

Laser Cutter New Materials Testing Guide

Content

Aim
Method
1. Approval to cut flow chart
2. Notes on the flow chart
3. Copper Wire Test Procedure
4. Test Cut Procedure
References

1: Aim

The aim of this document is to provide a guideline for the testing of the cutting and etching of new materials in the Edge’s Trotec 100w CO2 Laser Cutter.

There is also an acknowledgement that members of the public and staff will want to experiment using different materials in equipment like The Edge’s Laser Cutter.

When testing new materials using the laser cutter extreme caution should be used.

Management of The Edge also reserves the right to the ban the cutting / etching of certain materials found to reduce the efficiency of the machine.

2. Method

The following Flowchart describes the process an authorized supervisor can undertake to assess a new material for approval to be cut/ etched on the Edge’s Laser cutter.

A: Approval to cut flow chart

B: Notes to the Flowchart

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS/SDS) for the material. MSDS sheets can be obtained through Google searches or from http://www.msds.com. Examine the MSDS for ‘Hazards’ and ‘Hazard Identification’ sections, particularly hazards related to heating the material. For example from the Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) MSDS:
While the laser cutter is equipped with a HEPA air filter, ALL gas release may be hazardous, so any unapproved materials releasing toxic fumes may not be used without express exception permission from senior management of The Edge
If unsure of a material or the data contained within the MSDS, contact the manufacturer and enquire about laser cutting of the material

THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS ARE KNOWN TO BE HAZARDOUS AND CANNONT BE CUT

Polyvinylchloride (PVC) based materials
Materials containing melamine resins
Plastics containing Nylon
High Density Foam or other materials containing polyurethane
MDF or Plywood or other materials containing either urea- or phenol-formaldehyde
Foam-core board or other materials containing Polystyrene or Styrene
1. If you are unsure of the type of plastic you are dealing with refer to http://www.chymist.com/polymers.html or to the charts below
2. If the material is a reflective material such as a glass or mirror surface, it is recommended to cut from the non-reflective side if available

C: Copper Wire Test

Use appropriate PPE (personal respirator, eye protection)
If you haven’t performed this test before, use PVC sample in the kit to establish a positive result
Obtain a piece of copper wire about 5 cm long. Push one end of the wire into a small cork. (The cork is used as a handle so you are not touching a hot wire)
Place one plastic pellet or sample near your Bunsen burner. This is the sample you will be testing
Hold the free end of the copper wire in the burner flame until it is red hot and the flame no longer has a green color
Remove the wire from the flame and touch the hot wire to the plastic pellet or sample you will be testing. A small amount of the plastic should melt onto the wire. If the wire sticks to the plastic sample, use a pair of tongs to remove it. (You do not want to burn a large piece of plastic). Place the end of the wire, with the small amount of plastic on it, into the flame. You should see a slight flash of a luminous flame (a yellow-orange color). If the flame turns green in color, then the sample contains chlorine

- Needs sentence here about whether test is passed when chlorine is or is not present

D: Test Cut Procedure

If the material is found to be suitable for cutting, set up the material and focus the laser as per standard Edge Laser Cutter Induction procedure
In CorelDraw, create a small 20mm x 20mm square set to RED Hairline
For low density materials or materials LESS than 2mm thick:
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the RED CUTTING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 5% with a single pass
- Select skip in the BLACK ENGRAVING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this cut
- Move laser to top left corner away from material
- Remove material and examine cut. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the cut. i.e. 5/5
- If the cut did not penetrate the material completely, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive cuts next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each cut
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a complete cut is made. At this point, fine tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking notes on the test material for each cut
For high density materials or materials more than 2mm thick:
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the RED CUTTING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 5% with TWO passes
- Select skip in the BLACK ENGRAVING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this cut
- Remove material and examine cut. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the cut. i.e. 5/5
- If the cut did not penetrate the material completely, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive cuts next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each cut
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a complete cut is made. At this point, fine-tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking notes on the test material for each cut
- Once successful cuts have been made, examine the cut edges. If these are smooth and straight note down the cut settings for use. If the edges are melted or beveled / rounded, you may need to increase the passes, in which case, perform the procedure from the 5/5 % setting start again
Once settings have been found for cutting, test for engraving as follows:
- In CorelDraw, create a small 20mm x 20mm square set to filled with BLACK
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the BLACK ENGRAVING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 50%.
- Select skip in the RED CUTTING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this engrave
- Move laser to top left corner away from material
- Remove material and examine engraving. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the engrave. i.e. 5/50
- If you are not happy with the engraving, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive engraves next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each engrave
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a good deep engrave is performed. At this point, fine tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking note on the test material for each engrave
- If 100% power is reached and with 50% speed and the engrave is not sufficient, set power to 90% and reduce the speed until desire engraving depth is reached

Sections 3, 4 and 5 above all say 'perform the test again from Step 8, but there is no Step 8 - re-write needed

As with normal operation, the laser cutter must always be monitored during operation in case of smoke, fire or flare up

3: References

Harvard Fab Lab, n.d. Laser Training Checklist, Retrieved 27 May 2015 from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1198394.files/training_checklist_LASER.pdf

RGB Process Colours

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:12 +0000

RGB Process Colours

The Rayjet 300 will apply cut/ etch/ score processes to 8 different RGB colours.

RGB Process Colours

The Rayjet 300 will apply cut/ etch/ score processes to 8 different RGB colours.

