Laser Cutter User Manual - School of Architecture and Planning
Contents
1. BASSWOOD THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS 1 5320 50 60 i FLIGHT GRADE PLYWOOD SOLD AT UTRECHT THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS ro 20 300 1 32 90 100 15 20 300 We X 90 100 8 5 300 O 555 158851 sl sol _ is ETCH 5 7 10 REGULAR PLYWOOD LUAN THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS 60 70 5 500 O VECTOR ETCH 5 7 10 40 60 WATT LASER CUTTER 1 APPROXIMATE SETTINGS KEEP YOUR OWN RECORD REMEMBER TO FOCUS THE LENSE OR SET THE Z Power Settings for 35watt and 6Owatt VECTOR ETCHING ALL MATERIALS Guaury Power SPEED PPl Commens The 60 watt laser and the 35 watt laser have different power settings The 60 lu a watt laser laser 1 will cut through thicker material up to 1 4 and is the i one farthest from the door The 35 watt laser laser 2 is better for thinner 300 material and also will burn less CHIPBOARD Thickness POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS 0 031 1 52 55 05 20 500 09 0 040 5 65 60 70 20 5300 0 062 1 16 75 85 20 500 S 0 080 5 64 55 65 Mo 35300 0 120 1 8 95 00 10 sol BASSWOOD Thickness POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS 50 60 20 500 THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS a eee 90 102. Preview Apply to Layout SJ Gmail Inbox 4803 m L Adobe Illustrator AutoCAD 2009 EDUC Deore vour apRoINUMen Edit Your File Before You Cut You are unable to edit your files in the laser room All of your files should be edited and ready to go before your laser appointment starts Here s a checklist to run through to guarantee that you are ready and hopefully catch any mis takes 1 Make sure your file is nested properly Nesting is putting all the objects as close as possible sometimes sharing lines if possible Doing this saves time and material allowing you to cut more in less time with less waste 2 Run the overkill command Doing this will delete any extra lines and reduces time on the laser machine and the likelihood of burnt edges o Double check the scale of your drawing and you re ready to gol 60 WATT LASER CUTTER 1 APPROXIMATE SETTINGS KEEP YOUR OWN RECORD REMEMBER TO FOCUS THE LENSE OR SET THE Z VECTOR ETCHING ALL MATERIALS GUALITY POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS EXTRA LIGHT 5 40 LIGHT LIGHT EXTRA HEAVY IS 40 300 0 0 0 O CHIPBOARD THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS 0 031 1 52 55 65 20 5300 0 040 5 65 60 70 20 5300 0 062 1 16 75 85 20 500 o 0 080 5 64 55 65 10 sol 0 120 1 8 95 00 sol VECTOR ETCH 7 10 15 40
3. _ 1000 PLEXIGLAS CELL CAST THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS d8 1000 fe VM Jl _ VECTOR ETCH 1000 Y M Raster etching should be avoided for the two weeks prior to midterms and the tree REGULAR PLYWOOD LUAN weeks leading up to finals because of the long cut times associated with that process THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS 60 70 5 8900 71015 40 500
4. you will want to perform several test cuts to find the correct settings for your material The best way to do that is to plan ahead for this When setting up your cut sheets be sure to leave space for test cutting to occur Cut a variety of shapes Don t cut just straight lines because sometimes the lasers can burn a material differently on different types of cuts some ideas for shapes to cut 1 Rectangles within rectangles for windows 2 Trees or something with complex edges 3 Circles People etc The more testing you do the better you can ensure you have the correct settings and the happier you will be with the final product laser appointment Before you print your file you need to set the appropriate laser settings for your material You can find these settings next to the laser cutter you are using posted against the wall Be sure to use the correct settings for the correct laser DO NOT use the 35 watt laser settings for the 60 watt laser and vice versa The settings on the wall are not absolute They are only recommendations It is always a good idea to perform a test cut on your material first to make sure that the settings you chose were correct It is a good idea to remember the settings that work for you best rellene materials Lexan Glass Metals Foamcore Foam Styrene Polystyrene PVC polyvinyl carbonate Vinyl Polycarbonate If you are caught cutting with these materials you will LOSE your
5. 0 15 20 3001 REGULAR PLYWOOD LUAN Thickness Power SPEED PPI 55 WATT LASER CUTTER 2 55 WATT LASER CUTTER 2 APPROXIMATE SETTINGS KEEP YOUR OWN RECORD APPROXIMATE SETTINGS KEEP YOUR OWN RECORD REMEMBER TO FOCUS THE LENSE OR SET THE Z REMEMBER TO FOCUS THE LENSE OR SET THE Z VECTOR ETCHING ALL MATERIALS CARDBOARD GUALITY POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS LEXTRA LIGHT 7 40 300 0 0 00000000 40 50 10 800 LiT 10 aol 300 00000000000 MEDIUM 40 300 YO MUSEAM BOARD HEAVY 5 40 300 2 294Q p D n Oo ExiRAHEAVY 18 40 300 lt 0 CHIPBOARD THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS 0 031 1 32 60 70 20 300 0 YO 0 040 3 64 _ 80 90 20 300 O MATBOARD 0 062 1 16 45 55 400 300 THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS 0 080 5 64 65 75 1 0 300 MI6 80 90 300 O VECTOR ETCH 7015 40 300 BASSWOOD PLEXIGLAS EXTRUDED THICKNESS POWER SPEED PPI COMMENTS PPI COMMENTS M32 35 5 _ 20 8300 2 1000 0 00 0 80100 20 300 O 1000 000 a 15752 5 55 10 300 2 1000 000 0 d8 85 95 10 300 O 2 1000 3 16 50 60 5 300 1000 L O AV M4 9010 5 830 1000 000 I O 000 K
