![]() Failing to engage (or failure to have) an air assist can lead to messier cuts and engravings than usual, and can increase the chance of flare-ups.įailure to anticipate proprietary software and toolchain hassles. A cheap laser cutter from China will probably want to run its own proprietary software (although it is possible to upgrade to an open-source controller like RAMPS or go directly to a project like LaserWeb). The bits were still glowing when I hit the e-stop. Had I not had an air assist, it would have caught fire.įailure to engage (or have) a compressed air assist. Blowing compressed air at the area being laser cut helps prevent flare ups and keeps things clean by directing vaporized material downward and away from the cut, and away from the machine’s lenses and mirrors. ![]() Failures Before the Job is Started This job had run flawlessly dozens of times, then did this. If there’s a drain anywhere, that negative pressure will pull gross smells up into the room through the drain. If there is insufficient air intake, the exhaust system will cause negative pressure in the room. An open window should do it, but not everywhere has windows. That air needs to not only go somewhere, but it needs to come in from somewhere, too. ![]() In addition, even with proper filtration and exhaust there will probably be at least some smells from laser cutting – which will range from burning wood to melting plastic depending on the material. Even slight smells wafting in might be unwelcome to others depending on the environment.įailure to provide enough airflow. Hooking up an exhaust fan to suck air from the printer cutter and vent it somewhere isn’t quite enough. If there are people nearby, they might object to the noise. If the laser tube is water-cooled (which is likely) a cooling system that circulates distilled water through the laser tube needs to be nearby as well.įailure to install in a place where noise and smell won’t be a problem. The exhaust fan, laser cutter, and cooling system aren’t as loud as table saws, but it’s still loud and a laser job can run for an extended time – especially when engraving. Generally speaking it’s good practice to keep any exhaust tubes as short as can be and with as few bends as possible. Exhaust might be either a fan and ducting, or a fume extractor / filter system. (At least I didn’t have to find a way to hoist it to the third floor like our friends at Null Space Labs did.)įailure to plan (and budget) for the extended needs of the laser cutter. A laser cutter requires not only power, but also exhaust and cooling. Small desktop machines are fine, but larger units will be too heavy to move alone, and may not fit through doorways or around corners in a stairwell. Null Space Labs gets a laser cutter – no doors or stairs for this thing! Failure to anticipate size, weight, and general awkwardness of moving and installing the equipment. Not all of us have warehouses, big open shop floors, or freight elevators to work with. Not all of these are my own personal experience, but they are all someone’s personal experience. In the spirit of exploring that idea, here are my favorite ways to fail at laser cutting and engraving. People often focus on success stories, but learning from failures is much more educational. ![]() It’s not too hard to get adequate results, but to get truly professional and repeatable ones takes work and experience and an attention to detail. The operator needs to handle all the other things that go on before, during, and after the job. Like other power tools, laser cutters are built around doing one thing very well, but they require an operator’s full attention and support. Laser cutters are CNC power tools, which means an operator uploads a job digitally and then pushes START to let the machine do all the work while they lie back in a hammock sipping a margarita, occasionally leaping out in a panic because the sound coming from the machine changed slightly.
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