These are RGB Settings for each of these:

Black

R0	G0	B0

Red

R255	G0	B0

Blue

R0	G0	B255

Desert Blue

R51	G102	B153

Cyan

R0	G255	B255

Green

R0	G255	B0

Grass Green

R0	G153	B51

Forest Green

R0	G102	B51

rgb_process_colours.pdf

facilities:fablab:equipment-cots:rayjet300:schedule_and_logs

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:12 +0000

Settings/Sync

Rayjet 300 Laser Cutter

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 10:46:09 +0000

The Rayjet 300, supplied by Trotec⁸⁾ is suitable for laser engraving and cutting of wood, plastics, leather, paper and many other materials. The materials we use in-house are ply, acrylic, polypropelene and paper.

Rayjet 300 Laser Cutter

TROTEC RAYJET 300 LASER CUTTER
Inductions required	General induction, Laser cutter induction
Bookings	Required
Machine type	80W CO2 (Educational version)
Commissioned	2015
Max. workpiece height	200 mm
Machine size (W x D x H)	1090 x 890 x 590 mm
Weight	approx. 135 kgs
Technical Requirements	PC, power supply with 110-240 V
Max. dimensions	735mmx435, 6.5mm (material thickness)
Cutting Materials	Plastics (acrylic, polypropylene, polyoxymethylene), Timber, Carboard, Paper, Leather, Textiles
	Approved materials only. Seek approval from FL Supervisor to use alternate materials prior to booking.
Available materials	Various materials are available to purchase in the Fabrication Lab Shop
Job Layout & File Input	Design files are imported via USB Drive and must be of vector file format supported by Corel Draw (.svg, .cdr, .ai, etc.) in RGB.

The Rayjet 300 is an education version of the Speedy 300. It is difficult to find a direct comparison in the literature but anecdotal research ⁹⁾ yields:

Speedy 300 is faster
Speedy 300, 360 & 400 Can have a 'harsh environment kit' fitted - meaning a more sealed in cutting area.
Speedy 300 uses JobControl - Rayjet 300 used Rayet Minimanager

Other than these points they appear to be functionally and physically very similar. The biggest issue with the Rayjet is the lack of Job Control software, which requires the laser be addressed as a printer.

Trotec Recommended Laser Material

Materials recommended for cutting/ etching on Trotec Rayjet Laser

Material	Abbreviation	Trade name
Acrylics
Poly(methyl methacrylate)	PMMA	Plexiglas®, Perspex® Altuglas®	Acrylite®
Plastics
Polyamide	PA	Nylon®
Polyoxymethylene	POM	Delrin®
Polyester	PES	Thermolite®, Polarguard®
Polyethylene terephthalate	PET	Mylar®
Polyimide	PI	Kapton®
Polystyrene	PS
Polymethyl-methacrylate	PMMA	Plexiglas®
Polycarbonate	PC	Lexan®, Makrolon®
Polypropylene	PP
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene co-polymerisate	ABS
Polyethylene	PE
Polyurethane	PUR	Neopren®
Other Materials
Glass (etching only)
Natural & some synthetic Leather
Metals (etching only) Including - Aluminium, Carbide, Coated metals, Cobalt, Gold, Silver, Steel, Chrome, Copper, Platinum, Tin, Brass, Zinc, Titanium & Eloxal.
Paper & Cardboard
Rubbers
Natural and some synthetic rubbers, Microporous foam and Silicone Rubber
Natural stone - Granite Ceramic Marble Slate Pebble
Textiles - Polyester, Lace, Fleece, Silk, Cotton, Felt, Aramid, Synthetic & technical textiles
Wood and timber – Veneers , solid timbers, balsa and some MDF and Plywoods

http://www.troteclaser.com/en-US/Materials/Pages/Material-Overview.aspx on 9 May 2016.

Workflow Options

Order of Operations

The general order of operations is:

Export design as PDF and DXF (if using another program)
In CorelDraw, create new document using The Edge Standard or grab the template
Import your design into CorelDraw (or create a new design)
Check palette and colour settings (i.e. RGB)
Convert all shapes to curves and group where appropriate
Save Document
Print from CorelDraw
1. adjust print preferences in Rayjet Commander
In mini manager
1. Send job to laser
Start cut from laser

For more detailed instructions, refer to The Edge laser cutter induction ¹⁰⁾. Use The Edge Corel Draw settings.

CorelDraw

Why Use CorelDraw?

Trotec recommends the use of CorelDraw to design and/or as a final pre-cut check for the Rayjet. CorelDraw is popular in signwriting and laser cutter shops. This is the most common workflow in use at The Edge, and the only one available to new users. CorelDraw is available on the LaserCutter-PC and the Fabrication Lab laptops.

Importing Files in CorelDraw - Common Errors

The most common errors when importing external files into CorelDraw are; <datatables info=“false” paging=“false”>

Problem	Solution
Missing or invisible lines	Export as DXF and PDF - try both
Lines the wrong colour	Select all and change line colour in Object Properties
Lines the wrong thickness	Select all and change line to hairline in Object Properties
Drawing scale is wrong	Export as DXF and PDF - try both, or rescale in CorelDraw

Using Adobe Illustrator

Why use Illustrator?

Extremely common graphic design software - most staff at The Edge have some familiarity, some are experts
Defacto standard for vector design

It is an accessible resource at SLQ.

