Laser Cutting | Cp5070 2022 2b03 Gro

Laser Cutting Experience.

In this page, I will be documenting my laser-cutting experiences. This would include:

Safety
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) INCLUDING cORELDRAW
Do's & Don'ts
My Reflection

Short Introduction

Laser Cutting is a subtractive manufacturing technique that involves the use of a high powered laser to cut a material. The laser is first produced in a CO2 tube which is then shone onto an array of mirrors for it to be directed into the cutting head of the laser cutter. This cutting head is fitted with a lens to magnify the laser power and focus it onto the material. This focused point is equivalent to the cutting edge of a knife. Laser cutting is quick and precise. With the help of a motorised cutting head, the laser can be directed to cut at different points of the working bed.

Safety

These are the 4 important hazards and the respective safety control measures on the operation of laser cutting machine:

1. Fire, Ensure that you know where the fire extinguisher is before operating the laser cutter (administrative)

2. Inhalation of toxic fumes, Ensure the exhaust fan is switched on before operating the laser cutter(engineering)

3. Blindness from bright laser beam, Ensure not to stare at the laser when in operation, only glance once in awhile(administrative)

4. Burns, Ensure not to touch freshly cut items and laser head after cutting (administrative)

Air Assist & Fume Extractor

Before beginning a cut, apart from main laser cutter power, these 2 items have to be turned on

Fire

In the event of a fire, turn off the laser-cutter power and attempt to blow out the flame.

If the flame cannot be blown out, attempt to remove the burning material and stop it on the floor to put out the flame

If still unsuccessful, extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher

Once done

Ensure all power is turned off and nothing is left behind in the cutter

Standard
Operating
Procedure

An SOP is crucial in ensuring the safety of the user and equipment during system operation. I have attached my version of the SOP I used during my operation of the cutter

In order to change the line colour and weight of the image in corel draw, double click the pen icon on the bottom right of the page. Follow the guide for Vector Cut, Vector Engrave and Engrave in the SOP. Ensure colour is RGB and change Width to Hairline

Once done editing the uploaded file in CorelDraw, press Ctrl + P to send to print or File > Print. Beside printer, click the cog wheel and follow instructions in the SOP above

CorelDraw, the design software that I imported my design files into, can also be used to make simple designs. Much like Microsoft PowerPoint, CorelDraw provides simple shapes that can be manipulated into your desired configurations. The interface is also very alike Microsoft PowerPoint, making it highly intuitive for new users of the software and those looking to start laser Cutting.

Do's & Don'ts

Do cut:

Paper

Cardboard

Acrylic

Plywood (laserply)

Balsa Wood

Don't cut:

PVC
Metal
Foam
Rubber

Reflection

All in all, laser cutting is an interesting method for subtractive manufacturing. Having a laser cut a piece of material is not only accurate and precise, it is also quick especially when it comes to engraving intricate designs. I feel that laser cutting is very useful when I need a piece of material cut to a specific dimension very accurately and in a short amount of time. Laser cutting is also very easy to learn as the drawing interface CorelDraw is intuitive, much like drawing and making shapes using Microsoft PowerPoint.

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