6. Laser Cutter User Manual Table Of Contents Section 1 Materials Guide 1 1 Can Cut this Acceptable and Prohibited Materials Acceptable Materials and range of thickness for 35w and 60w List of Prohibited Materials Section 2 Using the Laser Cutter 2 1 Before your appointment Scale Cutsheets Cutting etching order No editing on laser room computers 35 Watt and 60 Watt Cutting Settings Cutting material to the correct size 2 2 Once Your Cutting Time has Started Turning on the Machine Setting the Z Height Loading in your file using True View Material Cutting Settings How to Print Your File Using Recommended Settings Test Cuts 2 3 Send Wait Remove Importance of watching laser cutter for flare ups Removing all work and cleaning up after yourself Section 3 Trouble Shooting Guide 3 1 Laser Cutter Won t Print My File 3 2 The Laser Cutter is a Little Red Dot and it Won t Cut 3 3 The Laser Cutter Head is not Moving 3 4 Help The Laser Cutter is On Fire F A Ea N KO the laser is cutting weird it s cutting a thick line or not cutting through at all 1 the z height is set incorrectly and or 2 you may have set up your layers incorrectly you can avoid this by using the laser cutter template found online at http architecture cua edu resources lasercutting cfm and or 3 you have double lines in your autoCAD file you can correct this problem by running the overkill command on yo
7. e Open this file then save as YourFile Name LaserTemplate Tip Keep all your files for each project in one folder and keep the first version of the template the one you downloaded empty and saved in a different location on your hard drive for future use Paste Ctrl V or Edit gt Paste the shapes from the clipboard to this new file YourFileName_ LaserTemplate Loading in Your File with True View 1 Log onto your student account 2 Drag your file from your jumpdrive email M Drive under network drivers in my computer etc and load it onto the computer desktop 3 Run the True View application on the desktop 4 Open your file 5 Check for errors 6 Print laser appolniimernmnt Dimension Mody Parametric Window Help Express Tools E F LE o BH Wireframe El Viewport Configurations List F Mew PE 18 2 Q T create Poygona Bo E gt 4 1 Flick the light switch next to the machine you are using This will turn on EZ Named Hil join paletes Manager BE the laser machine and the exhaust system G Visual Styles gt FEE Palett Turning On The Machine m S amp S E D 2 Wait for the laser to initialize and warm up It s ready to go with the green light IS ON YOUR DRAWING GOES IN THIS BOX 3 Log on to the computer using your CUA logon 1 0 and password 4 Open up true view CUArch Laser Cut Template Remember to set the Z height of
8. f the top of your material Al drawings sentio he r X TEE empe ins ert your drawing into below io ne col at 11 scale me ma mum sie of maral cat E 5218 should res Inekde of and not on lon of fie Bounding when placed In he machine Uss only Index colors 1 5 Line color should be By Layer occur afer scoringsa lhe pleces wont move around The laser cutter cuts in Pe fnllkwlmngorder paeen inde coor Sifr elbow index color 2 I BCyan index color 4 Feel fee fo the provided template as many times as needed You will send fils flle fo the laser ar using DWG Tr View and will mot be able to cdi while in he laser mom LaserRoom computers no longer have Auto CAD Any Questions oonoems or comments about fie laser cumers may be sent fo Ryan 21 cus edu pelore vour appointment Proper Cutting and Etching Order v fi The laser cutter reads the following colors in this order 1 Black white 2 Red 3 Green 4 Yellow 5 Blue 6 Magenta 7 Cyan 8 Orange The numbered layers in the template file are in the order that the laser cutter will cut You now can select your scaled shapes and then select the appropriate layer Remember you want to etch first then cut If you are cutting two different things for example cutting a screen of circles cut the interior openings first then the exterior There is layer called 0 Layout Measure your materia
