✂️Using the cutter
Learn how to operate the laser cutter to make your projects
Ready to Engrave / Cut!
Once your design has been set up in Illustrator, you can send the design to the laser cutter.
Sending to the Printer (laser cutter)
With your finished design open in Illustrator, go to File->Print, and select VLS6.60 as the printer.
Choosing the Material
Start by choosing the material you want to engrave / cut. There's a wide range of material that can be used for the laser cutter, such as wood, leather, acrylic, and metal. The most common material used in our lab is wood, as it burns easily and the laser cutter can cut through it (as long as it’s not too thick).
NOTE: when working with metal, (unless it has been pre-coated for engraving), you’ll need to coat it with Cermark spray so that the laser doesn’t bounce off the metal. Failing to coat metal will result in failed engraving, and may damage the laser. Also, metal can only be engraved (not cut).
Flammable / Forbidden Materials:
Paper, Cardboard, Foam: These materials can burn extremely easily. If you’re using one of these materials, you MUST have a staff member present to supervise.
PVC (or anything containing PVC): may NOT be used. It releases a poisonous gas when burned.
Selecting / Measuring your material:
Press the Setup button at the lower left of the print window, then click continue, and click on the Preferences button. This will pull up the materials window for the laser cutter.
Choose the material you’d like to use. Then, measure the thickness of the material using the calipers by squeezing the material between the long jaws and reading the measurement on the display; the thickness must be measured in inches. Enter the thickness of the material.
Once all the information has been entered, press the OK button, then the Print button and then the Print button again. This sends the design to the laser cutter.
The Laser Cutter Software
When the software opens, make sure that the design appears on the screen. If the design does not appear, go back to Illustrator and double check that the colors of your design are correct. (Remember that the only colors that can be used are black, red, and blue), and check that the whole design is in the artboard. Once the design has been fixed, send it to print again.
With the design on the software, power the laser cutter on by clicking the red button on the software.
The printer must go through its boot-up process before it is ready to use. Once the laser cutter is ready, the big green play button will turn green. At this time we can load the material into the cutter.
Click the Settings button at the lower right corner of the screen and make sure that the settings for the laser cutter did not change. (Double check that the material type and thickness are correct).
Placing the Material
The material should be placed in the laser cutter so that it’s aligned along the top of the engraving table. If the material is small, it should not be placed too close to the edges of the engraving table as this may cause the design to be engraved incorrectly onto the material.
The material should lay completely flat on the engraving table. If working with leather or other flexible materials, there should be no folds on the material.
Aligning the Design
Once the material has been placed in the cutter, we have to align the design to the material. By doing this we make sure that the design is engraved / cut where we want it on the material.
This tool allows us to move the laser around the engraving table using the software and a mouse. The software has ruler marks along the top and left side of the screen, which represent the ruler marks along the top and left edge of the screen.
We will use this to help us align the design to the material. The easiest way to align is to try to get the center of the design on the desired location on the material. Using the ruler as a reference, click on where the design should go on the engraving table. The laser will then move to that location on the engraving table. If you are satisfied with the location of the laser on the material, it is time to move the design to that location.
This tool allows us to move the design on the software. When this tool is selected the design will have nine squares surrounding it: one on each corner, one on each side, and one on the center. Select the square that corresponds to the part of the design that was aligned to the material (this will usually be the center square). The selected square will turn blue.
To move the design to where the laser is positioned, click the “To Pointer” button. This will move the design to where the laser is, based on the square that was selected.
Checking the Design Placement on the Material
Once the design is aligned to the material, we have to check that the laser won’t go off the material when engraving the design. We can also double-check that we like the positioning of the design on the material.
Select the “Focus Tool”
Click the edges of the design on the software.
If at any time the laser “falls off” of the edges, the material must be moved so that all of the design is on the material. If the design doesn’t fit on the design no matter how it is positioned, the design has to be resized in Illustrator.
Engraving / Cutting
Once the design is in the desired place on the material, we can begin the process of engraving the design.
Close the laser cutter lid. The red blinking light on the laser cutter will turn off when the lid is closed correctly.
Turn on the air filter, the machine located next to the laser cutter. To turn it on, press the middle button on the machine. The filter sucks out the debris caused by the laser engraving on the material, preventing a fire from starting as well as protecting the lens on the laser cutter.
Once the air filter is on, the laser can be started. To do this, click the big green play button on the ULS software.
The laser cutter will start engraving the design. The duration of the process will vary based on the design and material. Do not leave the laser unattended while it is in operation.
Unloading the Material
When the job is done, the laser will move to the upper right corner.
Turn off the air filter by pressing the middle button.
Open the lid on the laser cutter and take out the material. The material will not be hot. Some smoke may come off the material but this is normal.
Turn off the laser cutter by clicking the red button on the software and close the lid.
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