Guide for File Prep and Cutting Universal Laser Cutters · Raster engraving (black) 2. Vector...
Transcript of Guide for File Prep and Cutting Universal Laser Cutters · Raster engraving (black) 2. Vector...
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GuideforFilePrepandCutting
UniversalLaserCuttersGeneralInformation
UniversalX2-660andPLS6.150DLaserCuttersLocation: AdvancedOutputCenter,1232SullivanAccess: Self-serve,opentocurrentlyenrolledstudents,active facultyandstaff;Usersmustbeauthorizedpriortouse; Seeaccesssectionfordetails.LaserSpecs: 120WattCO2laser(X2-660) 150WattCO2laser(PLS6.150D)MaxSheetSize: 18”x32”;Maxdepthrangesfrom3/8”to1/2”bymaterialFileTypes: Illustrator(.ai)vectorfiles;AutoCAD(.dwg)filesMaterials: SeeApprovedMaterialsListApplicableFines: $50minimumfineforirresponsiblecutting,damage,etc Seefinessectionformoredetails.PricingandFees: Walk-incutting:$0.15perminutefromcheck-intocheck-out Reservedcutting:$5.00for45minutes Seeaccesssectionfordetails.
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Accessing the Laser Cutter
Walk-ins• Allauthorizedusersareabletowalkinanduseeitherlasercutterwhenithasnotbeenreservedinadvance,orwhen
ano-showforareservationoccurs.Walk-inusersmustcheckinwithalabmonitorpriortocutting;additionally,itistheuser’sresponsibilitytocheckoutwiththelabmonitoraftercleaningup.
• Thewalk-inusagefeeis$0.15/minute.ArtiCardpaymentisdueatthetimeofcheckout.• Unpaidfeeswillremainonauser’saccountandmaycauseaholdtobeplacedwhichrestrictsaccesstootherareas
oftheschool.Usersareresponsibleforknowingiftheyhaveanoutstandingfineorbalanceontheiraccount.• Walk-inuserscanuseasmuchtimeasisavailable,uptowhenthenextreservationstartsor30minutesbeforethe
labcloses,whichevercomesfirst.
Reservations• Reservationsmustbemadeinpersonthroughalabmonitoratleast3hoursbeforethetimebeingreserved,andno
morethan2weeksinadvance.• Reservationscanonlybemadein45-minuteblocks.Youcanreserveupto8sessionsof45-minuteseachperweek.
Thereisnolimitforwalk-inuse.• Uponmakingareservation,youmustpayanon-refundableadvanceusagefeeviaArtiCard.Thisappliestoallautho-
rizedusers(includingfacultyandstaff).Thefeeis$5per45-minutetimeslot,andisnotrefundableunderanycircum-stances.
• Reservationsarenon-transferablefromonepersontoanother.Youcanonlymakeandusereservationsforyourself.• Reservationscanberescheduledifyounotifylabstaffatleast3hoursinadvanceofyourreservedtimeslot.• Youwillbegivena10-minutegraceperiodtoshowupforyourreservedtimeslot.Afterthegraceperiodexpires,your
slotwillbecomeavailableforwalk-inusersattheper-minuterate.• Intheunlikelyeventthatyourreservedtimeslotmustbecanceledduetoequipmentmalfunctionorotherunforesee-
ableissues,youwillbenotifiedasquicklyaspossibleandgiventheoptiontomakeanewreservationattheearliestavailabletimeslot.
• Intheeventthatalasercutteristakenoffline,itwillnotbeavailableforreservationuntilitisoperationalagain.
Authorizations• Beforeusingthelasercutter,youmustfirstattendanauthorizationsession.Currentlyenrolledstudents,facultyand
staffcanbeauthorizedforlasercutting.• Theinformationcoveredduringauthorizationswillchangeassoftwareandhardwareareupdatedorreconfigured.To
keepusersuptodateonlasercuttertechniquesandpolicies,authorizationswillbegoodforonecalendaryear,afterwhichyoumayneedtobere-authorizeddependingonyouractivitylevel.
• Viewtheauthorizationschedulepleasespeaktolabstaff.
Document Preparation
Set up your document in Illustrator
• InIllustrator,selectFile->New..
