Laser Cutter
Laser Cutter
G139L
Details
Our Laser cutter is a Genesis G139L, purchased from Makerspace NZ. It is a laser cutter/engraver which is the 2nd largest fully-enclosed front-loading glass-tube laser cutter that Makerspace NZ sells. This machine offers the precision to do high-detail engraving and will also cut cleanly through 18mm MDF/20mm natural pine timber in our tests with the 100W (continuous) tube.
It uses a C02(Carbon Dioxide) Laser tube. For more info on how this works see here: C02 laser
Disclaimer
Lasers are AWESOME(its all caps because its all true!) and the bigger the laser the more fun, right?
Yes and no, a laser pointer can damage a person or animals eye if pointed directly into it and a high-powered laser pointer(the kind you aren't supposed to get into the country) can cause serious and permanent damage if you look at it.
The Genesis G139L has a 100Watt C02 Laser... your average laser pointer from the 2-dollar shop?
Is 0.005 watts
To put it another way;
Our 100W C02 Laser is powerful enough to burn through 20mm of solid Pine wood... fast... while the 2-dollar laser pointer can't burn through it... or etch it it... at all.
The Laser cutter is an amazingly cool piece of technology that we are very excited to have available BUT it is also potentially harmful if used carelessly, which is why we will have safety procedures in place to ensure we can all have fun and create amazing projects with it;
Safely
efficiently
and for many years to come.
specifications:
cutting area - 1300mm X 900mm
Laser - 100W at 100% power
Approved Materials
All materials in this list have been tested with the Tinkd Makerspace G139L by one of our volunteers. any questions feel free to ask.
list
Acrylic
Cutting and engraving tested 3mm-10mm tested successfully
Leather
Cutting and engraving tested 4mm pig skin leather tested 3mm pig skin tested 2mm unknown vege tan tested
plywood
Cutting and engraving tested up to 8mm successfully cut through(capable of cutting up to 20mm)
corflute
Cutting and engraving tested 4mm corflute tested, engraving must be on low power(less than 20%)
PLA 3D printed objects
Engraving tested only Low power engraving
Pine wood
Cutting and engraving tested 20mm thickness cut successfully
Unsafe Materials
Unsafe Material for Laser Cutter
| Material | Danger | Cause/consequence |
|---|---|---|
| PVC (Poly VinylChloride) /vinyl/pleather/artificial leather | Emits pure chlorine gas when cut! | Don’t ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, cause the metal of the machine to corrode, and ruin the motion control system. |
| ABS | Emits cyanide gas and tends to melt | ABS does not cut well in a laser cutter. It tends to melt rather than vaporize, and has a higher chance of catching on fire and leaving behind melted gooey deposits on the vector cutting grid. It also does not engrave well (again, tends to melt). |
| Thick(>1mm) Polycarbonate/lexan | Cut very poorly, discolor,catch fire | Polycarbonate is often found as flat, sheet material. The window of the laser cutter is made of Polycarbonate because polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation! This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a poor choice for laser cutting. |
| HDPE/milk bottle plastic | Catches fire and melts | It melts. It gets gooey. Don’t use it. |
| PolyStyrene Foam | Catches Fire | It catches fire, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!! |
| PolyPropylene Foam | Catches Fire | Like PolyStyrene, it melts, catches fire, and the melted drops continue to burn and turn into rock-hard drips and pebbles. |
| Fiberglass | Emits Fumes | It’s a mix of two materials that cant’ be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes) |
| Coated Carbon Fiber | Emits Noxious Fumes |
Details
Acrylic
Acrylic is a transparent plastic material with outstanding strength, stiffness, and optical clarity. Acrylic sheet is easy to fabricate, bonds well with adhesives and solvents, and is easy to thermoform. It has superior weathering properties compared to many other transparent plastics. to learn more: Acrylic
3mm to 8mm has been tested both with cutting and etching.
Slow movement speed results in clean, smooth edges on the cut and etching can produce very interesting and varied effects which can easily be backlit.
Leather
Leather is cured/processed animal skin. Although leather is often made of cows' skin, it can also be made from the skin of pigs, goats, sheep, dogs, and cats as well as crocodiles, ostriches, and other “exotic” animals.
There are two main kinds of leather, Vege tan and Chromium tan. Vege tan is cured/treated with natural chemicals and materials to produce a clean, strong, leather of variying thicknesses. vege tan is safe to cut in the Laser cutter as the chemicals used in its processing don't produce harmful fumes. Smells horrible.
Chromium tan leather is made using Chromium sulfate. Faster to process than vege tan though not as strong. When burned Chromium Tan leather produces toxic fumes and thus cannot be used in our laser cutter.
To learn more: Leather
Plywood
Plywood is an engineered wood made from multiple layers of thin veneer that are glued together. Each adjacent layer is rotated by up to 90 degrees to improve strength and other qualities. The layers are adhered together with glues or resins which can be toxic when laser cut which is why only plywood made for laser cutting should be used.
We have tested up to 20mm thickness of laser cutter plywood and extensively used 3mm and 5mm plywood. It gives a beautiful engraving finish and cuts well though can burn if the power is set too high.
To learn more: Plywood
Corflute
Corflute is the industry name given to corrugated polypropylene, a fluted plastic which is lightweight yet rigid. The plastic is extruded to give it the large rectangular flutes all the way through it, and it has medium outdoor longevity. The name “Corflute” is actually registered to Corex but the industry has picked it up and now uses it as a generic term for fluted plastic.
Corrugated plastic has been tested with cutting and engraving, though not many tests have been done. It is safe to use on the laser cutter however very low power settings are required.
To learn more: Corflute