Laser Cutting

 The 4 important hazards and safety control measures in laser cutter operation:

Hazards	Control measures	Picture Evidence
1. Fumes and gas accumulated can pose a fire hazard	A fume extractor is installed to prevent gas accumulation.
2. Fire hazard as debris present on cutting material can catch fire	An air compressor is installed acting as air assist to blow away any smoke and debris on the material.
3. The material can catch on fire during laser cutting and pose a fire hazard	Fire extinguisher present to put out big fires.
4. Radiation hazard from the laser used to cut the material	Laser interlocks present in the laser cutter to trap the laser beams in the cutter.

Materials that can be cut or engraved by the laser cutter:

Material	Picture
Paper/white card
Cardboard
Balsa wood
Acrylic
Plywood

Prohibited materials

Material	Picture
PVC
Metal
Foam
Rubber

Note: Maximum thickness of material used is 5mm

Laser cutter operating procedures:

a. Starting of compressor, turning on the laser cutter and fume extractor

Steps and description	Photos of described steps
1. Switch on the power for laser cutter, air assist and lights	(T1442)                           (Makerspace)
2. Switch on the fume extractor

b. Importation of .DXF file to Coreldraw and modification of the lines/fill for cutting and engraving

Steps and description	Photos of described steps
Select file > Import > Select your .DXF file and press import
You can choose to vector cut, vector engrave or engrave the imported file

c. Sending the Coreldraw drawing to the laser cutter software and setting the cutter power, speed and PPI in the software

Steps and description	Photos of described steps
Click on File > Print
Click on cogwheel for settings
Universal’s Material setting will appear Click load for more settings
Select presets that match the material and open
Check the details before cutting Power: Output power of laser, maximum power causes charring, leading to ugliness. High power used on dark wood and stamp engravings, low power should be used for paper. Speed: Movement of the laser. Affects exposure time. PPI: Pulses Per Inch (Frequency). Controls how much the laser pulses over a given distance. High frequencies ensure smoother cuts, however this creates a lot of heat that can char or melt certain materials, leading to ugliness. Z-axis: Set as material height for optimal focus point. Click ok when done

d. Starting the job

Steps and description	Photos of described steps
The control panel: 1) Activates and deactivates laser cutter 2) Play button to start work 3) Pause button to pause/resume work 4) Tools Settings - to change or set settings for a different material
To activate the laser cutter, click on the power button on the top right of the UCP. (When green before activation, deactivate and activate again)
The 4 essential tools: 1) Zoom - Zoom in to work file using scroll mouse 2) Focus - Helps check if the work is within a workable space using a laser dot 3) Move - Moves drawings within the available workspace (not a live view) 4) Estimated time - Determines estimated time for work
Zones The laser is usually concentrated at the top. A cut in zone 1 is usually more successful than zone 4 which usually causes a power drop. The cut should be concentrated at around zones 1 and 2.
Placing material A built-in ruler is present to guide users using the move tool to move the cutting material.
Click on the focus tool and a crosshair will appear for checking if the file is within a safe cutting area. Click as close as possible to the extreme bottom right corner of the file (the laser will go there so hands must be cleared from that area before such action)
Check other points of the material to ensure the file is within the safe cut zone on the material. Click on the estimate time button and press start to check for the timing. (does not start the laser cut)
Cutting: 1) Shut lid gently 2) Press either play on the UCP or the physical laser cutter button.
Monitoring: Monitor the cut by glancing (staring at the beam for long periods of time can cause blindness)
Finish cutting: Once done, allow the extractor to purge the toxic smell and particles (around 1 min)
Finish extraction: Lift up the lid gently Test to see if the material was cut through by tapping on the cut to see if it is free from the main. If the cut fails, inform the staff as the lens might be dirty. Cutting with a dirty lens may cause it to crack and make the machine unusable.

e. When there is fire on the cutting material, DOs and DON'Ts

TO DO	Photos to support description
If the fire is negligible, trying blowing at it to put it out.
If a flame does not die out in 1 or 2 seconds, lift the lid of the laser cutter to stop the operation,
If the fire is too uncontrollable, get a fire extinguisher to put it out and shout for help to alert other people.

TO DON'T	Photos to support description
When the flame is small, do not spray the fire extinguisher into the laser cutter as it would damage the laser cutter.
Do not run away and leave the fire burning as the fire can spread all over the lab and destroy everything.

My learning and reflection on the laser cutter activities

After the tumultuous laser cutter activities, I have been enlightened and am confident that I can use these skills to greatly help me in my future endeavors. 

Technology is becoming more and more prevalent and has started replacing humans in every conceivable task. Laser cutting is a quick way to bend a material to the shape of your will and is certainly very sought out for, making laser cutting a very important skill to have in your arsenal for your future.

On my first attempt on the competency test, I failed, which made me highly incompetent. This was because I had failed to change the width of the line to that of hairline. This caused the laser to get a seizure and start machine gunning the poor piece of wood. I feel very bad for myself as my room temperature IQ has caused me to forget some crucial information. This shows that no matter how detailed your SOP is, it is only useful in the hands of a highly intelligent user.

Then, on my second attempt, I was very successful miraculously, to the point that it felt like a completely different person's work. This shows that laser cutting is actually very easy since the likes of me was able to accomplish it.

Overall, laser cutting was very fun and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed coming back the next day due to the lab closing before our practical session ended. This has taught me that the world is highly unfair and God can flick opportunities away from you with a single omnipotent finger. Taking glances at the laser moving around under the glass feels extremely cathartic and makes me feel like an otherworldly being.

Enjoyed. Would recommend to anyone seeking to pick up skills that will benefit them in industrial work or seeking to cut some wood. 10/10

This was the product I made (my pride and joy):