Bridge Rectifier Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Open Evenings

2017-04-20T15:20:16Z

Freddie:

Open evenings are hosted at the space on most Wednesdays from 19:00-21:00, with those potentially interested in membership invited to come along to find out more about Bridge Rectifier and to meet members.

If you are considering coming along it advised to check the rota (see below) and/or post to [http://discourse.bridgerectifier.org.uk/t/wednesday-evening-is-open-evening/ the forum], just to confirm that the space will be open.

It's also worth posting to [http://discourse.bridgerectifier.org.uk/t/wednesday-evening-is-open-evening/ the forum] prior to attending if you have a specific interest. This helps ensure someone with roughly aligned interests is there. We'd hate to waste your time.

''There is no charge for attending, but after having attended two open evenings membership is required.''

== Format ==

There is no format as such and it tends to be simply a social evening, although members may be working on projects.

A group of us usually head along to a local pub at around 21:00.

== Rota ==

Who is down for opening up.

=== Upcoming ===

* 12th April: Paul D (Paul123)
* 19th April: Guy (roboguy)

=== Previous ===

Previous dates noted for posterity/fairness. Remember to update this list when updating upcoming.

* 1st March: Andrew B (9600)
* 22nd February: Guy (RoboGuy)
* 15th February: Paul D (paul123).
* 8th February: Paul D (paul123).
* 1st February: Andrew B(9600)
* 25th January: Guy (RoboGuy)
* 18th January: Guy (RoboGuy)
* 11th January: Paul D (paul123)
* 4th January: Andrew B (9600)
* 21st December: Guy (RoboGuy)
* 14th December: Andrew B (9600)
* 7th December: Andrew B (9600)
* 30th November: Paul D (paul123)
* 23rd November: Andrew B (9600)

Laser cutter

2017-04-19T20:29:16Z

Freddie: /* Usage */ - adding external links and to open day page

[[File:LS6040 1 1024w.jpg]]

We have a Laserscript LS6040 laser cutter that was supplied by [http://hpclaser.co.uk/ HPC Laser] in Elland.

This equipment must only be used by [[inducted persons]] who have received appropriate training.

'''Use by those who have not been fully trained on laser cutter operation and safety is forbidden.'''

'''WARNING: misuse or carelessness can result in fire, injury and damage to the equipment.'''

== Specifications ==

''To be added here.''

== Usage ==

=== Training materials and resources ===

See also the notes below on file formats, software and cutting.

==== Learning to Laser Cut, 11/01/17 ====

Chelsea Back visited us and gave an introduction to learning to laser cut using [https://inkscape.org/en/ Inkscape].

* [[:file:Learning_to_Laser_Cut_CB_v1p0.pdf|Presentation slides]] (PDF)

==== Resources on the Web ====

# [[Laser_cutter_open_day|Open day info]]
# [http://wiki.makespace.org/Equipment/Laser_Cutter#Can_I_cut_it.3F Cambridge Makespace's Laser cutting page].
# [http://wiki.makespace.org/Equipment/Laser_Cutter_Inkscape Cambridge Makespace's Inkscape tips].
# [http://svgnest.com/ SVGnest] - An online tool to efficiently pack your shapes to reduce cutting waste.

=== Materials ===

Only materials which are on the approved list must be used. Do not cut materials you are unsure about, including any standard plywood or MDF not bought as laser materials.

'''WARNING: use with non-approved materials can result in:'''

* '''fire'''
* '''injury'''
* '''toxic and corrosive fumes'''
* '''damage to the machine.'''

==== Approved materials list ====

* Laser safe MDF
* Laser safe plywood
* Acrylic a.k.a. Perspex
** Note that cast acrylic is much preferred over extruded and while the latter can be cut, it smells terrible
* Cardboard
* Polypropylene
* Polyethylene foam

==== Stock ====

Members are encouraged to purchase their own sheet material stock. However, occasional sheets can be purchased from Bridge Rectifier at the cost + 10% to cover the postage costs associated with replenishing stock.

All stock usage, whether for induction or workshop, or personal use, must be logged.

A new wiki page should be created for each order and use recorder against it as material is used.

