Laser Engraving Machine
The model of the Laser Engraving Machine located in Hackerspace.gr (Ampatiellou 11, 11144, Athens) is HQ-3020B. It is capable of cutting, engraving, and marking a number of different materials quickly and accurately when driven from CAD software such as CorelDraw and Inkscape. The bed size is 35cm x 25cm.
Maintenance
Laser cutter mirrors and lens should be cleaned every time before startup and thoroughly one per month as instructed in this guide.
Once per 6 months the cooling liquid needs to be grained and replaced by new. The liquid is a mix of distilled water and anti-algae solution. With every cooling liquid replacement is also good to perform a cleaning of the cooling system following this guide
Material Information
Materials that can and cannot be laser-cut [1]
| Material | Thickness (mm) | Operation | Power | Feed (mm/s) | Passes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flexoid Oil Resistant Jointing sheet [2][3] | 0.5 | Cut | 17 | 10 | 1 |
| Flexoid Oil Resistant Jointing sheet [4][5] | 0.8 | Cut | 20 | 10 | 1 |
| TEMAFAST ECONOMY [6] | 1 | Cut | 40 | 10 | 5 |
| Plywood | 3 | Cut | 30 | 10 | 2 |
| Plywood | 4 | Cut | 45 | 10 | 2 |
| Plywood | Non dependent | Engrave | 20 | 20 | 2 |
| White glossy vinyl | 0.24 | Cut | 7 | 20 | 1 |
| Black matte vinyl | 0.24 | Cut | 7 | 20 | 1 |
| Acrylic (transparent) | 4.5 | Engrave | 17 | 20 | 1 |
| Acrylic (transparent) | 3 | Cut | 40 | 10 | 2 |
| Acrylic (transparent) | 3 | Engrave | 12 | 20 | 1 |
| Acrylic (transparent) | 3 | Raster | 12 | 200 | 1 |
| Leather (brown) | Non dependent | Engrave | 10 | 20 | 2 |
| MDF | 2 | Cut | 70 | 10 | 1 |
| MDF | 2 | Raster Engrave | 15 | 200 | 1 |
| Reflective tape (PVC/red) | 0.36 | Cut (adhesive on) | 7 | 10 | 1 |
How to use it:
Download:
> Inkscape [7]
> K40 Whisperer [8]
To create your file:
> Open Inkscape
> Draw your design with lines
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> Make colors in RGB (Blue to engrave, red to cut)
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> Select correct Document Properties:
- UNITS must be all in MM
- RESIZE page to content
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> Save as .svg file.
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To cut your file:
> Connect computer and machine with USB cable
> Switch on the machine:
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- Switch power on
- Switch light on
- Plug-in air - compressor
In K40 Whisperer:
( > Open K40 Whisperer )
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> Initialize laser-cutter
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> Open design file
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> Adjust starting point and speed in K40 Whisperer
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On the machine:
> Place your material inside (it must be no bigger than A4)
> Adjust power on machine
> Make test
> First engrave (BLUE) and then (CUT) by clicking "Vector Engrave" and "Vector Cut" in "K40 Whisperer".
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Make sure temperature does not exceed 30 °C
> Switch off machine
> Clean up gently with vacuum cleaner
> Last cleanup: mirrors - 28/09/22, tube - XX/XX/22
Useful links
Projects
> what is cosmos / τι είναι κόσμος
This text contains information copied or inspired from http://atxhackerspace.org .