Setting up the machine

Turn on the machineTurn on the laser cutter using the switch where indicated. The fume extractor will turn on and off automatically. How to switch the laser cutter on.
Load material

Align material at top-left corner of the cutting table.

Use tape if material is bowed.

Maximum material size is 39.75″ W x 23.75″ D

Maximum Thickness is 1/4″.

See the material guide for maximum material sizing and allowable materials.
Focus the laser

Once your material is loaded, move the laser carriage so that it is over the material.  Activate the Auto-Focus feature by clicking “Auto-Focus” on the home screen of the laser cutter.

Leave the Auto-Focus pin attached to the laser carriage.

Setting up and cutting a file

Download the AutoCAD or Rhino template and import your linework into the drawing.

Download the most current AutoCAD template file here.

Download the most current Rhino template here.

Import and scale your linework so it fits on the material you are engraving.

Set up your cut-file on your computer before your scheduled laser time slot.

 AutoCAD template image
Assign linework to Cut, Score and Raster layers

Assign all your linework to the cut layer, one of 3 score layers or one of eleven raster layers. All linework sent to the laser MUST be on these layers or the job will fail.

  • All vectors must be on CUT, SCORE LIGHT, SCORE MEDIUM, or  SCORE DARK
  • All solid-fill hatch and solid-fill text must be on RASTER LIGHT or RASTER DARK
Plot the file and select material preset

The laser cutters are setup as as a plotter. All settings for the laser cutters are applied through the plot dialog window.

Select the appropriate preset for the type and thickness material you are engraving.

  
Select plot area

Select paper size and orientation.

Make a window selection aligned to the extents of the cutting area. This ensures your linework will be registered correctly on the laser cutting table.

  
Run the file

Press the Start/Stop button on the LED screen.

Press the Pause button if you ever need to leave
the Laser Lab for any reason, even if it’s “just for
a minute”.

clean-up

clean up scrap

Dispose of scrap materials in appropriate bins:

RECYCLE (blue): paper and chipboard
TRASH (black): small non-recyclable garbage

Use the large garbage and recycle bins in the hallway for larger waste.

Tips for success / Troubleshooting

If your file does not cut as expected, or stops part-way through, here are some suggestions:

  • Confirm that all linework within the plot area is set to:
    • Object Color: ByLayer
    • Lineweight: ByLayer
    • Linetype: ByLayer
  • Use the purge command to purge the file of unused geometry and zero-length geometry (points).
  • Check that all linework being plotted is on one of the pre-set cutting, scoring, or raster layers in the template file.
  • Confirm that solid-fill hatch objects and vector objects are on appropriate layers:
    • Solid fill hatches and text with solid fill should be assigned to RASTER LIGHT or RASTER DARK
    • Vector objects should be assigned to CUT, SCORE LIGHT, SCORE DARK
  • For Rhino: If you have a file that has Raster areas AND Vector cuts/etching, you’ll need to do these as separate operations. Hide the Vector Layer and select “Raster” in the print window to cut or score Vector lines. Then do the opposite for the Raster operation.

Still having issues? Some helpful tips when trying to isolate an issue:

  • Try plotting one layer at a time.
  • Try plotting only a portion of the drawing at a time. It can be sometimes be difficult to isolate an issue in large files with lots of geometry.