* [[January 2017 Kitronik sheet stock order]]

If buying stock, [https://www.kitronik.co.uk Kitronik] tend to have the best pricing for bulk orders of common laser materials, and [http://www.plasticstockist.com Plastic Stockist] have a wider range of acrylics, but generally at higher prices. (Note: I don't recommend buying plastics from ebay, as not all sellers label them correctly. If you do, make sure it's "Perspex" (a brand name for acrylic) and has that name printed on the cover film. Not all "acrylic" from ebay is actually acrylic or laser safe! [[User:Davidhayward|Davidhayward]] ([[User talk:Davidhayward|talk]]) 22:14, 15 January 2017 (UTC) ).

Most vendors offer birch laser ply and poplar laser ply. Poplar is cheaper and less dense than birch, so can be cut more quickly, though birch is more durable.

=== File Formats And Software ===

The PC next to the laser is set up with LaserCut, which reads .dxf files and its own proprietary .ecp files. Many editors can create .dxf files; the [http://www.thingiverse.com/tag:lasercut lasercut tag at Thingiverse] also has many examples to freely download. To import a .dxf, go to File > Import and locate your file. ECP files are useful to save for things you might want to cut again at a later date, as they can retain information like cut speed and power (see [[#Cutting]]).

==== Editors ====
* [https://inkscape.org/en/ Inkscape] (Free, OSS, and one of the better free options if you want to cut typography)
* [https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/ Draftsight] (Free but closed source; has command line+GUI, and uses same keyboard shortcuts as Autocad)

Inkscape and Draftsight can both export .dxf files, which you can then put on a USB key and transfer to the LaserCut PC.

===== There's nothing there!? =====

If importing your design into LaserCut results in nothing showing up, don't panic.

First, zoom out to see if it's just elsewhere. Next, drag select the whole canvas area to see if the scale you saved your .dxf at was just very small. If there's still nothing showing, next try re-saving your design and making sure it's specifically an R13 or R14 ASCII Drawing .dxf file. Note that .dxf has been through many years of revisions, and not all revisions are compatible with all software.

Additionally, Inkscape users might run into an extra problem whereby nothing shows in LaserCut despite exporting to one of the safe versions of .dxf. In such a case, re-save your design as "Standard SVG" before exporting to DXF, as the default "Inkscape SVG" file format seems to include some extra features that can make .dxf files incompatible with LaserCut.

=== Cutting ===

'''Always watch the laser. Do not leave it cutting unattended.'''

No matter how used you become to the cutter or a given material, if something goes wrong a fire can start quickly and you must be there to act. Hit the emergency stop button and be ready with a CO2 fire extinguisher. By using the right settings and being vigilant, you should be able to prevent any fires before they start. An occasional small flash of flame as the laser cuts is normal. If you see a flame persistently following the laser, that's bad, you're using the wrong settings or material; stop the cut and put the flame out at once.

(Will be updated later with screenshots from LaserCut)

Below are some example settings for cuts done with with a clean, freshly set up cutter. For the reasons covered below, any speed/power chart you see for laser cutting is only a starting point. If the laser is a little dirty when you use it, you may require a slower cut to punch through your material.

{| class="wikitable"
! Material
! Power
! Speed (millimetres per second)
|-
|3mm Acrylic
|70%
|12mmps
|-
|3mm MDF
|70%
|20mmps
|-
|}

Note that at the time these settings were recorded, 70% power 25mmps led to 3mm MDF cuts where the parts didn't drop out cleanly and had to be popped out manually, and likewise for 18mmps 70% cuts in 3mm acrylic.

Be kind to the cutter by running it at less than 100% power. Running the cutter at full power will drastically shorten the life of the laser tube without significantly speeding up your cuts. At our introduction event, we were advised on 80 - 90%, and some maker spaces run theirs at 70% power.

Once you've imported your .dxf file, any line colours you set in Inkscape should show in LaserCut too (If you used other software, you may have to select lines and manually change their colours in LaserCut using the row of coloured buttons at the bottom of the screen). On the top right of the screen is a list of colour groups along with cut, speed and power settings. Double clicking on them will bring up a dialogue where you can edit speed and power, and select whether lines/shapes of those colours are cut or etched. You can also move colours up and down in the list; colour groups at the top will be cut first. This is useful for making sure all of your operations are done in the right order (if this is a job you're likely to repeat, you can go to File > Save As to save a .ecp file, which will retain the colour groupings and settings you've put in).

