80W CO₂ Blue Laser Cutter
Tool Info
Certification Required
Do Not Hack
Owner: Pawprint Prototyping
Description
Probably the tool you're here for.
Our Chinese laser, manufactured by Omtech, features:
- 80W output
- 600 × 900 mm (24" × 35") working surface
- A Ruida controller
Rotary axis attachmentneeds replacing
Safety and Certification
Protective Equipment
- Safety glasses: Polycarbonate, acrylic, or any prescription glasses will offer protection from IR light.
- Water spray bottle: to put out small fires.
Hazards
- Laser-cutting presents a risk of fire and burns.
- Laser-cutting certain materials can release gases that are harmful to humans and may damage the machine.
- The laser emits invisible infrared radiation that can damage your eyes.
- The laser is powered by high-voltage, and presents an electrocution risk if the cabinet is open.
Prohibited Operations
- Modifying or hacking the laser cutter and its accessories without board approval.
- Bypassing interlocks or safety features.
- Cutting materials that may harm humans or equipment.
Prohibited materials
The following materials should NEVER be placed into the laser cutter.
| Material | Reason |
|---|---|
| polycarbonate | Melts instead of burns, releases poison gas |
| vinyl | Melts instead of burns, releases poison gas |
| polyvinyl chloride (PVC) | Melts instead of burns, releases chlorine gas |
| polyvinyl butyral (PVB) | Melts instead of burns |
| neoprene | Sublimated vapors damage the optics |
| Moleskin notebooks | Contains chlorine, releases poison gas |
| ABS | Burning ABS releases hydrogen cyanide gas |
| self-laminated or glued | Anything you laminated yourself or glued together is a fire hazard |
| low-grade plywood | Excessive bowing can cause the gantry to catch on the wood being cut |
| halogenated material | Releases halogens, which can damage humans and optics |
| epoxy | Contains halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine) |
| phenolic resins | Contains halogens |
| chromium | Found in letaher/vegan leather: Sublimates and damages optics |
| PTFE (Teflon) | Fluorine gas is extremely corrosive |
| beryllium oxide | You don't want anything to do with beryllium |
Take care when engraving these materials: - Flame-retardant materials, which may contain halogens like bromide. - Manganese - Nickel - Cobalt - Copper
Pre-flight checklist
Before every use
- Make sure that the machine and workspace are clutter-free. The laser cutter is not a table.
- Have a plan for putting out small fires without causing damage to the machine. A small spray bottle of tap water or rag for smothering is usually fine for this purpose. Verify a fire extinguisher is easily accessible in case things go wrong.
- Check that the auxiliary systems (chiller, air and exhaust) are properly connected and functional. The Air pump is internal to the machine, and controlled by software. The chiller and exhaust impeller should be plugged directly into the laser cutter, and should turn on when the machine is running.
Operation checklist
Operational Safety
- Ensure material to be cut is safe to use. See Consumable Material Reference for details.
- Never leave a laser cutter unattended when running a job
- Take care to select appropriate power/speeds settings to avoid combustion. Always start jobs with lowest power if unsure.
Basic Operation Checklist
Select an appropriate power and speed for the material you are cutting. Here are some good starting guidelines for various materials below. Some materials are highly variable, especially wood. Do some test cuts and engraves to dial in the right settings. More feeds and speeds can be found here
Max power level
The manufacturer does not recommend surpassing 70% power for any project. You should get desired cuts or engraving quality with no more than 50-60% max power. Running above 70% max power constantly will shorten the lifespan of the laser tube.