The Edge DML has 16 licenses of the latest version of Illustrator
The Fabrication Lab Laptops have Illustrator CS5 installed
The Fabrication Lab Laser Cutter PCs have Illustrator CS5 installed

Illustrator Print Settings

To cut from Ilustrator - after clicking the Print option in the File menu you will be prompted by the following screen:

The only thing you should need to change is the Media → Size option, choose Trotec Default. Selecting this option will automatically turn off Auto Rotate.

In order to access the RayJet Settings click Setup in the bottom left corner, click Preferences (The RayJet should already be selected for you). Once done, click Print and then Print again in order to send the file to the laser.

External Illustrator Resources

Very useful page for setting up your document and preparing to cut using Illustrator, including templates: CutLaserCut.com (Also has a CorelDraw, Inkscape and AutoCad section).

A Trotec Speedy 300 specific training document from the Faculty of Environmental Design at The University of Calgary.

Using Inkscape

Why Use Inkscape?

Free Open source and under active development, has a thriving community of users and developers. Cross platform (windows/mac/linux).

It is an accessible resource at SLQ.

All Fabrication Lab Computers have Inkscape installed

External Resources

http://atxhackerspace.org/wiki/Using_Inkscape_with_the_Laser_Cutter

This is currently an untested technique! Please update if you do implement or test

Cutting from Fusion 360

Why cut from Fusion360?

The Edge has an Education site License for the Autodesk Suite
It is a full feature suite
web based storage, with local offline editing

It is an accessible resource at SLQ.

The Edge DML has 16 licenses of the latest version of Fusion360
The Fabrication Lab Laptops have Illustrator CS5 Fusion360
The Fabrication Lab Laser Cutter PCs have Illustrator CS5 Fusion360

Reasons Not To Use Fusion360?

Fusion360 does not use printers. So while Fusion360 has integrated CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) it is a complex procedure to set-up and out of scope for current laser cutter usage. Instead individual sketches must be exported as DXF files then loaded into CorelDraw.

This is an older post covering one technique from the autodesk forums.

Tip for lasercutting from here to export without construction lines.

What I usually do for getting things either laser cut or waterjet cut is to extrude my design from the original sketch which includes all the constraints, dimensions and construction lines. Then I create another sketch on the top surface of that extrusion and project all the extruded elements into that new sketch. That sketch is then exported into a DXF.

UPDATE 23/03/2017

Fusion360 has been extensively used to generate many DXFs for cutting without problems, using the recommended workflow.

Cutting from Autodesk

External Resources

Here is an in-house guide used by London Metropolitan University. This is Trotec specific - which is handy.

This is currently an untested technique! Please update if you do implement or test

~~REVEAL~~

ARCHIVED: Laser Settings

These settings are for a retired piece of equipment, our Rayjet Laser cutter. We now have Trotech Speedy 300 Laser cutters. You can find their settings here.

Material		Engraving			Cutting
		Power	Speed	Air Assist	Power	Speed	Air Assist	Passes
Plastic	Acrylic 1.5 mm experimental			No	100	4.5	Yes	1
Plastic	Acrylic 3 mm	60	80	No	100	1.7	Yes	1
Plastic	Acrylic 4.5mm	60	80	Yes	100	1.2	Yes	1
Plastic	Acrylic 6mm	50	50	No	100	1.7	Yes	2
Plastic	Acrylic 6mm experimental	50	50	No	100	1.1	Yes	1
Plastic	Polyproplene (0.6mm)	10	2	Yes	25	2	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Paper-80gsm (regular paper)	11	100	No	11	5	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Paper- 350 gsm	11	5	No	25	5	No	1
Paper & Card	Paper- 200 gsm			No	100	1.5	No	1
Paper & Card	*Cardboard-650gsm Single Ply 3mm Natural /White**	45	100	Yes	25	2	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Corrugated Card Single Ply 2.5mm (Pizza Box)	11	30	Yes	25	3	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Corrugated Card Double Ply 6mm	40	100	Yes	40	2	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Craft Cardboard Dense natural board 3mm	70	100	Yes	75	2	Yes	1
Paper & Card	Craft Cardboard Dense natural board 1.5 mm	11	20	Yes	50	8	Yes	1
Wood	Plywood 4mm	80	95	Yes	85	2	Yes	1
Wood	Plywood 6mm	80	95	Yes	100	2	Yes	2
Wood	Wooden Veneer 1mm	11	20	Yes	50	8	Yes	1
Wood	Fleece Back Veneer	17	20	Yes	50	6	Yes	1
Wood	Balsa Wood 1.5 mm	40	100	Yes	30	4	Yes	1
Wood	Balsa Wood 3 mm	40	100	Yes	30	3	Yes	1
Wood	Balsa Wood 5mm	40	100	Yes	30	2	Yes	1
Wood	Camphor Laurel 12mm experimental			Yes	100	2	Yes	7
Leather	Bovine, natural 5-6mm	65	80	Yes	100	1	Yes	1
Leather	Bovine, black 2.5mm			Yes	65	1	Yes	1
Silicone	Black 0.5mm	20	4	Yes	40	4	Yes	1
Silicone foam	White 2.0mm			Yes	100	2.4	Yes	1
Silk	White 40momies			Yes	14	7	Yes	1

</datatables>

Laser Cutter Checks

The Edge standard checks for the Rayjet 300.