The cut power required for a given piece of material will vary depending on not just the type of material and thickness, but also how recently the laser was cleaned, how heavily it's been used since, how well the beam is aligned, how parallel the bed and the XY gantry are, and how close to the end of its life the laser tube is. You may sometimes find the laser cuts with more power at the centre of the bed than at the edges. Have extra material on hand and be prepared to do some testing to get the right settings each time you start a new cutting session.

If you cut with too much power or too slow, particularly with woods, it'll burn and blacken parts. Even at best, wooden parts will have browned edges, but this charring is only a few microns thick and can very easily be sanded off. Yellow stains on the surface of wooden parts are from resins burning and resettling on the surface of the wood. Overpowered cuts or cuts reflecting off parts of the bed in contact with material may also leave scorch marks on the surfaces of parts; these can either be sanded off, or prevented by applying paper masking tape to the material before cutting (annoying to peel, but will give you cleaner parts). With acrylic, leaving the films on each side will result in cleaner cuts, but messier etches.

If you cut with too little power or too fast, the laser won't go all the way through the material. This is especially visible with small parts when they don't drop out of the sheet into the bed. If you're cutting a sheet of large parts, adding some additional ones small enough to fall through the struts of the bed is a good way to make sure the laser is getting all the way through your material (when the cut is complete, without moving the sheet material, you can carefully poke them, and if they don't fall out, you then can simply rerun the cut to get all the way through).

Laser cutter open day

2017-04-19T20:03:55Z

Freddie: Re-order.

This page holds various resources for a laser cutter open day, whenever such a thing might be held.

= Sample Projects =
== HBRectifier keyring ==

Guy Lymer created a keyring which can be used as a sample design. You can right-click and "save link as" on [https://github.com/bridgerectifier/laser-templates/blob/master/keyring/BR_Keyring_original.svg this] link.

It's supposed to be an oval outline sized to about 60mm wide & maybe half as tall. When imported to laser cutter PC, it shows as 55mm, but we discovered that anything can be re-sized on the laser-cutter PC software, which is a good discipline anyway, as it fixes the size to something sensible.

== Hinged Box ==

[https://github.com/bridgerectifier/laser-templates/tree/master/box Github]

= Laser Cutting procedure review =
# On any PC:-
## Draw to scale in inkscape
##* Surround by a box of known dimensions - for later scaling.
## Convert all objects to paths
## Save as svg (to edit later if necessary)
## Export as dxf
## It doesn't matter what you sample in, it doesn't seem to work anyway. (?)
## Put on usb-stick and move to laser-pc.
#On laser-cutter PC:-
## File import (3rd from left top icon), & select DXF file from USB stick
## Select All, then Tools > Unite Lines with a threshold of 0.1 (note that this saves the last entry, so if someone's altered it, that needs amending)
## Set size (left side menu)
## Order cutting by colour - higher in list = earlier
## Set type (cut/score/raster) and speed/power per colour (consult tests or table in pamphlet)
## Click top timer icon to show how long it's expected to take.
## Click left side icon to 'centre to table' - often imports image outside boundaries of laser-cutter bed
## Download (bottom right of screen) > Delete all (clears buffer) > Download current
# On laser-cutter:-
## Set laser focus: Press "Z" then use focus tool (acrylic square) & Up/Down green buttons (unless someone has already set this for the material you're using).
## Esc > Datum (?)
## Esc > cursor arrows to position laser at top right of image to cut (Esc to accept start pos)
## Test to see extremes of image file. If 'Soft Stop', it's because image is outside boundaries of laser-cutter bed - in software, select 'centre to table' & lase cutter bed area should show as frame with image file inside it.
## Start to cut

= Interesting projects =

[http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/category-workshop/channel-laser-cutting/ Laser cutting on instructables.com] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-3D-Topographical-Maps/ Topographical Map] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Jewelry-Box/ Simple box] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Candle-Holders/ Candle holders] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Peach-Pie/step5/Make-the-pastry-base/ Peach Pie(?!)] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Periodic-Table-Name-Tag/ Periodic table coasters] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Laptop-Stand/ Laptop stand] 
[http://boxdesigner.connectionlab.org/ Box designer] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cutting-Basics/ Laser cutting basics]

Laser cutter open day

2017-04-19T20:00:17Z

Freddie: Adding box link

This page holds various resources for a laser cutter open day, whenever such a thing might be held.

