Laser Cutter Operating Notes
Some materials produce toxic of corrosive fumes when used in a laser cutter:
Large portions of this article are lifted with some adaptation from https://wiki.hsbne.org/tools/lasercutter
(Thank you HSBNE…)
Safety notes
- When operating this machine, under absolutely NO circumstances must it be left unattended. Not even for just a moment as you get another can of soft drink or quickly head to the bathroom. Laser cutters are known for catching fire randomly without warning, even on jobs that they’ve successfully cut dozens of times before. You need to be there to put it out quickly before a tiny flame that can be just blown out turns into something that calls for the fire extinguisher or worse. If you need to duck away and you can’t get anyone else to mind your job for you then you can pause your job, do your stuff, then resume it when you return. It may be boring to be there the whole time but seriously, don’t leave it unattended while cutting. See the photo on the right for an example why not.
- If anything goes wrong, your first port of call is to always bang the big, red Emergency Stop button. It’s there for a reason, don’t be afraid of using it. Even the resident laser cutter experts have to hit it every so often, because things happen. Don’t let the machine self-destruct through your inaction.
- Lasers are 100% awesome but are 110% dangerous. You are literally cutting, burning, melting and/or vaporising things with a beam of pure, concentrated photons. Treat the machine with the utmost respect at all times because if a serious accident happens that means at best potentially thousands of dollars of damage, and at worst you’ll need a trip to the hospital.
- Along those lines, while you can totally use it to make things that you play with, never “have a play” with the laser cutter. That’s like “having a play” with a loaded machine gun. It’s a bad idea, even saying it light-heartedly isn’t cool. Don’t be That Person. If you are caught disrespecting the machine, even verbally, your ability to use this machine will be temporarily revoked and you will be publicly Dinged for bad behaviour.
- Try to avoid staring at the cutting point. We know it’s pretty & oh-so-mesmerising to watch, but it’s very bright & you’ll end up with temporary spots in your vision.
- Only cut approved materials that are known to be safe. If you disobey this rule, you will create toxic fumes potent enough to put you in hospital and/or you’ll generate gaseous forms of very strong acids which will literally eat away & dissolve the machine’s insides. No that’s not a joke or an exaggeration. Don’t risk it!
- The machine has an expensive halatron based fire extinguisher strapped to its frame on the left hand side, the next nearest fire extinguisher is by the door to this room. If you use it then the machine will need to be taken out of service as it’ll need a proper clean & realignment check by one of the Laser Supervisors; in this case please stop your job immediately, put a Borked or Broken ticket on the machine & post about it on the forums or Discord chat. In other words, don’t use the fire extinguisher unless it’s necessary, but if the situation calls for it don’t hesitate for one second because a fire will spread very quickly inside the machine. Having to thoroughly clean & align a laser cutter is a pain but it’s far better than having to replace a burnt-out shell of an ex laser cutter.
The following materials are strictly prohibited:-
- Any metals of any thickness. Yes, even Aluminium foil. It won’t cut any of them, this laser operates at the wrong wavelength, they reflect the beam back through the optics
- Any material containing Chlorine. This creates gaseous Hydrochloric Acid which dissolves the machine’s insides, along with phosgene which is highly toxic (as in, it was used as chemical warfare during WW1)
- PVC
- Vinyl
- Artificial leather, pleather, moleskine etc
- Polycarbonate/Lexan/Makrolon (melts & burns, smokes like crazy & gives an unevenly lumpy & discoloured edge)
- Polystyrene, including common Polystyrene foam
- Nylon (it melts & burns)
- ABS (produces cyanide gas)
- HDPE/milk bottle plastic
- Epoxies such as those found in resins or glues, including epoxy-coated items
- Fibreglass, including Carbon Fibre, unless you have an MSDS that states that specific fibre & resin combination are specifically suitable for laser cutting
- Cutting printed circuit boards (FR4 and other material types)
- PTFE/Teflon (produces gaseous Hydrofluoric Acid)
- Food of any description
- Body parts
Reference: https://wiki.hsbne.org/tools/lasercutter
Types of work that may be possible to complete:-
Any materials contradicting the prohibited list must not be processed on the cutter.
- Acrylic/Plexiglass/Perspex
- Most woods
- MDF
- Plywood (as long as the glue is laser cutter safe & doesn’t contain metallic particles)
- Paper/cardboard (watch it like a hawk for fires though)
- Cork
- Cloth/cotton/felt, aka natural fibre fabrics
- Natural leather/suede/nubuck (NOT artificial leather). Can be cut if thin, or engraved at any thickness
- Ceramic tile (engraving only)
- Glass (engraving only; must be covered in painter’s tape first)
| Material | Engrave | Cut | Notes |
| Wood | Y | Y | Tested |
| Jade | Y | ||
| Acrylic | Y | Y | Tested to 15 mm |
| Glass | Y | ||
| Ceramic | Y | ||
| Delrin | Y | Y | |
| Cloth | Y | Y | |
| Leather | Y | Y | |
| Marble | Y | ||
| Matte Board | Y | Y | |
| Melamine | Y | Y | |
| Paper | Y | Y | |
| Mylar | Y | Y | |
| Press Board | Y | Y | |
| Rubber | Y | Y | |
| Wood Veneer | Y | Y | |
| Fiberglass | Y | Y | |
| Painted Metals | Y | ||
| Tile | Y | ||
| Plastic | Y | Y | |
| Cork | Y | Y | |
| Corian | Y | Y | |
| Anodized Aluminum | Y | ||
| Ceramics | Y | ||
| Stainless Steel | * | ||
| Brass | * |