Laser Cutter Preflight Checks - Prepare Your Job

Hot Work Permit active
Material purchased, checked by supervisor
Honeycomb correctly seated on bed
Focal distance correctly calibrated to stock
Starting position of laser is correct

Laser Cutter Preflight Checks - Supervisor Check

Starting position of laser is correct - verified by Supervisor
Bed is correctly seated - verified by Supervisor
Focus alignment - verified by Supervisor
All cut settings - verified by Supervisor
- power
- speed
- number of passes
Auto focus feature disabled - verified by Supervisor
Update Settings, apply and press OK

Laser Cutter Checks - During Cut

Start job from Laser Cutter NOT software
Avoid looking directly at the laser flash
- Prolonged exposure to laser flash may cause eye strain
Abort job if material catches fire
- ALERT SUPERVISOR
Pause Job to adjust
- ALERT SUPERVISOR
- repeat pre-flight check if needed

Laser Cutter Checks - After Cut

Wait 30 secs for fumes to clear
Remove Job
Brush out or vacuum debris

Laser Cutter Checks - After Session

Leave area clean and tidy
Take your USB
Show of your work on made today

General Tips

Text Engraving

Here is a link to a list of fonts that work well. Remember to remove any fill before converting!

CamBam Stick Fonts (Scroll down for download link and examples)

These are by no means perfect and most of the fonts have symbols missing. I recommend #4 as it seems to have most of the features.

Also - Inkscape now has built-in support for hershey text - an engraving font generator.

Using lower DPI to speed up Engraving and Cutting

Results shown below

He also did a low resolution cut, pictured below

the example on the left is at 500 DPI (default). The example to the right is at 125 DPI

Warped Plywood

This week we experimented with clamping the plywood down with Nylon Nuts and Bolts, pictured below

Maintenance

Daily Maintenance: OPEN

Check internal mirror and laser optics at open and clean if necessary
Check “Last Cleaned” plate on Atmos Extractor to ensure maintenance is up to date
Check that the machine was given general clean after last use
Record Date, Time & Initials on “Last Checked” plate

Daily Maintenance: Every 2 Hours of Operation

Check internal mirror and laser optics and clean if necessary
Check for excessive debris on Lens Cone and in bed
Check Lens retaining collar is screwed in tight
Record Date, Time & Initials on “Last Checked” plate
Wipe down inside of machine with baby wipes to get rid of dust

Daily Maintenance: CLOSE

Remove cutting bed and clean debris from under bed. Wipe down with baby cloth
Check and clean internal mirror and laser optics if required
Remove Lense collar and clean thread on collar and Laser head
Remove laser head nozzle and clean inside and out with baby wipes
Wipe exterior down with baby wipe
Power down Laser
Delete all old cut files from RayJet software
~~Clean up files from desktop.~~ not needed as edgeuser account refreshes on restart
Shut down laser computer
Put scrap pieces into scrap box

Weekly Maintenance

~~Clean mirrors inside side panel.~~ Not needed weekly - inspect only and clean if needed
Clean any debris from side housing
Scrub air-intake with toothbrush
Clean entire enclosure
Check bed alignment plate screws (on bottom of bed) - tighten if needed
Clean glass
Check/replace top foam filter and clean top of extractor
Photograph laser lens and note any damage in log

Lens and Mirror Cleaning and Inspection

For a comprehensive overview of cleaning a ZnSe lens, check out the ULO Optics cleaning page.

The mirror located in the lens housing is much more robust, but still requires delicate handling.

Before you start

You will need:

lens cleaning solution
lens cleaning tissue
a sheet of polypropelene or a clean cloth
The lense loupe - and/or your glasses :)

Cleaning Lens and Mirror

This procedure is adapted from the officialtrotec manual

Never use a cleaning tissue twice. Dust accumulated in the cleaning tissue could scratch the lens surface.

Remove Lens and Mirror

Move bed to about 10cm below lens assembly
Turn off Laser or power down with the button on the front panel
Move the lens to about the centre of bed, place sheet of poly or clean cloth under lens
Loosen mirror nuts, remove and place upside-down on poly
Loosen lens holding nut (turn clockwise for 2 inch top-seated lens - counter-clockwise for 1.5inch bottom seated lens)
Remove lens by sliding straight out
Place lens carefully on poly or cloth

Inspect and Clean Mirror

blow off the mirror the squeezy blower
Check the surface of the mirror again
If necessary clean the mirror
1. Spray with cleaner
2. Put on gloves
3. tilt to wash away coarse soiling
4. Dab dry with a clean cloth
5. Spray again and wipe clean with a new damp cloth (spray cloth with cleaner)
6. if necessary dry with a clean cloth
7. Replace Mirror

Inspect and Clean Lens

blow off the mirror the squeezy blower
Check the surface of the lens again
If necessary clean the lens
1. Hold the lens assembly by its edge and spray
2. While holding the lens at an angle, flush both surfaces of the lens, to wash away coarse soiling
3. Put the lens on a clean lens cleaning tissue
4. Put on gloves
5. Spray some lens cleaning liquid on one side of the lens
6. Leave the liquid to take effect for approximately one minute
7. Gently wipe it away with lens cleaning tissues soaked with lens cleaning liquid
8. Dry this side of the lens with dry lens cleaning tissues and repeat the cleaning process on the other side of the lens
Examine the lens. If it is still soiled, repeat the cleaning process until the lens is clean
1. this process may have to be repeated - with baked on crud expect at least five cleaning cycles
Carefully insert the lens holder with lens into the working head
The side marked “top” is facing up. This is guaranteed by the design of the lens holder
Tighten the lens holder - turning counter-clockwise for a 2 inch (black) lens and clockwise for a 1.5 (red) lense

Laser Cutter Air Filter Maintenance

Before you start

Always wear gloves and a respirator type mask. Collect a bin liner from the cleaning store.