• Set“Width”to32inchesand“Height”to18inches
• Setorientationto“Landscape”and“ColorMode”toRGB
• ClickOK
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Turn on the Rulers:
• SelectView->Rulers->ShowRulers
Set the Guides:
• Setaguidelinetothebottomedgeofyourmaterialandtherightedgeofthematerial.
• Wealsorecommendyouplaceaguideata¼”inchfromeachedgeofthedocumentthatyourmaterialwilltouch.Thiswillinsetthedesignslightlysoitiscompletelycon-tained.
Preparing your graphics in IllustratorCut Type Graphics Requirements Single/Multipass Order End Result
RasterEngraving
• FilledShapesortext• Images(jpg,bitmap,etc)• Lineswithheavystroke
weights(+0.1pt)• Gradations
Multi-pass(likeaninkjetprinter)
BeforeVectorLinesfollowingcolor
table
Engravedarea(Powerislimitedtopre-ventcuttingthrough)
VectorEngravingLineswiththeseproperties• 0.1ptstrokeweight• Alignedtocenter• Nobrushstrokes• Nodashedlines
• Nocompoundpaths• Noclippingpaths
Singlepass(followingvectorpath) Dependentoncolor
Engravedline(Powerislimitedtopreventcutting
through)
VectorCutThrough-cutline(Power
isincreasedtocutthrough)
Thelasercuttercanmakethreedifferenttypesofcuts;seethetableaboveforanoverviewofeach.AllcutscanbesentfromthesameIllustratorfile.Graphicsinthefilearegroupedintodifferentcolors,whichallowsthelasercuttertodistin-guishdifferentcutsfromoneanother.Colorarealsousedtodeterminetheorderinwhichvectorcutsandengravingstakeplace.
Color Order RedValue GreenValue BlueValue
Black 1st 0 0 0
Red 2nd 255 0 0
Green 3rd 0 255 0
Yellow 4th 255 255 0
Blue 5th 0 0 255
Magenta 6th 255 0 255
Cyan 7th 0 255 255Orange 8th 255 102 0
NOTE:UsetheexactRGBcolorvalueslistedinthetableabove,andmakesureyourIllustratordocumentisintheRGBcolormode(NOTCMYK)whenfilepreppingforthelasercutter;otherwisethelasercutterwillnotreadyourfile!
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Whenthelasercutterrunsafile,itautomaticallyprocessesrasterengravingfirst,beforevectorengravingsandvectorcuts.Itwillthenprocessallvectorcutsandvectorengravingsasonegroup--thisiswherecolorshouldbeusedtocontroltheorderofcuts.Intheexamplebelow,blackhasbeendesignatedforrasterengravings,redforvectorengraving,andgreenforvectorcutting.
(Thecolorsusedhereareonlyanexample;thesamecutscouldbemadewithdifferentcolors.)
Bysettingupthevectorandrasterengravingstogofirst,we’llkeepthematerialstationaryuntiltheoutlinecutismade.Whenthefileisrun,thecutsandengravingswillhappeninthisorder.1. Rasterengraving(black)2. Vectorengraving(red)3. Vectorcut(green)Whensettingupafileforlasercutting,useadifferentcoloranytimeyouwanttoassigndifferentsettingsoraffectthecuttingorderofagroupofcuts.
Fig.1:SourceFile
Fig.2:FinishedCut
NOTE:Agoodtechniqueforkeepingyourcutsinorderistoassignyourlastcuttothelastcoloronthelist,andworkyourwaybackwardstowardsthefirstcut.
Power SettingsUsethelasercuttercontrolpaneltoassignpowersettingsandcuttypestothecolorsinyourfile.
Assigning Power Settings
1. InIllustrator,selectFile-->Print...
2. Makesurethe“Printer”issetto“LaserCutter”
3. Inthelowerleftcornerofthe“Print”dialogbox,clickthe“Setup...”button,then“Preferences”.
4. Thelasercuttercontrolpanelwillappear.Nowyoucanassignthepowersettingsforthedifferentcolorsinyourfile. Powersettingsareavailableonlineat: crit.artic.edu/aoc/lasersettings.html Samplesarevisiblenexttothelasercutters.