Engraving
| Material | Speed | Power |
|---|---|---|
| Clear Acrylic | 325 mm/s | 18% |
| Wood | 200 mm/s | 19% |
| Glass | 225 mm/s | 18% |
| Leather | 400 mm/s | 16% |
| Faux Leather | 425 mm/s | 15% |
| Tile/Stones | 145 mm/s | 18% |
| Pizza (Papa John's) | 500 mm/s | 30% |
Cutting
| Material | Thickness | Speed | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardboard | 1/8" | 100 mm/s | 40% |
| Acrylic | 1/16" | 25 mm/s | 18% |
| Acrylic | 1/8" | 12 mm/s | 25% |
| Acrylic | 1/4" | 6 mm/s | 35% |
| Arcylic | 1/2" | 4 mm/s | 45% |
| Arylic | 3/4" | 3 mm/s | 55% |
| Arcylic | 1" | 1 mm/s | 60% |
| Birch wood | 1/16" | 25 mm/s | 20% |
| Birch wood | 1/8" | 12 mm/s | 25% |
| Birch wood | 1/4" | 7 mm/s | 30% |
| Birch wood | 1/2" | 5 mm/s | 35% |
| Birch wood | 3/4" | 4 mm/s | 43% |
| Birch wood | 1" | 3 mm/s | 47% |
Set focal distance
Our laser has an automatic focus setting. Place the material under the Z-axis sensor, press Fn, and use the up/down arrow to highlight Auto Focus setting, and press Enter to set the Z-height. This will place the focus exactly at the top of the material, and set the machine Z-height to 0. Use this setting for engraving. For cutting, especially thick material, you will need to adjust the Z-height to the center of the material. However since the auto-focus sets the height of the bed to the surface, and won't let you back-drive the bed to Z < 0, you will need to place another piece of material of the same thickness before using the auto-focus, and then back-drive the bed down (3/2) × (material thickness).
Always ensure there is material under the autofocus probe. The probe tip size is about the size of the honeycomb cells and can cause the laser head to crash into the bed and damage the motion system. If the probe misses the bed or crashes, hit the E-stop and manually back drive the bed leveling chain before restarting the machine. Notify a board member for help with checking mirror alignment before resuming operation.
Post-flight checklist
End of operation and clean-up
- Power down the machine
- Wipe surfaces
- Clean debris from inside as needed with shop vac.
Useful references
Box generators:
- Boxes.py - an open-source, online, parametric box generator. Also available as an inkscape plugin or as a python library. Incredibly featured, and an incredible repository for a multitude of useful parts, including pattern tests for calibrating etching your materials. Great resource for making an enclosure for your electronics project.
- Makercase - a simpler version of boxes.py for basic enclosures. Not as many parameters as Boxes.py, but sometimes simplicity is the best.
Guides:
Local material sources:
- Wood and project boards: Home Depot
- Acrylic: TAP Plastics
Certified Members
| Member Name | Certified By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Rechner Fox | (Buying it) | 2020-04-01 |
| Kataze Skunk | Rechner Fox | 2021-12-15 |
| Bokeh | Kataze Skunk | 2022-04-07 |
| Mojake | Kataze Skunk | 2022-04-07 |
| Amp | Kataze Skunk | 2022-04-07 |
| ket | Kataze Skunk | 2022-04-07 |
| Tigerpaw | Kataze Skunk | 2022-04-22 |
| BrokenWing | Rechner Fox | 2022-05-27 |
| Robin | Rechner Fox | 2022-05-27 |
| Dulse | Rechner Fox | 2023-05-16 |
| Geo | Mojake | 2023-06-13 |
| Kay | Geo | 2023-07-29 |
| Kilte | Geo | 2023-09-27 |
| Bocuma | Kilte | 2023-11-28 |
| Z | Rechner | 2024-01-23 |
| Oreo | Rechner | 2024-03-17 |
| Stanley | Rechner | 2024-03-26 |
| Earthshine | Rechner | 2024-03-26 |
| Oddai | Rechner | 2024-04-23 |
| Guru | Rechner | 2024-05-28 |
| Crystal | Rechner | 2024-06-25 |
| Dingo | Rechner | 2024-09-03 |
| Pawbs | Rechner | 2024-09-03 |
| Nano | Rechner | 2024-09-03 |
| Dacio | Rechner | 2024-09-03 |
| Hufman | Rechner | 2024-09-03 |
Maintenance
Tool History
| Date | Event | Noted By |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-30 | Drained and purged water from cooler. There is some notable residue possibly from the silicone tubing connecting the chiller. Something to keep an eye on. | Rechner |
| 2022-05-26 | Cleaned optics, confirmed laser beam alignment | Kataze |
| 2023-05-30 | Cleaned optics, greased rails, and confirmed laser alignment. | Rechner |
| 2024-01-22 | Drained and purged cooler water. We probably need to add biocide | Rechner |
| 2024-03-26 | Cleaned main optics | Rechner |
| 2024-08-03 | Clean optics, greased rails, noted significant alignment problems and apparent damage from a Z-axis head crash. | Rechner |
| 2024-09-12 | Re-aligned 2nd mirror in an attempt to compensate for damage from Z crash. | Geo |