Unlock top filter with large allan key from service kit
roll-up rockwool and place in garbage bag
Check filth level on filter liner (the cream coloured foam)
1. if there are visible beads of gunk, then discard into bin
wipe down internals of top filter
replace filter liner
tear off a section of rockwool, make a layer about 1 inch thick
lay rockwool on top of filter liner
close and lock top filter
update filter maintenance panel

Baseline Measurements

This is the base line measurement for the Atmos 500. Any time the filter components are changed refer to these settings.

Activated Carbon only 27%
Activated Carbon + (new) HEPA only 27-28 %
Activated Carbon + (new) HEPA + fiber filter 29 %
Activated Carbon + (new) HEPA + fiber filter + foam 34%

Approval for Laser Materials

All participants completing a Laser induction are informed of the Edge's policy that all new materials need to be approved before use in the Laser.

http://revolutionwoodpanels.com.au/products/plywood/product/20/cd-pine-plywood.html

http://www.ewp.asn.au/library/downloads/ewpaa_formaldehyde_emmisions.pdf

¹¹⁾

Tested materials

Premium Glitter Flake Acrylic

(Kaleidoscope Glitter Sheet)

Test Date: 08/11/2017
Test Completed by Mick Byrne / Phil Gullberg
Supplier: Acrylics Online
3mm

Technical Data

Suede

Test Date 13 Aug 2016 Test Completed By Mick Byrne.

Suede is a material recommended by Trotech so approved the app to use this completed tests on the laser.

Plybrace F27 hardwood structural ply

http://www.dashwoodtimber.co.nz/downloads/Structural_Plywood_Properties_&_Applications_Manual_March_2008.pdf¹²⁾

http://www.ewp.asn.au/library/downloads/ewpaa_formaldehyde_emmisions.pdf¹³⁾

Slate

Test Date 28 Feb 2019 Test Completed By P. Gullberg.

This material can only be engraved ,not cut using the Rayjet. Settings come directly from Trotec's website.

Engraving: 60% power 100% Speed

Japanese Polyester

Test Date Aug 2016

PETG

Copper wire test passed and OK'd for laser

Peter Musk Nov 2017

Acrylic Felt

Sourced from Spotlight. Tested (copper wire) on 15/11/17
Smoky but passed for laser cutting.

Peter Musk

Etching 20% Power 4% Speed

Cutting 40% Power 4% Speed

Laser Cutter New Materials Testing Guide

Content

Aim
Method
1. Approval to cut flow chart
2. Notes on the flow chart
3. Copper Wire Test Procedure
4. Test Cut Procedure
References

1: Aim

The aim of this document is to provide a guideline for the testing of the cutting and etching of new materials in the Edge’s Trotec 100w CO2 Laser Cutter.

There is also an acknowledgement that members of the public and staff will want to experiment using different materials in equipment like The Edge’s Laser Cutter.

When testing new materials using the laser cutter extreme caution should be used.

Management of The Edge also reserves the right to the ban the cutting / etching of certain materials found to reduce the efficiency of the machine.

2. Method

The following Flowchart describes the process an authorized supervisor can undertake to assess a new material for approval to be cut/ etched on the Edge’s Laser cutter.

A: Approval to cut flow chart

B: Notes to the Flowchart

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS/SDS) for the material. MSDS sheets can be obtained through Google searches or from http://www.msds.com. Examine the MSDS for ‘Hazards’ and ‘Hazard Identification’ sections, particularly hazards related to heating the material. For example from the Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) MSDS:
While the laser cutter is equipped with a HEPA air filter, ALL gas release may be hazardous, so any unapproved materials releasing toxic fumes may not be used without express exception permission from senior management of The Edge
If unsure of a material or the data contained within the MSDS, contact the manufacturer and enquire about laser cutting of the material

THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS ARE KNOWN TO BE HAZARDOUS AND CANNONT BE CUT

Polyvinylchloride (PVC) based materials
Materials containing melamine resins
Plastics containing Nylon
High Density Foam or other materials containing polyurethane
MDF or Plywood or other materials containing either urea- or phenol-formaldehyde
Foam-core board or other materials containing Polystyrene or Styrene
1. If you are unsure of the type of plastic you are dealing with refer to http://www.chymist.com/polymers.html or to the charts below
2. If the material is a reflective material such as a glass or mirror surface, it is recommended to cut from the non-reflective side if available

C: Copper Wire Test

Use appropriate PPE (personal respirator, eye protection)
If you haven’t performed this test before, use PVC sample in the kit to establish a positive result
Obtain a piece of copper wire about 5 cm long. Push one end of the wire into a small cork. (The cork is used as a handle so you are not touching a hot wire)
Place one plastic pellet or sample near your Bunsen burner. This is the sample you will be testing
Hold the free end of the copper wire in the burner flame until it is red hot and the flame no longer has a green color
Remove the wire from the flame and touch the hot wire to the plastic pellet or sample you will be testing. A small amount of the plastic should melt onto the wire. If the wire sticks to the plastic sample, use a pair of tongs to remove it. (You do not want to burn a large piece of plastic). Place the end of the wire, with the small amount of plastic on it, into the flame. You should see a slight flash of a luminous flame (a yellow-orange color). If the flame turns green in color, then the sample contains chlorine

