About
The laser cutter room is part of the Digital Fabrication lab (DFAB) and has six 120W laser cutters and one downdraft table used for sanding. Each laser has a corresponding name and token to help distinguish which laser(s) is/are in use. For example, one laser is called Laserllamarama and has a llama token that must be checked out from the Garage in order to use it. Students can create a variety of projects with the laser cutters and save a lot of time in comparison to 3D printing. Laser cutting training is the most requested training, and must be signed up for through Safety Spot. Any engineering student and staff member can use this area for class projects, research, or technical or personal projects as long as the required in-person training has been successfully completed. The laser cutters provide clean, quick and precise cuts on materials such as wood and acrylic. After finishing a project, it can be taken to the downdraft table, sanded to give it a nice finish, and then coated with one of our stains. Projects can be designed in softwares like RetinaEngrave v3.0, Illustrator, Inkscape, SolidWorks, etc. while waiting to laser cut.
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Lasers
Downdraft Table - Sanding Station.... |
Full Spectrum 120 Watt Lasers TRAINING REQUIRED $$$
About
Laser cutters use a high-powered laser to cut 2D vector files and etch pictures into wood, acrylic, and other materials with extreme precision. Laser cutting can be extremely helpful when prototyping ideas or when you want to make your project stand out. The laser room is known for being cold. We recommend you bring a jacket or something to keep you warm if needed.
Access and Training
The laser cutters are used on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once all lasers are in use, a waitlist is created. In order to use the laser cutters, one must complete the in-person training from a staff member beforehand. If you have not been trained, please sign up for a training on Safety Spot. Upon completion of the laser cutter training, your UT EID will be saved on our Texas Inventionworks records to use for confirmation in the future.
The in-person training lasts 1.5 hours and covers safety, how to operate the machine and how to use the RetinaEngrave v3.0 software to design projects. In order to be certified to use the machines, you will have to demonstrate to your trainer several different design techniques learned during the training to produce both a rastered and cut piece of wood or acrylic.
How to get a laser token to use the laser cutters: Go to the Garage (EER 0.618), tell the staff member that you want to laser cut and then they will double-check that you are approved to laser cut by checking your UT EID. If approved, they will hand you a laser token that corresponds to an available laser. There is a maximum use time of 90 minutes per person on each laser.
Please clean up after yourself. Throw away any pieces of material that are not usable and place usable pieces of material in the scrap bin for others to use.
Safety Procedures
The laser cutters can cause a lot of issues if they are used improperly or inadequately supervised. You are expected to watch the laser cutter carefully while it is running to check for any signs of fire, malfunction or material disposition at all times--NO exceptions. It is expected that all material rules are followed, since the use of inappropriate materials can cause illness, fire, injury and harm to the machine. You must wear safety glasses found in the laser box at all times while the laser cutter is running.
In case of fire: press the red emergency stop (E-Stop) button, use the fire blanket located next to the laser cutter or the fire extinguisher found in every corner of the laser space. Please alert a staff member immediately.
Cost
These laser cutters require training before being allowed to operate them.
Please sign up for training on Safety Spot.
Laser cutter materials are available for purchase in the 'Garage'. List of materials are available located here.
Resources
| Full Spectrum PS36 120W Laser Cutter | |
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| Engraving Area: | 48"x36" 1219mmx914mm |
| Z-Table Range: | 8.5" |
| Laser Type: | Sealed CO2 Laser Tube, Class 3R |
| Laser Power: | 120 Watt |
| Operation Modes: | Raster, Vector, or Both. |
Retina Engrave
Put infromation abotu hwo to download the web versionof retina engrave here