Overview
Laser cutting is a fabrication procedure where a high-power laser is used to cut a flat sheet of material. Some examples of appropriate materials are plywood and acrylic. CAD software or Adobe Illustrator is used to create the shapes of the cutouts, then a DXF file is exported. The laser cutter can read this file and uses it to move the laser and create the appropriate cuts.
One important aspect of laser cutting is selecting the laser power level and movement speed. These factors will depend on the laser cutter model, the material being cut, and the thickness of the material. Incorrect settings can result in parts that are burned or melted around the edges.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cutting-Basics/ has many images showing the different cutting techniques and possibilities of laser cutting.
Note: Starting a fire in the laser cutter is possible. BioRaft fire extinguisher training is needed to use laser cutters.
Laser Cutters Available on Campus:
Rabbit Laser Cutters:
Rabbit Lasers Cutters are a model of laser cutters from Rabbit Laser USA.
The laser cutters have 45-in by 33-in of usable bed area, with laser tubes rated for a maximum output of 80 watts.
The materials that the Rabbit Laser can cut are flat materials like cardboard, fabric, paper, MDF, plywood, and acrylic.
The IDeATe fabrication facility in Hunt A5B includes three Rabbit Laser cutters (model RL-80-1290). Rabbit Lasers can also be found in the Morewood Gardens Makerspace. They can also be found in a few other places, but have certain restrictions on them.
Extra Information on how to use the Rabbit laser:
https://resources.ideate.cmu.edu/equipment/laser-cutter/
Epilog Laser Cutters:
The Epilog laser cutters can be found in the TechSpark FabLab, which requires passing a fire extinguisher training and soldering safety quiz.
There are two Epilog Minis available, each with a 18″x12″ work area and 5.5″ max thickenss with a maximum laser power of 60W, and one Epilog Helix with a 24”x18” work area and 8.5″ max thickness with a maximum laser power of 75W. Both types of machines are rated to be accurate to 0.1″.
There is one Epilog Legend 36EXT which has a working area of 36″x24″ with a maximum material thickness of 12″ and a maximum laser power of 120W.
Many examples exist to show the results of different laser power and speed settings for different materials. Epilog and TechSpark don’t have specific setting listed, but many sources exist from IdeATe and Rabbit for general settings. The laser cutters are controlled using the CoreIDraw software.