- Needs sentence here about whether test is passed when chlorine is or is not present

D: Test Cut Procedure

If the material is found to be suitable for cutting, set up the material and focus the laser as per standard Edge Laser Cutter Induction procedure
In CorelDraw, create a small 20mm x 20mm square set to RED Hairline
For low density materials or materials LESS than 2mm thick:
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the RED CUTTING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 5% with a single pass
- Select skip in the BLACK ENGRAVING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this cut
- Move laser to top left corner away from material
- Remove material and examine cut. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the cut. i.e. 5/5
- If the cut did not penetrate the material completely, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive cuts next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each cut
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a complete cut is made. At this point, fine tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking notes on the test material for each cut
For high density materials or materials more than 2mm thick:
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the RED CUTTING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 5% with TWO passes
- Select skip in the BLACK ENGRAVING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this cut
- Remove material and examine cut. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the cut. i.e. 5/5
- If the cut did not penetrate the material completely, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive cuts next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each cut
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a complete cut is made. At this point, fine-tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking notes on the test material for each cut
- Once successful cuts have been made, examine the cut edges. If these are smooth and straight note down the cut settings for use. If the edges are melted or beveled / rounded, you may need to increase the passes, in which case, perform the procedure from the 5/5 % setting start again
Once settings have been found for cutting, test for engraving as follows:
- In CorelDraw, create a small 20mm x 20mm square set to filled with BLACK
- In the Rayjet print preferences, set the BLACK ENGRAVING setting Power to 5% and Speed to 50%.
- Select skip in the RED CUTTING option
- Set ‘Move job to Laser’ in the laser print spooler
- Perform this engrave
- Move laser to top left corner away from material
- Remove material and examine engraving. Mark the Power and Speed settings in the format POWER/SPEED next to the engrave. i.e. 5/50
- If you are not happy with the engraving, perform the procedure again from Step 8 using an increment of 5% in Power
- It is important to make successive engraves next to each other in an ordered pattern and note the power/speed for each engrave
- Repeat the procedure increasing the power until a good deep engrave is performed. At this point, fine tune the settings using 1-2% increments or decrements, taking note on the test material for each engrave
- If 100% power is reached and with 50% speed and the engrave is not sufficient, set power to 90% and reduce the speed until desire engraving depth is reached

Sections 3, 4 and 5 above all say 'perform the test again from Step 8, but there is no Step 8 - re-write needed

As with normal operation, the laser cutter must always be monitored during operation in case of smoke, fire or flare up

3: References

Harvard Fab Lab, n.d. Laser Training Checklist, Retrieved 27 May 2015 from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1198394.files/training_checklist_LASER.pdf

Active Carbon Absorption of Chemicals

The Atmos 500 uses a three stage process to remove airborne contaminants. The first stage filters large particles, the second and activated carbon bed, the third is a HEPA filter (small particles).

These charts are adapted from More information about the Regeneration of Active Carbon - Lenntech

Chemicals with very high probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

2,4-D	Deisopropyltatrazine	Linuron
Alachlor	Desethylatrazine	Malathion
Aldrin	Demeton-O	MCPA
Anthracene	Di-n-butylphthalate	Mecoprop
Atrazine	1,2-Dichlorobenzene	Metazachlor
Azinphos-ethyl	1,3-Dichlorobenzene	2-Methyl benzenamine
Bentazone	1,4-Dichlorobenzene	Methyl naphthalene
Biphenil	2,4-Dichlorocresol	2-Methylbutane
2,2-Bipyridine	2,5-Dichlorophenol	Monuron
Bis(2-Ethylhexyl)Phthalate	3,6-Dichlorophenol	Napthalene
Bromacil	2,4-Dichlorophenoxy	Nitrobenzene
Bromodichloromethane	Dieldrin	m-Nitrophenol
p-Bromophenol	Diethylphthalate	o-Nitrophenol
Butylbenzene	2,4-Dinitrocresol	p-Nitrophenol
Calcium Hypochloryte	2,4-Dinitrotoluene	Ozone
Carbofuran	2,6-Dinitrotoluene	Parathion
Chlorine	Diuron	Pentachlorophenol
Chlorine dioxide	Endosulfan	Propazine
Chlorobenzene	Endrin	Simazine
4-Chloro-2-nitrotoluene	Ethylbenzene	Terbutryn
2-Chlorophenol	Hezachlorobenzene	Tetrachloroethylene
Chlorotoluene	Hezachlorobutadiene	Triclopyr
Chrysene	Hexane	1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene
m-Cresol	Isodrin	m-Xylene
Cyanazine	Isooctane	o-Xylene
Cyclohexane	Isoproturon	p-Xylene
DDT	Lindane	2,4-Xylenol

</datatables>

Chemicals with high probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

Aniline	Dibromo-3-chloropropane	1-Pentanol
Benzene	Dibromochloromethane	Phenol
Benzyl alcohol	1,1-Dichloroethylene	Phenylalanine
Benzoic acid	cis-1,2- Dichloroethylene	o-Phthalic acid
Bis(2-chloroethyl) ether	trans-1,2- Dichloroethylene	Styrene
Bromodichloromethane	1,2-Dichloropropane	1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
Bromoform	Ethylene	Toluene
Carbon tetrachloride	Hydroquinone	1,1,1-Trichloroethane
1-Chloropropane	Methyl Isobutyl Ketone	Trichloroethylene
Chlorotoluron	4-Methylbenzenamine	Vinyl acetate

Chemicals with moderate probability of being adsorbed by active carbon

For these chemicals active carbon is only effective in certain cases.