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• PenMode • VECT=vectorcutsANDvectorengravings • RAST=rasterengravings • SKIP=ignorethiscolor • RAST/VECT=DONOTUSE• Power:Thepowersettingforthelaserbeam,rangesfrom
0-100%.Morepower=deepercut;lesspower=shallowercut• Speed:Thespeedofthelaserhead,rangesfrom0-100%.Less
speed=deepercut;morespeed=shallowercut. •Speedsover15%maycausewavycutsinsmallor intricatelines.DO NOT EXCEED 25% FOR VECTOR! • PPI(Pulsesperinch):Spacingbetweenlaserpulses • LowPPI(0-150)=perforation,notmuchburning • MediumPPI(150-750)=smoothercutresolution,some
burning • HighPPI(750-1000)=smoothestresolution,moreburning
Assigning Power Settings5. Inthelasercuttercontrolpanel,selectthedesired
colorrowbyclickingonit.6. UsethePOWER,SPEED,andPPIslidersto
adjustyoursettings,orentertheexactnumbersintheirboxes.Youcanusethesettingsfoundinthebindernexttothecomputer,buttheymayneedtobeadjustedslightlyforyourparticularmaterial.
7. Whenyouarefinishedassigningsettingsforthatcolor,setyour“PenMode”andclick“Set”.
8. MakesureprintselectionissetUP9. Click“OK”inthelasercuttercontrolpanel,then
“Print”intheseconddialogwindow.10. Inthefirstprintdialog,makesurethatthe
Auto-Rotateisselected,andthatthepreviewlooksrotated90degreescounter-clockwise(don’tworry,itwillcutcorrectly).
Don’t hit Print until the laser cutter is turned on.
NOTE:It’sagoodideatohavealabmonitordoublecheckyoursettingsbeforesending.Whilethewon’tguaranteeyou’llgettheexactcutresultsyouwant,itwillhelppreventfileswithdangeroussettingsfrombeingsent!
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Focus Settings and PrintingAfteryouhavepreparedyourfile,themachineandyourmaterialmustbepreparedforcutting.Sincethelaseractuallyburnsthroughthematerialitcutsandengraves,itisveryimportanttoonlyuseapprovedmaterialsandtowatchthecutteratalltimesduringtheoperationincaseoffire.Cuttingthewrongmaterialsorusingthecutterirresponsiblycanresultinharmtoyou,thelasercutterandthelabstaff,aswellasgeneratefinestoyourstudentaccount.
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Turnonthewallswitchnexttotheventalationpipe.
Hit“Escape”toexitfocus-ingmode.Placethegaugebackintoitsslot,makingsureitdoesn’tstickout.
Alwaysturnthemachineone,openthelid,andhit“Z”BEFOREplacingyourmaterial.
Placethebaseofthefocusingtoolflatonyourmaterial,andlineitupslightlyinthefrontofthelaserhead.
Focusissetwhenthelipofthefocusingtoolisalignedwiththebottomedgeofthelasercarriage.Theflatpartshouldbeflushwiththefaceofthelenscarriage,withthefocusingtoolsittingflat.
Bydefaultthebedwillraiseandlowerbytenthsofaninch.Usecautionwhenmovingthebedasitcancrashintothelasercarriage.Whenthefocusingtoolgetsclosetothelasercarriage,hitthe“check”button,thenraiseorlowerthelaserinhundredthincrementsusingtheupanddownarrows.
Remembertosetthefocusanytimeyoustartusingthemachine,aswellaswhenyouswitchtoamaterialwithadifferentdepth.
NOTE:Beforeusingthemachine,havealabmonitorchecktomakesurethecuttingtableisalignedproperly.
Printing the file• Makesurethelasercutteristurnedon• Beforeprintingyoushouldhavealabmonitorcheckyourfocusanddriversettings• Onceyoursettingsarechecked,click“Print”tosendthefiletothelasercutter• Thefilenamewillappearonthedisplaypanelofthelasercutter,alongwithpowersettingsforthefirstcut.Ifthese
settingsallreadzeroand/orthemachinebeepsuponreceivingthefile,thereisanerrorthatmustbecorrected.Usuallythismeanswrongcolorsorstrokeweights.
• Withtheenclosurelidraised,pushingstartwilltraceoutthepathwithoutcutting.Makesurethecutsareintheproperarea;adjustthefileifneeded.