= Laser Cutting procedure review =
# On any PC:-
## Draw to scale in inkscape
##* Surround by a box of known dimensions - for later scaling.
## Convert all objects to paths
## Save as svg (to edit later if necessary)
## Export as dxf
## It doesn't matter what you sample in, it doesn't seem to work anyway. (?)
## Put on usb-stick and move to laser-pc.
#On laser-cutter PC:-
## File import (3rd from left top icon), & select DXF file from USB stick
## Select All, then Tools > Unite Lines with a threshold of 0.1 (note that this saves the last entry, so if someone's altered it, that needs amending)
## Set size (left side menu)
## Order cutting by colour - higher in list = earlier
## Set type (cut/score/raster) and speed/power per colour (consult tests or table in pamphlet)
## Click top timer icon to show how long it's expected to take.
## Click left side icon to 'centre to table' - often imports image outside boundaries of laser-cutter bed
## Download (bottom right of screen) > Delete all (clears buffer) > Download current
# On laser-cutter:-
## Set laser focus: Press "Z" then use focus tool (acrylic square) & Up/Down green buttons (unless someone has already set this for the material you're using).
## Esc > Datum (?)
## Esc > cursor arrows to position laser at top right of image to cut (Esc to accept start pos)
## Test to see extremes of image file. If 'Soft Stop', it's because image is outside boundaries of laser-cutter bed - in software, select 'centre to table' & lase cutter bed area should show as frame with image file inside it.
## Start to cut

= Interesting projects =

[http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/category-workshop/channel-laser-cutting/ Laser cutting on instructables.com] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-3D-Topographical-Maps/ Topographical Map] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Jewelry-Box/ Simple box] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Candle-Holders/ Candle holders] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Peach-Pie/step5/Make-the-pastry-base/ Peach Pie(?!)] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Periodic-Table-Name-Tag/ Periodic table coasters] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Laptop-Stand/ Laptop stand] 
[http://boxdesigner.connectionlab.org/ Box designer] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cutting-Basics/ Laser cutting basics] 

= Sample Projects =
== HBRectifier keyring ==

Guy Lymer created a keyring which can be used as a sample design. You can right-click and "save link as" on [https://github.com/bridgerectifier/laser-templates/blob/master/keyring/BR_Keyring_original.svg this] link.

It's supposed to be an oval outline sized to about 60mm wide & maybe half as tall. When imported to laser cutter PC, it shows as 55mm, but we discovered that anything can be re-sized on the laser-cutter PC software, which is a good discipline anyway, as it fixes the size to something sensible.

== Hinged Box ==

[https://github.com/bridgerectifier/laser-templates/tree/master/box Github]

Laser cutter open day

2017-04-19T19:53:54Z

Freddie: Adding direct link to keyring file.

This page holds various resources for a laser cutter open day, whenever such a thing might be held.

= Laser Cutting procedure review =
# On any PC:-
## Draw to scale in inkscape
##* Surround by a box of known dimensions - for later scaling.
## Convert all objects to paths
## Save as svg (to edit later if necessary)
## Export as dxf
## It doesn't matter what you sample in, it doesn't seem to work anyway. (?)
## Put on usb-stick and move to laser-pc.
#On laser-cutter PC:-
## File import (3rd from left top icon), & select DXF file from USB stick
## Select All, then Tools > Unite Lines with a threshold of 0.1 (note that this saves the last entry, so if someone's altered it, that needs amending)
## Set size (left side menu)
## Order cutting by colour - higher in list = earlier
## Set type (cut/score/raster) and speed/power per colour (consult tests or table in pamphlet)
## Click top timer icon to show how long it's expected to take.
## Click left side icon to 'centre to table' - often imports image outside boundaries of laser-cutter bed
## Download (bottom right of screen) > Delete all (clears buffer) > Download current
# On laser-cutter:-
## Set laser focus: Press "Z" then use focus tool (acrylic square) & Up/Down green buttons (unless someone has already set this for the material you're using).
## Esc > Datum (?)
## Esc > cursor arrows to position laser at top right of image to cut (Esc to accept start pos)
## Test to see extremes of image file. If 'Soft Stop', it's because image is outside boundaries of laser-cutter bed - in software, select 'centre to table' & lase cutter bed area should show as frame with image file inside it.
## Start to cut