Acetic acid	Dimethoate	Methionine
Acrylamide	Ethyl acetate	Methyl-tert-butyl ether
Chloroethane	Ethyl ether	Methyl ethyl ketone
Chloroform	Freon 11	Pyridine
1,1-Dichloroethane	Freon 113	1,1,2-Trichloroethane
1,2-Dichloroethane	Freon 12	Vinyl chloride
1,3-Dichloropropene	Glyphosate
Dikegulac	Imazypur

Chemicals for which adsorption with active carbon is unlikely to be effective

However it may be viable in certain cases such as for low flow or concentrations.

Acetone	Methylene chloride
Acetonitrile	1-Propanol
Acrylonitrile	Propionitrile
Dimethylformaldehyde	Propylene
1,4-Dioxane	Tetrahydrofuran
Isopropyl alcohol	Urea
Methyl chloride

Factors that influence the performance of active carbon in air

Type of compound to be removed: In general compounds with a high molecular weight, lower vapor pressure/higher boiling point and high refractive index are better adsorbed.
Concentration: The higher the concentration, the higher the carbon consumption.
Temperature: The lower the temperature, the better the adsorption capacity.
Pressure: The higher the pressure, the better the adsorption capacity.
Humidity: The lower the humidity, the better the adsorption capacity.

1) source: Wastewater Engineering; Metcalf & Eddy; third edition; 1991; page 317|

backup_of_laser_test.cdr

laser_engrave_calibrate.cdr

Troubleshooting

This area is for known issues with the Laser Cutter and how to solve them.

Oval shaped circles

Problem: Circles being cut on the laser are not round but rather a slight oval shape. It is usually easier to spot on smaller circles.

Solution: Make sure the lens and mirror have been cleaned properly and that the lens has been fastened. If this doesn't solve the problem the cause is most likely buildup of debris on the track the lens sits on. If there is any resistance when sliding the lens down the track there is most likely a buildup. To remove the buildup use an angled awl together with a wet wipe wrapped over it and slide it up and down the track. you can also use cotton-tip buds but will most likely need something sharp to get all the way to the back. Rinse and repeat until the lens slides in and out smoothly

Issue #2

Problem: Problem here

Solution: Solution here

⁸⁾

http://www.rayjetlaser.com/en-US-AU/laser-engraver/Pages/rayjet-300-laser-engraver.aspx

⁹⁾

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?223598-Trotec-Speedy-300-versus-the-Rayjet-300

¹⁰⁾

Laser Cutter Inductions

¹¹⁾

:facilities:fablab:equipment-cots:ewpaa-formaldehyde_emmisions_fact_sheeet_1_.pdf|

¹²⁾

structural_plywood-chhmsds.pdf

¹³⁾

austral_formaldehyde_emissions_cert_1_2.pdf

¹⁴⁾

www.carbtrol.com/voc.pdf|Shepard, 2001

Rayjet Mini Manager and Rayjet Commander

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:27 +0000

Rayjet Mini Manager and Rayjet Commander

This is the software supplied by trotec to manage the laser cutter. On this page we cover settings not used in the inductions or everyday use.

The Minimanager is used to control the cutter.

The Rayjet Commander is used to manage materials.

We have updated the materials listed to comply with our standard materials.

Using the Minimanager

The Minimanager should be available from the taskbar on start-up.

Right click and select Options…' to change options.

The only options we regularly change are Maximum Number of Jobs in Queue

And the Laser Homing

Change the homing to no moves if you are using nuts to hold down a warped material.

The RayJet Commander Materials Database

The materials database is read by the Rayjet Commander from a file called TR_CO2_Material.dat located in C:\ProgramData\Trotec\MiniManager\2.4.1 on the LasercutterPC

To ensure we have consistent settings for the Laser, the materials database is copied on start-up from a master version using the windows task scheduler to trigger a powershell script.

The Script is called Copy_TR_data.ps1 and is located C:\StartupScripts

It contains just one line that copies and renames the master .dat file to the working .dat file.

  Copy-Item C:\ProgramData\Trotec\MiniManager\2.4.1\master\TR_CO2_Material_Master.dat C:\ProgramData\Trotec\MiniManager\2.4.1\TR_CO2_Material.dat

Here is a backup of the file and here is the start-up script and task scheduler job export.

Updating the Database

Here is a test file for use with new materials.cut_tests.cdr

To update the database,

launch the Rayjet Commander using printer preferences.
Add or change any materials, beware the CYAN and 'too many changes' bugs..
shut the Rajet Commander.
Go to C:\ProgramData\Trotec\MiniManager\2.4.1 (you may have to make hidden system folders viewable)
Copy the file TR_CO2_Material.dat
Paste into C:\ProgramData\Trotec\MiniManager\2.4.1\master\
Delete the existing TR_CO2_Material_Master.dat
Rename the new TR_CO2_Material.dat to TR_CO2_Material_Master.dat
Restart the computer to test.

