You see before you an OmTech Polar 350, a 50W CO2 laser for engraving and cutting various materials.
In the desk drawer below the laser, you find a rotary attachment for engraving round objects.
Laser Documentation, Use, and Rules
This document is not considered a replacement for an in-person training on the laser. In person training is required before use.
What Can I Cut or Engrave on the Laser
The laser is pretty good at cutting and engraving many materials made of hydrocarbons, and a few that aren't. There are a few materials that are not safe to cut, and are banned. This is typically for one of 3 reasons:
- They release too much sticky smoke, which builds up in the enclosure/ductwork and is a fire hazard.
- They release poisonous gas, for example, cyanide. Avoid plastics with a carbon-nitrogen bond. Research new plastics and get in touch with someone before use.
- They release corrosive gas (which is also poisonous). Do not cut PVC (vinyl) based materials, or any other materials with chlorine or fluorine atoms.
Orientation and Safety
To use the laser, first turn on the ventilation system. Currently, this is two separate fans, the large one inside the electrical closet, and the smaller fan above the laser. Plug in the fan inside the closer, then turn on the small fan by pressing "FAST" on it's controller.
The laser is controlled by the computer above it, and turned on using the key switch on the front left. When the laser is turned on, the large illuminated pushbutton can start a cutting job, so do not press it until you are ready.
Make sure to only cut approved materials on the laser, this will mitigate fire hazards and noxious fumes. The laser MUST be supervised continuously during operation. If the material being cut catches fire, or too much smoke is being generated, turn off the laser with the keyswitch. If the material being cut continues to burn, take the fireblanket out of the pouch on the wall, open the laser, and smother the fire.
Operation
The laser is controlled using the lightburn software on the computer. This takes in SVG files, or can be used to draw a design from scratch. Primary colors are used to control the different power levels for cutting and engraving.
In this image, there are 3 rectangles to be cut. Their color defines the power and speed settings that will be used. Additionally, the color controls the order in which the cuts/engravings will be made. Generally, it is best practice to engrave any images first (black grayscale), then cut out any interior holes (blue in this case), then use the final setting to cut the work out of the larger piece of material. This reduces the chance of the material shifting and throwing things out of alignment.
On the right there is another tab labeled move. This lets you manually move the laser head over your material to make sure it is in the right area, and also autofocus to the material.
Material Settings
To help with dialing in new materials, Lightburn has a Material Test Generator utility found under tools. If you haven't used this before, ask for assistance.
This lets you make test coupons for new materials, that you can leave in the space for others to reference in the future.
Using these test coupons, you can choose the right speed and power settings for your project.