• Nowhit“Pause”andclosetheenclosure.• Withthelidclosed,hitting“Start”willcausethelasertoactuallycutthefile.• Youmustwatchthecutteroutputyourentirefile.DONOTLEAVETHECUTTERRUNNINGUNATTENDED!• Ifyouneedtotemporarilystopcutting,hitthe“Pause”buttonandWAITFORTHELASERTOSTOPCUTTING.The
cuttermustfinishthelastlineitstartedbeforepausing;ifitisalonglineoraslowcut,itcantakeseveralminutesforthecuttertostop.
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Laser Cutter Safety
Themostcommonsafetyriskwhileusingthelasercuttercomesfromfire.Anyoneusingthecuttermustsitinfrontofitandwatchtheirentirejobuntilitisfinished.Failuretodosomayresultinfines,damagetothemachine,andpossiblebodilyharmtotheuserandlabemployees.Anyoneusingthelasercuttermustwearsuppliedprotectiveeyewear.NOTE:Ifatanytimeduringcuttingyounoticeanythingunusual,shutoffthemachineimmediately!Thisincludesfire,looseparts,warpedmaterials,oranythingthatlooksorsoundsstrangetoyou...WHENINDOUBT,SHUTITOFF!
NOTE:Wheneverthe“Pause”buttonishit,thelaserwillfinishwhicheverpathitisintheprocessofcompletingbeforestopping.Thiscan,insomecases,takeuptoseveralminutes.
General Safety
• Eyeprotectionintheformoflaser-ratedsafetygogglesisrequiredbyallusers.Safetygogglesareavailableforcheckoutfromthelabmonitor.Pleasenoteregularglasses(evensafetyglasses)arenotadequate.
• Whenusingaflexiblematerialsuchaspaper,theedgesmustbehelddownsecurelywithtapeoramultimatcheckedoutfromalabmonitor.
• Cellphones/texting, and laptop or desktop use are not allowed while monitoring a cut. Headphones and reading a book are OK!
• Afteryourjobfinishescutting,theenclosurelidmustbeleftshutforatleast10-15secondstoallowforsmokeandfumestobeexhausted.
Responding to Small Fires/Flare-ups
• Watchyourjobcarefully.Ifyounoticeasmallflare-upwhileyourjobisbeingprocessed,hitthe“Pause”button,andwaitforthelaserheadtoclearthetable.Thewallswitchcanalsobeusedtoimmediatelystopthelasercutter.
• Opentheenclosurelid,andspraytheflare-upoutusingthewaterbottleonthesideofthemachineiftheflare-updoesnotgooutonitsown.
• Closethelid,andhitthe“Resume”buttonifyouwishtocontinuewhereitleftoff.• Ifyounoticethatyourmaterialisbeingscorchedorisproducingvisiblesmokeorflame,eitherlowerthepower
setting,increasethespeedsettingorre-checkyourfocus.
Excessive Fire/Smoke
• Ifyourjobbeginstoproducelargeflamesand/orexcessivesmoke,immediatelynotifythenearestlabstaffmember.• Thereisafireextinguisherlocatednearthedoorinsidethelasercuttingroom,aswellasoneontherightwall
immediatelyoutsidethelasercuttingroom.
Fines
Thestandardfinefordamagingorirresponsiblyoperatingthelasercutteris$50.Unpaidfineswillremainonauser’saccountuntiltheyarepaid,andmaycauseaholdtobeplacedonanaccount,whichrestrictsaccesstootherareasoftheschool.Usersareresponsibleforknowingiftheyhaveanoutstandingfineorbalanceontheiraccount.Thefollowinginfractionswillresultinfines:• Cuttinghazardousornon-approvedmaterials• Cuttingwithoutlabmonitorsupervision• Cuttingwithoutfirstcheckinginwiththelabmonitoronduty• Producingexcessive(visible)smokeand/orfire.• Walkingawayfromthecutterwhileitisoperating• Anyunsafecutting,orcuttingthatcausesdamagetothecarriageorbed.
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Laser Cutter Components & ControlsFamiliarizeyourselfwiththelasercuttercomponentsshownbelow.Beforecutting,allusersshouldhaveabasicunder-standingofhowthelasercutterworks,aswellashowtofocusthelaserandstart,pauseandresumecutjobs.