Trotec Recommended Laser Material

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 14:27:12 +0000

Trotec Recommended Laser Material

Materials recommended for cutting/ etching on Trotec Rayjet Laser

Material	Abbreviation	Trade name
Acrylics
Poly(methyl methacrylate)	PMMA	Plexiglas®, Perspex® Altuglas®	Acrylite®
Plastics
Polyamide	PA	Nylon®
Polyoxymethylene	POM	Delrin®
Polyester	PES	Thermolite®, Polarguard®
Polyethylene terephthalate	PET	Mylar®
Polyimide	PI	Kapton®
Polystyrene	PS
Polymethyl-methacrylate	PMMA	Plexiglas®
Polycarbonate	PC	Lexan®, Makrolon®
Polypropylene	PP
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene co-polymerisate	ABS
Polyethylene	PE
Polyurethane	PUR	Neopren®
Other Materials
Glass (etching only)
Natural & some synthetic Leather
Metals (etching only) Including - Aluminium, Carbide, Coated metals, Cobalt, Gold, Silver, Steel, Chrome, Copper, Platinum, Tin, Brass, Zinc, Titanium & Eloxal.
Paper & Cardboard
Rubbers
Natural and some synthetic rubbers, Microporous foam and Silicone Rubber
Natural stone - Granite Ceramic Marble Slate Pebble
Textiles - Polyester, Lace, Fleece, Silk, Cotton, Felt, Aramid, Synthetic & technical textiles
Wood and timber – Veneers , solid timbers, balsa and some MDF and Plywoods

http://www.troteclaser.com/en-US/Materials/Pages/Material-Overview.aspx on 9 May 2016.

Troubleshooting

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 13:43:55 +0000

Troubleshooting

This area is for known issues with the Laser Cutter and how to solve them.

Oval shaped circles

Problem: Circles being cut on the laser are not round but rather a slight oval shape. It is usually easier to spot on smaller circles.

Issue #2

Problem: Problem here

Solution: Solution here

Workflow Options

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 16:57:40 +0000

theedgestandard.zip

Workflow Options

Order of Operations

The general order of operations is:

Export design as PDF and DXF (if using another program)
In CorelDraw, create new document using The Edge Standard or grab the template
Import your design into CorelDraw (or create a new design)
Check palette and colour settings (i.e. RGB)
Convert all shapes to curves and group where appropriate
Save Document
Print from CorelDraw
1. adjust print preferences in Rayjet Commander
In mini manager
1. Send job to laser
Start cut from laser

For more detailed instructions, refer to The Edge laser cutter induction ¹⁵⁾. Use The Edge Corel Draw settings.

CorelDraw

Why Use CorelDraw?

Importing Files in CorelDraw - Common Errors

The most common errors when importing external files into CorelDraw are; <datatables info=“false” paging=“false”>

Problem	Solution
Missing or invisible lines	Export as DXF and PDF - try both
Lines the wrong colour	Select all and change line colour in Object Properties
Lines the wrong thickness	Select all and change line to hairline in Object Properties
Drawing scale is wrong	Export as DXF and PDF - try both, or rescale in CorelDraw

Using Adobe Illustrator

Why use Illustrator?

Extremely common graphic design software - most staff at The Edge have some familiarity, some are experts
Defacto standard for vector design

It is an accessible resource at SLQ.

The Edge DML has 16 licenses of the latest version of Illustrator
The Fabrication Lab Laptops have Illustrator CS5 installed
The Fabrication Lab Laser Cutter PCs have Illustrator CS5 installed

Illustrator Print Settings

To cut from Ilustrator - after clicking the Print option in the File menu you will be prompted by the following screen:

The only thing you should need to change is the Media → Size option, choose Trotec Default. Selecting this option will automatically turn off Auto Rotate.

External Illustrator Resources

Very useful page for setting up your document and preparing to cut using Illustrator, including templates: CutLaserCut.com (Also has a CorelDraw, Inkscape and AutoCad section).

A Trotec Speedy 300 specific training document from the Faculty of Environmental Design at The University of Calgary.

Using Inkscape

Why Use Inkscape?

Free Open source and under active development, has a thriving community of users and developers. Cross platform (windows/mac/linux).

It is an accessible resource at SLQ.

All Fabrication Lab Computers have Inkscape installed

External Resources

http://atxhackerspace.org/wiki/Using_Inkscape_with_the_Laser_Cutter

This is currently an untested technique! Please update if you do implement or test

Cutting from Fusion 360

Why cut from Fusion360?

The Edge has an Education site License for the Autodesk Suite
It is a full feature suite
web based storage, with local offline editing

It is an accessible resource at SLQ.

The Edge DML has 16 licenses of the latest version of Fusion360
The Fabrication Lab Laptops have Illustrator CS5 Fusion360
The Fabrication Lab Laser Cutter PCs have Illustrator CS5 Fusion360

Reasons Not To Use Fusion360?

This is an older post covering one technique from the autodesk forums.

Tip for lasercutting from here to export without construction lines.

UPDATE 23/03/2017

Fusion360 has been extensively used to generate many DXFs for cutting without problems, using the recommended workflow.

Cutting from Autodesk

External Resources

Here is an in-house guide used by London Metropolitan University. This is Trotec specific - which is handy.

This is currently an untested technique! Please update if you do implement or test

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Laser Cutter Inductions