I recently held a webinar dedicated to laser cutters in education. I covered:
- A demonstration of how a laser system works
- Different laser systems and different power levels – what you need for different applications
- Various types of materials laser systems can work with + tips for using different materials for varying applications
- How the Intelligent Material Database in a Universal Laser Systems’ driver works
- Different types of design software you can use with a laser system
How does a laser system work?
Laser systems are very simple devices to use. They can work with virtually any type of design software that can output vector data (I cover my favorites below) and have a very short learning curve.
In this webinar, I show how to make a simple personalized luggage tag because this is a quick, easy project that uses cutting, etching and engraving – the three main processes a laser system uses.
In your design software, you’ll need to note which aspects of the luggage tag you’ll want to cut, etch or mark by color coding the lines in your design software using RGB values (red = vector cut; blue = vector engrave; black = raster engrave). Once you click print, you’ll notice the laser system will raster first, etch next, then finally cut. More advanced users can utilize the manual mode to change what each color does as well and customize up to 8 different processes in the same job.
What materials can I use with my laser system?
You can etch on materials like paper, acrylic, rubber, wood, glass, plastic, leather, stainless steel, painted metal, marble, and anodized aluminum. Of these materials, you can cut through paper, acrylic, rubber, wood, plastic and leather. These aren’t the only materials you can use – these are just some examples I show in this webinar.
Not every material is safe to process in a laser system. PVC, for example, will release toxic fumes when cut or engraved. If you do not see the material listed in Universal’s material database, you should always research it to see if it is safe to use.
How do you know which materials you can cut through versus etch on? A good rule of thumb is if you can melt it with a lighter, you can cut through it. Also, keep in mind that some materials, like stainless steel, require a marking compound to be able to etch on them.
What can I do with my laser system?
Laser systems can be used for a variety of applications, including:
- Architectural modeling
- 3D processing
- Wood inlay
- Fabrics like denim (laser acts like bleaching it) and two later twill (for fabric stickers
- Microfiber heat press block
- Signage
- Industrial marking and images
- Graphic imaging
I’ve seen engineering programs use laser cutters in the classroom to teach gear concepts. I’ve also seen schools use laser systems for fundraising by engraving the school logos on water bottles using a rotary fixture. You can read more about all the applications for laser cutting here.
What type of design software should I use with my laser system?
You want to use graphic software that supplies a vector output as opposed to rasterizing the output. This could be CAD software, like SolidWorks, or it could be design program like CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator. Some software, like Photoshop, rasterizes the output when you press the print button and all the vector data is lost. This means the laser can only raster engrave and cannot vector cut or vector etch. So while it is possible to use software like this directly with the laser, you lose a lot of functionality.
Personally I like CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator because both are very simple to teach students. You can get students up and running within a couple hours without needing to teach them CAD first.
If you are using CAD software, you can either print to the laser directly from CAD or export the design as a DXF or DWG, then import it into Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator to change the colors and line thicknesses quickly and easily.
Why use an Intelligent Material Database?
Proper selection of processing parameters for laser cutting, engraving, and marking a material can vary based on several factors including:
- Type of material
- Material thickness
- Available laser power
- Rate of energy delivery
- Laser wavelength
- Lens focal length
- Duty cycle of the laser
- Speed of the beam delivery system
- Number of pulses per inch
- Air flow rate
- Pulse waveform
- Exhaust flow rate
The Intelligent Materials Database does all the grunt work for you to determine the right parameters for optimal cutting and etching. Students simply need to select from a variety of preset material profiles. This allows students to focus on being productive instead of spending hours developing material settings by trial and error. This reduced learning curve helps you get more students on a machine within a single class period.
What happens when you have a material that isn’t listed in the database? I find this happens most commonly in education with cardboard and plywood. That’s because neither material is consistent. Follow along in this video where I show you how to determine the settings you need for a material not already in the database and how to create a profile for it.
