Laser Cutter Materials - Revision history

Tschule: /* Safe */

2015-07-24T20:27:09Z

Safe

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:27, 24 July 2015
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	\| Cork \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|		\| Cork \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\| Acrylic/Lucite/Plexiglas/PMMA \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\| Cast ~~Acrylic~~ cuts and etches very well, extruded acrylic cuts but doesn't etch well.		\| Acrylic/Lucite/Plexiglas/PMMA \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\| Cast acrylic cuts and etches very well, extruded acrylic cuts but doesn't etch well.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Delrin \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|		\| Delrin \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|

Tschule: /* Safe */

2015-07-24T20:26:22Z

Safe

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:26, 24 July 2015
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	\| Cork \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|		\| Cork \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\| Acrylic/Lucite/Plexiglas/PMMA \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|		\| Acrylic/Lucite/Plexiglas/PMMA \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\| Cast Acrylic cuts and etches very well, extruded acrylic cuts but doesn't etch well.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Delrin \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|		\| Delrin \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|

Tschule: /* NOT SAFE */

2015-05-15T20:10:14Z

NOT SAFE

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:10, 15 May 2015
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	\| 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).		\| 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).
	\|-		\|-
	\| HDPE/milk bottle plastic \|\| Catches fire and melts \|\| It melts~~. It~~ gets ~~gooey. Don't use it~~.		\| HDPE/milk bottle plastic \|\| Catches fire and melts \|\| It melts and gets very messy.
	\|-		\|-
	\| PolyStyrene Foam \|\| Catches fire \|\| It catches fire, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!		\| PolyStyrene Foam \|\| Catches fire \|\| It catches fire, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!

Tschule: /* NOT SAFE */

2015-05-15T20:09:12Z

NOT SAFE

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:09, 15 May 2015
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	! Material !! Problem !! Notes		! Material !! Problem !! Notes
	\|-		\|-
	\| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/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.		\| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/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.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan \|\| Cuts very poorly, discolor, can catch fire \|\| Polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation, which is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate.		\| Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan \|\| Cuts very poorly, discolor, can catch fire \|\| Polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation, which is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate.

Tschule: /* Safe */

2015-05-15T20:08:12Z

Safe

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:08, 15 May 2015
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	\|-		\|-
	\| Delrin \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|		\| Delrin \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|
			\|-
			\| PLA (3d printed model) \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\| Cloth/Felt \|\| Yes \|\| ? \|\| Not plastic coated or impregnated.		\| Cloth/Felt \|\| Yes \|\| ? \|\| Not plastic coated or impregnated.

Tschule at 18:10, 10 May 2015

2015-05-10T18:10:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:10, 10 May 2015
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	{\| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"		{\| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
	\|-		\|-
	! Material !! ~~DANGER~~ !! ~~Cause/Consequence~~		! Material !! Problem !! Notes
	\|-		\|-
	\| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/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.		\| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/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.

Tschule at 18:08, 10 May 2015

2015-05-10T18:08:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:08, 10 May 2015
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	\| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/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.		\| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/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.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan \|\| Cuts very poorly, discolor, can 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~~.		\| Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan \|\| Cuts very poorly, discolor, can catch fire \|\| Polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation, which is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate.
	\|-		\|-
	\| 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).		\| 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).

Tschule at 18:07, 10 May 2015

2015-05-10T18:07:01Z

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 | 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)
+| Fiberglass || Emits fumes || It's a mix of two materials that can't be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes)
 |-
 | Coated Carbon Fiber || Emits noxious fumes || A mix of two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying - but not when coated.
 |-
 |}
@@ Line 31: / Line 33: @@
 ! Material !! Cut? !! Etch? !! Notes
 |-
-| Wood || Yes || Yes || 'Avoid oily/resinous wood
+| Wood || Yes || Yes || Avoid oily/resinous wood
 |-
-| Plywood || Yes || Yes || 'Contain layers of glue which might become exposed
+| Stone/Marble/Granite || No || Yes ||
 |-
 |}

Tschule at 17:46, 10 May 2015

2015-05-10T17:46:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:46, 10 May 2015
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	\|}		\|}

	==~~SAFE~~==		==Safe==
	{\| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"		{\| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
	\|-		\|-
	! Material !! ~~DANGER~~ !! ~~Cause/Consequence~~		! Material !! Cut? !! Etch? !! Notes
	\|-		\|-
	\| ~~PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/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.~~		\| Wood \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\| 'Avoid oily/resinous wood
	\|-		\|-
	\| ~~Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan~~ \|\| ~~Cuts very poorly, discolor, can 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.		\| Plywood \|\| Yes \|\| Yes \|\| 'Contain layers of glue which might become exposed
	\|-
	\| ~~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).
	\|-
	~~\| 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 \|\| A mix~~ of ~~two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying - but not when coated.~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|}		\|}

Tschule at 05:52, 10 May 2015

2015-05-10T05:52:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:52, 10 May 2015
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	This list is not complete, a material is not listed here is NOT necessarily safe. Be sure to do your research and ask others in charge if you don't know about the material you are using.		This list is not complete, a material not listed here is NOT necessarily safe. Be sure to do your research and ask others in charge if you don't know about the material you are using.

	This list is adapted, and to a large degree copied, from [http://atxhackerspace.org/wiki/Laser_Cutter_Materials ATX Hackerspace].		This list is adapted, and to a large degree copied, from [http://atxhackerspace.org/wiki/Laser_Cutter_Materials ATX Hackerspace].