Using the Laser Cutting Machine
5 November 2021
This week we had our first hands on experience with a Laser Cutting machine!
By the end of this lesson I would be able to:
1. Smoothly operate, startup and shutdown the laser cutting machine.
2. Be able to use Corel-Draw to upload my design to laser cut.
3. Create a construction kit.
During the practical, we were equipped with our own Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to guide us through the lesson. But along the way, we made some changes and made our SOP more specific and detailed. From the photo below which shows the basic use of Corel-Draw, we noted down more information about the laser cutting specifications such as the speed, power and frequency for different cutting types - Vector Cut, Engraving.
Operation of the Laser Cutter
1. We first started our operation by making sure that all main switches are turned on.
2. We then proceeded to turn on the compressor, fume extractor, and the main laser cutter machine.
3. Next, Corel-Draw is launched on the Computer.
4. To transfer our design into the computer, we imported our file into Corel-Draw as a DXF file.
5. Select the appropriate design that you want to vector cut or engrave and colour it.
6. When done "Colouring" select the print option at the top left hand side of the screen.
7. A new dashboard will appear after you press print. On the dashboard, make sure you turn on Auto-Focus and Air-Assist.
8. For each design, make sure to input the appropriate material to be used and the thickness of the material used as well.
9. Press print again to send the file to the laser cutter.
10. ALWAYS check the file name and the estimated time taken to complete before starting.
11. When all is checked, press the GO button and you are all set!
12. When the cutting is complete make sure to wait for a minute to let all the smelly gases exit the machine before taking the product out.
Below are some videos of our design pieces being cut out by the laser cutter!
We also went through a Individual Competency Test to make sure that we understand and know how to properly operate the machine independently!
The picture below is the piece that we laser cut during the competency test.
We had an amazing 3 hours of laser cutting and me and my group had a lot of fun, and we were able to create our very own construction kit!
ARE YOU READY TO SEE IT??
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TADA!😝😝
HAHA these designs may not look like much to you but I think that it is a good construction kit that really tests your creativity! These designs can really be anything you want it to be! Because to me, the first photo looks like a prototype of the new Star Wars Tie Fighter that who knows... may appear in future movies!😝😝 The third photo to me looks like what will be the Green Goblin's hoverboard in the new Spider-Man movie😄😄
Reflection
After going through this practical, I have really learned a lot, and I felt that I have officially unlocked a new skill in my life! Laser Cutting! I really enjoyed the amount of freedom and "space" that we were given to do our work. There were not many boundaries and little restrictions and we could let our creativity really run wild.
Like the previous practicals, I have made mistakes and errors that have led to failure, these mistakes include making our slots too small and too large, and even importing the wrong file into Corel-Draw. But through this mistakes, I am able to keep improving and gain new knowledge that I can take note to ensure that I don't make them again! Failure to me is the mother of success!
In general, I really saw the usefulness of laser cutting and I will really be putting this skill into good use when creating my future prototypes and designs. I may even make use of laser cutting to produce my own things as well!😜
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