Laser Cutter Manual

Laser cutter one-page manual

The laser cutter is now at a level where it can be used by inducted members, but can be improved.

Required Software

To use the laser cutter you need to install VisiCut.

When you open VisiCut for the first time it will ask you where you are. Select Leeds Hackspace from the list.

Performing a cut

Prepare your work-piece in Illustrator, Inkscape, FreeCAD or similar that can export SVG, EPS or DXF files. Using Illustrator CC 2015? Use these settings when exporting your SVG files, or colours won't be saved properly.

Power on the Laser cutter prior to clicking execute in VisiCut. This starts the booting sequence and indicates to other members in the space that you intend on using the laser cutter.

From the File menu, select Import and load your SVG, EPS or DXF.

At this point you need to decide what kind of lasering you will be doing:

• Cut everything as lines, Dither everything or Solidly engrave everything, simply select “Cut Everything”, “Engrave (dithered)” or “Engrave (solid)”, Mark Shallow or Mark Deep as your mapping, check Speed and Power settings are accurate under “Laser Settings”, and click Execute.
• Do different things for different colours of shapes - Select Map by Color, and Select the type of cut/engrave per colour. Then click on each item that is coloured on the work area and check the “Laser Settings” tab to verify the settings are correct, then click Execute.
• Please note that we are still calibrating the machine for raster etching and this function is not yet available reliably.

Here is a test file to use during inductions and when calibrating materials: https://wiki.leedshackspace.org.uk/wiki/File:LASER_TEST_FILE_-_NO_RASTER.svg And here is a cute owl: https://wiki.leedshackspace.org.uk/wiki/File:Hsowl.svg

Place your workpiece on the cutting tray, take the ruler device and ensure it is flat against the side bar and the surface you wish to cut. If it is not, use the up/down switch to move the bed up/down. Note that if you have to do this, the panel may lock up, at which point you have to switch the cutter off and on again and click execute again in VisiCut before you can start cutting.

If you press the red button on the panel, you can get to the main menu, where you can select Run or Boundaries. Not a bad idea to use the boundaries function until you get a feel for where the origin is on the cutter.

Insert your member card and wait for the LED to turn green, then click “Run” and click again to select the only file on the cutter (the cutter only ever keeps the last file on it and deletes it on startup). You should be keeping a track of your usage at this point, time spent with your card in the slot is what is chargeable. It costs £1 per 10 minutes (£1 minimum charge).

Remove your card as soon as your cut is complete. Once you have finished cutting, power off the laser, then take the dustpan and brush and clean out under the cutting area.

Debugging

A red light on the card reader interface means that either:

• The card reader board cannot reach the internet or
• the card is not registered/ its owner is not inducted for cutting.

If everything appears correct, but the laser is still not cutting:

• the lid may need to be re-seated or ensured it is pressed down or
• there may be a fault with the micro-switches on the lid or
• the panel to the underneath area may not have been put back properly after cleaning.

If you have any or repeated problems, please post with detail (software, hardware used, the file you were cutting, etc.) on the mailing list.