= Interesting projects =

[http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/category-workshop/channel-laser-cutting/ Laser cutting on instructables.com] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-3D-Topographical-Maps/ Topographical Map] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Jewelry-Box/ Simple box] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Candle-Holders/ Candle holders] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Peach-Pie/step5/Make-the-pastry-base/ Peach Pie(?!)] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Periodic-Table-Name-Tag/ Periodic table coasters] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Laptop-Stand/ Laptop stand] 
[http://boxdesigner.connectionlab.org/ Box designer] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cutting-Basics/ Laser cutting basics] 

= HBRectifier keyring =

Guy Lymer created a keyring which can be used as a sample design. You can right-click and "save link as" on [[https://github.com/bridgerectifier/laser-templates/blob/master/keyring/BR_Keyring_original.svg this]] link.

It's supposed to be an oval outline sized to about 60mm wide & maybe half as tall. When imported to laser cutter PC, it shows as 55mm, but we discovered that anything can be re-sized on the laser-cutter PC software, which is a good discipline anyway, as it fixes the size to something sensible.

Laser cutter open day

2017-02-25T02:12:32Z

Freddie: Initial dump of info

This page holds various resources for the laser cutter open day, initially planned for 25/02/2017.

= Laser Cutting procedure review =
# On any PC:-
## Draw to scale in inkscape
##* Surround by a box of known dimensions - for later scaling.
## Convert all objects to paths
## Save as svg (to edit later if necessary)
## Export as dxf
## It doesn't matter what you sample in, it doesn't seem to work anyway. (?)
## Put on usb-stick and move to laser-pc.
#On laser-cutter PC:-
## File import (3rd from left top icon), & select DXF file from USB stick
## Select All, then Tools > Unite Lines with a threshold of 0.1 (note that this saves the last entry, so if someone's altered it, that needs amending)
## Set size (left side menu)
## Order cutting by colour - higher in list = earlier
## Set type (cut/score/raster) and speed/power per colour (consult tests or table in pamphlet)
## Click top timer icon to show how long it's expected to take.
## Click left side icon to 'centre to table' - often imports image outside boundaries of laser-cutter bed
## Download (bottom right of screen) > Delete all (clears buffer) > Download current
# On laser-cutter:-
## Set laser focus: Press "Z" then use focus tool (acrylic square) & Up/Down green buttons (unless someone has already set this for the material you're using).
## Esc > Datum (?)
## Esc > cursor arrows to position laser at top right of image to cut (Esc to accept start pos)
## Test to see extremes of image file. If 'Soft Stop', it's because image is outside boundaries of laser-cutter bed - in software, select 'centre to table' & lase cutter bed area should show as frame with image file inside it.
## Start to cut

= Interesting projects =

[http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/category-workshop/channel-laser-cutting/ Laser cutting on instructables.com] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-3D-Topographical-Maps/ Topographical Map] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Jewelry-Box/ Simple box] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Candle-Holders/ Candle holders] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Peach-Pie/step5/Make-the-pastry-base/ Peach Pie(?!)] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Periodic-Table-Name-Tag/ Periodic table coasters] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cut-Laptop-Stand/ Laptop stand] 
[http://boxdesigner.connectionlab.org/ Box designer] 
[http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Cutting-Basics/ Laser cutting basics] 

= HBRectifier keyring =

Guy Lymer created a keyring which can be used as a sample design. Ask anyone of the space members for copies of the file:
* The BR_Keyring_original.svg should be fully editable
* BR_Keyring.svg is after everything's been converted 'object to path', so I don't think text is editable any more - found out the hard way.
* BR_keyring.dxf is after conversion of SVG to desktop plotter format

It's supposed to be an oval outline sized to about 60mm wide & maybe half as tall. When imported to laser cutter PC, it shows as 55mm, but we discovered that anything can be re-sized on the laser-cutter PC software, which is a good discipline anyway, as it fixes the size to something sensible.