120 Watt
150 Watt
ZButton:TheZbuttonisusedtoenter/exitfocusingmode.WhenworkingfromtheREADYorFILEDISPLAYmenus,presstheZbuttontobeginfocusing.(Donothitmultipletimesorholddown).Afterthefocushasbeenset,hittheBACKbuttontoexit.
120Watt:UPandDOWN:TheUPandDOWNarrowsareusedtomovethecursorinthedisplay,andtoincreaseordecreasevaluessuchaspowerandspeed.
150Watt:UP,DOWN,LEFT,RIGHT:Thearrowkeysareusedtonavigatethroughmenusinthedisplay,andincreaseanddecreasevaluessuchaspowerandspeed.
SELECTandBACK:UseSELECTandBACKtonavigatemenus,andtogglemenuitemstodisplaydifferentsettings.
START:UsetheSTARTbuttonwiththeenclosurelidraisedtorunatestofaloadedfile.UsetheSTARTbuttonwiththelidclosedtostartthecuttingprocessontheloadedfile.
PAUSEandRESUME:PAUSEwilltemporailystoparunningfile,andRESUMEwillstartthelasercutteratthepointitleftoff.
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Saving and Loading Profiles
Time Estimate
Onceyourhavefoundtheappropriatesettingsforyourmaterial,youcansaveouttheprofileofallthecurrentsettingsforfutureuse.Keepinmindthatwhensavingandloadingprofilestheywillonlyworkforthatparticulardepthofmaterial,andonthelasercutteryouarecurrentlyworkingwith;aprofileforcutting1/8”acrylicwon’tworkonapieceof1/4”acrylic.AlsoremembertousethesamecolorsinyourIllustratorfiles.
Agoodtechniqueforsavingsettingsistoassignthreedistinctgroups-oneforeachtypeofcut.Thiswaywhenyouloadasavedprofileitwillbeclearwhichsettingsgowithwhichcuts.Intheexampletotheright,thesettingsforcorrugatedcardboardhavebeenenteredingroupsoftwo.
Onceyouarereadytosave,clicktheSavebuttonintheSettingssection,andassignafilenameandlocation.Yourprofilewillbesavedwitha“.las”fileextension.Toloadaprofile,clickLoadandnavigatetothefolderwhereyoursavedprofileislocated.
Ifyouwanttoknowhowlongafileisgoingtotaketocutandyouarecuttingononeofthenewlasercutters(notold60wor120w),sendyourfileasnormalandclickontheredicononthedocktray(#1intheimagetotheleft).
Inthisprogramclickonthestopwatchicon(#2)andclickthestartbutton(#3).Thiswillrunthroughthefileandletyouknowexactlyhowlongitwilltaketocut.
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Imagedensityissetonascaleof1-6*1=fastest,lowestresolution5=defaultimagedensity6*=slowest,highestresolution*7onthe150W
Imagedensityissetinthedriver,alongwithpowerandspeedsettings.
Generally,whenusinganimagedensitysettingotherthan5,thecutterwillonlyperformrasterengravings;forvectorengravings/cutsthefilemustbesentagainwiththerasterengravingcolor(s)settoSKIP,andtheimagedensitysetto5.
Also,remembertosettheMediaSizesettingtoUserDefinedLandscapebeforeprinting.
Advanced Printing Options
Image DensityTheimagedensitysettingdeterminesthenumberofpassesthatwillbemadetoformarasterengraving.Ahighimagedensitysettingwillproduceaverydetailedengraving,whichtakesalongtimetocomplete;alowimagedensitysettingwillproduceaquicker,lessdetailedengraving.Engravingtimecanbegreatlyreducedbyloweringtheimagedensitysetting,oftenwithlittlenoticabledifferenceinthefinalproduct.
Highimagedensity Lowimagedensity
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Color Grouping Raster Engravings
Fileswithmultiplerasterengravingscanalsobespedupbystrategicallygroupingrasterengravingsbycolor.Rasteren-gravingsofthesamecolorareessentiallytreatedasasingleshapewhentheyarehorizontallyaligned.Thetwoidentical-lycolorcirclesbelow(Fig1)areengravedinthesamesetofpasses.Todothis,thelasermustspendagoodamountofextratimepassingovertheemptyspaceinbetweenthem;inface,thetwocircleswouldtakeexactlyaslongtoengraveastheelongatedcircle(Fig2),eventhoughtheyhaveamuchsmallerengravingarea.