9. idge will move back to the 0 0 position pelore vour aner Im emyn eri How to Scale in AutoCAD Option 1 select everything you wish to cut then type SCALE into the command bar or press the scale button Specify the base point Enter the model scale you are working with remember that 1 8inch 1 foot scale is the numerical equivalent to 1 8 inch 12 inches which is equal to 1 96 scale so you would enter 1 96 Option 2 Draw a line that is 1 foot long off to the side then draw another line that begins at the same point that is perpendicular and is the length of your scale 1 8 inch for instance Be certain ortho is on and you can snap to endpoints select everything you wish to cut then type SCALE into the command bar or press the scale button Specify the base point and choose the point where your two reference lines touch Type R for reference and choose the point where your two reference lines touch snap to the end of the 1 foot line then snap to the end of your 1 8 inch line pelore vour appointment How to Setup Your Cutsheet Always design and draw in 1 1 Once your drawing is complete select the shapes you need to cut and copy them to the clipboard Ctrl C or Edit gt Copy Save the Laser Cutting Template which can be downloaded from the Archi tecture web page at the following address http architecture cua edu resourc es lasercutting cfm to your hard driv
10. l and draw that into the template in the bottom left corner of the laser cutter bed represented by the large rectangle in the template file Move M and rotate rotate your shapes to nest them closely inside your material rectangle If two shapes share a line you need to delete the line The overkill command will do this nicely but is not standard on newer versions of AutoCAD pelore vour appointment Cutting Your Material to Laser Bed Size The laser bed size is 18 in width by 32 in length You MUST cut your mate rial to the correct size to fit into the laser bed If your material is thin you can easily cut it to size using the laser room shear 1 Measure out your material with a ruler make an 177 by 317 rectangle p UO Fen Made Color PT Gae Assist al E k EE iso MANUAL 2 Line up the crosshairs and the lines of the rectangle you drew then press 3 m MANUAL down the foot lever Watch your fingers and toes HE 5 20 MANUAL MANUAL MAN LAL Image Density q 3 Retrieve your scrap and save it or throw it away Do not leave it behind the machine Qus A x E ape 5 m ll 3 ae 3 n 2 1 P If you are laser cutting wood or acrylic sheet you may have to cut it down to the correct size using woodshop tools Talk to one of the shop monitors if you TT need help Load Save Defaults NORMAL v C LILS 2004 06 25 WIN P72000 1 07M d
11. laser cutting priviledges Prohibited materials could melt on the laser bed or release toxic gases all of which can cause damage to both the user and machine Any damage that occurred to the laser cutter because you did not follow the rules will come out of your pocket SEGTION 2 USING THE LASER CUTTER W x up m FF e n r gt lt ol i freed correct distanc J rh F laser cartridge to material amp a pat 4 FM eu INA OE 22 a t uL hm RE T I lt Am h f laser appolnimernmnt Setting Z Height 1 Grab the Z tool that is in the laser bed off to the left side 2 Press the Z button 3 Move the red laser cartridge in the x and y axis until it is positioned on your material It should automatically go to a good position Be careful not to hit the x y button 4 Place the Z tool black side down on the material near the red laser cartridge Line up the notch with bottom right edge of the red laser cartridge and make sure it sits flat o otart with the laser bed too low and press the up arrow until the notch bumps the focus tool off the face of the laser cartridge Go down one increment 6 Press the select button 7 Press the up arrow again the bed will be moving more slowly Go up until the notch bumps off again Press the down arrow once This is your correct setting 9 Press the Z button again and the red cartr
12. ur computer before you print it to the laser cutter the laser isn t cutting and all see is a flashing red light on the front of the machine 1 the machine door isn t shut all the way check both the top door with the see through glass as well as the front door where the laser bed is located the computer is displaying a message continuous plot log could not be opened for write what does that mean 1 this happens when you are trying to print directly from your flash drive although nothing happens it is always a good idea to print from the computer s hard drive just drag and drop your file onto the desktop and then open your file for printing I you are still experiencing problems contact the via email SECTION 3 TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE acceptable materials Chipboard Cardboard Matboard Acrylic Paper Acetate Utrecht does not typically carry Acrylic sheets Do not buy just any plastic sheet You must check the label if it doesn t say Acrylic then it s not acceptable You can purchase Acrylic online through McMaster Carr they ship within 24 hours or you can purchase in person through Miles Glass or Piedmont Plastics and pick it up the same day Remember unless it specifically says Acrylic on the label you CANNOT CUT it on the laser cutter Material Cutting Settings The Art of Test Cutting If guality of cut truly matters i e you are building a final model for studio
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