The laser is imminent! There have been murmurings of a plan once it arrives but no details, so lets talk details
Here are some questions that need answering:
Where will we put it?
Is it movable on wheels or installed to a home?
Freestanding or desk bound?
Whom is going to install a snarc+ to it and implement the access control?
Do we have the correct code to log usage of not-the-front-door snarcs? (Iām guessingā¦ yes?)
Whom is the most qualified person to do inductions?
When will inductions be held then, and what should be included in them? ie, nyc resistor do a 2 hour class once a month.
What can we do to increase the safety of the device, ie can we have a dead mans switch so you may not leave it unattended?
Can or should we put fire suppression right next to it?
There are a few components inline that need to operate for the laser to happen safely, like air assist compression, water chilling and pump etc. Does our model automate the control of these devices; if not, can we build a controller so theres less room for error; if yes, who will build it.
Who wants to do up some great laminated cards to remind people of the limitations of the machine, ie what materials are usable, what are outright banned, proper safety procedures etc.
Are we electrically ready for it, does it need any special wiring for power that we donāt currently have.
It will need to be able to vent fumes happily, do we have a plan for how we want to manage that (short of āhang the tube out a windowā, we can do so much better)
Are there ongoing maintenance requirements? whoās responsibility is that? do we need a way to log hours-of-usage? Can we log those hours automatically rather than rely on pen/paper?
included is a air pump and air exhaust fan as well as a water
chiller, it has been advised by other hackerspaces that we run the
water chiller at 30c all the time.
a 12 month warranty for main unit and 3 month warranty for laser tube
and mirrors.
there has been talk of putting the laser cutter in the backroom near
the printer.
there are no need for any special power cables to make this run. as
it runs off a IEC power plug.
it is recommended that a computer is pluged in for changing settings
such as the power levels for the laser to changes from engraving to
cutting.
it also comes with webcam for customer support and 24/7 customer
support number.
for those who are asking the cutting area is 500mm x 700mm but the
door can be opened to fit larger cuts in.
the laser tube has been reported to last as long as 3000+ hours
Aaron, Luke and myself have been chatting, and weāve schemed three things.
Luke has new snarc+ boards coming, which can be put on this cutter as an interlock for induction purposes. hooray!
Weāre looking at getting a co2 tank from a homebrew supplier and some air fittings and a ball valve as a āfirst stage non destructive fire suppressionā system. we will also probably look at getting a co2 extinguisher proper for āoh shit oh shit oh shitā moments.
Weāre going to knock up something like this volt hour metre and set it up with a write-to-sd and key switch from jaycar so the machine will engage estop until maintenance is performed by a keyholder.
Laser cutting plastics that contain chlorine (aka PVC) is bad.
It releases dangerous chlorine gas which is corrosive.
Adam wanted to etch his laptop safely, so we needed to identify the plastic in his lid.
To do this, we used Science. There is a guide on how to identify polymers based on a series of tests.
We used the copper wire test and deduced that his laptop was safe to etch. Yay!
More info here: http://chymist.com/Polymer%20Identification.pdf
Q: How do I play with it to make it make pew pew pew noises?
A: REINDUCTION spank
In all serious, perhaps a paragraph near the top to point out its a
dangerous tool thats also a fire hazard, and to treat it with respect? Iāve
already spotted people doing technically wrong things on it, just minor
inconsequentials, but they worry me nonetheless.
@crofty: Iāve noticed that the bed needs height adjustment between cutting on the far left and far right. How can I level the bed?
Iām hapy to write instructions for anyone who needs to level it later (or decides the job I do isnāt good enough for them. Good for you, future nitpicker).
Adjusting the bed isnāt a small task as it requires to take the chain off.
Are you cutting on the honeycomb bed?
The main bed last time I checked was spot on (good enough not to bother).
I noticed the honeycomb bed is slightly warped, I assume it was done in
travel but it doesnāt help people leaning it against a table or wall where
others can and will trip over it bending it more.
Not saying you have been doing this, just a general observation.
So unless the main bed isnāt level, I wouldnāt touch itā¦