Toavoidexcessiverasterengravingtimes,groupseparatehorizontallyalignedrastershapesintodifferentcolorswhenthereisasubstantialdistancebetweenthem(Fig3).Thiswaythelaserwon’thavetospendextratimepassingovertheemptyspacebetween.
Fig.3
Fig.1
Fig.2
Laser Cutter MaterialsAllmaterialsusedonthelasercuttermustbeapprovedbythelabmanagementpriortocutting.Somematerialscanbeextremelytoxicand/ordamagingtothemachine.Reflectivematerialsshouldneverbecut,astheycancausethelaserbeamtoreflectandbounceoutoftheenclosure.Pleasedonotattempttocutanyunapprovedmaterials;thereisa$50fineforcuttingunsafematerials.Ifyouhavequestionsaboutaneworunapprovedmaterial,pleaseaskalabmonitor.
Approved MaterialsAnythinginthissectionissafetocutfromanyvendor.Noneedtospeakwithlabstaffbeforepurchase.
Material RasterEngraving VectorEngraving VectorCutCorrugatedCardboard OK OK OKUncoatedPaper OK OK OKChipboard/Matboard/Museumboard OK OK OKResaleAcrylic OK OK OKInteriorPlywood OK OK OKBalsaWood/Basswood OK OK OKHardwoods(DomesticOnly) OK OK OKArriesBoard(ResaleMDF) OK OK OKMasonite OK OK OKResaleCork OK OK OKResaleVegetabletannedleather OK OK OKResaleMuslin OK OK OKUnmountedLinoleum OK OK OKGlass OK OK NOTOK
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Laser Cutter Materials Continued
Thematerialslistedherearebannedfromlasercutting.Ifyouattempttocutanythinglistedbelowyouwillbeissueda$50fine.
BANNED MATERIALS
Material BannedReasonPETG,PET Alongwithotheremissions,isknowntoemitBenzenewhichisknowntocausecancer.Polystyrene Knowntoemitstyrenefumes.ABS Emitscyanidegasandtendstomelt.PVC Emitschlorinegasduringacut.BendingPlywood Bendsintothepathofthelasercarriageduringoperation.TropicalHardwoods Alotoftropicalhardwoodshavetoxinsinthewood.Corian CreatesafinegritinsidethelaserbedandwillgrinddownequipmentCastingWax Meltsalot.Nylon Emitstoxicfumes.Vinyl EmitschlorinegasduringacutDelrin Alongwithotheremissions,isknowntoemitBenzenewhichisknowntocausecancer.Foamcore Foamcoreisanexpandedpolystyreneandisknowntoemitstyrenefumeswhencut.
Special Condition MaterialsMaterialslistedfromheremustbeboughtfromthevendorlistedorafterapprovalfromanlabmanager.Receiptsmustbepresenteduponrequestoryouwillnotbeabletocutthematerialinquestion.
Material RasterEngraving VectorEngraving VectorCutNon-ResaleAcrylic Vendor: Inventables, McMaster-Carr, Peterson’s Plastics OK OK OK
MirroredAcylicVendor: Inventables, McMaster-Carr, Peterson’s PlasticsOther notes: Material must be masked off and mirrored side face down during the cutting process.
OK OK OK
WoolFelt(GradeF10)Vendor: McMasterOther notes: Raster engraving can create very smelly cuts. Please bag off all materials after cutting. Extended ventilation also highly suggested.
OK OK OK
UnglazedPorcelainTileVendor: AnyOther notes: Engraving this material produces a very bright point at the beam. Do not look directly at the beam.
OK OK NOTPOSSIBLE
RowmarkPlasticsVendor: InventablesOther notes: The following Rowmark products are okay; LaserMark, LaserMax, Flexibrass/Flexicolor, Textures, ADA Alternative
OK OK OK
Non-ResaleFabricsOther notes: Material cannot be dyed unless proof of natural dyes.
OK OK OK