All materials need to be tested to make sure they are safe to use in The Edge's Laser Cutter. Different materials can cause damage to the equipment and can be hazardous to the health and safety of the operator and other people in the Fabrication Lab.
All participants completing a Laser induction are informed of the Edge's policy that all new materials need to be approved before use in the Laser.
Users of the Laser can apply 14 days in advance to use a new material and are asked to provide a sample of the material and MSDS sheets pertaining to the material and any other treatments applied to the material.
The Latest version of the Guidelines for Laser Material Testing is always available on the wiki and is included below, along with the list of materials that Trotec recommend, and a list of compounds that are filtered readily by the extractor.
One of the compounds of concern is Formaldehyde which is found in a range of building materials (e.g. plywood, MDF) . The document below gives a good explanation of this issue and is provided on the website of our ply supplier.
http://revolutionwoodpanels.com.au/products/plywood/product/20/cd-pine-plywood.html
http://www.ewp.asn.au/library/downloads/ewpaa_formaldehyde_emmisions.pdf
Premium Glitter Flake Acrylic
(Kaleidoscope Glitter Sheet)
Technical Data
Glitter acrylic can be cut, drilled, routed, laser cut, glued, formed, hot stamped, and silk screened like any other standard acrylic sheet. It is also ideal in applications that require other acrylic products to be used in combination with the Glitter without the need for mechanical fasteners or complex adhesives.
Suede
Test Date 13 Aug 2016 Test Completed By Mick Byrne.
Suede is a material recommended by Trotech so approved the app to use this completed tests on the laser.
The first test (Far Right) was etched at the same settings as Balsa 40% power 95% speed- this was too much (sooty and could not see the gradation in the contrast bar. 2nd test (Far left) was 20% power 95% speed 3rd test (top) was 27% power 95% speed - I'd recomend somewhere between these last 2 settings
Plybrace F27 hardwood structural ply
-
Test Date 15 Aug 2016 Test Completed By Mick Byrne. A bunnings product name was provided by applicant and from there an MSDS was sourced for this material. This product is also certified as low Formaldehyde.
http://www.dashwoodtimber.co.nz/downloads/Structural_Plywood_Properties_&_Applications_Manual_March_2008.pdf2)
http://www.ewp.asn.au/library/downloads/ewpaa_formaldehyde_emmisions.pdf3)
Slate
Test Date 28 Feb 2019 Test Completed By P. Gullberg.
This material can only be engraved ,not cut using the Rayjet. Settings come directly from Trotec's website.
The bitmap gradient and title test were engraved using error diffusion. The Rayjet struggles with the deeper engravings which end up looking like the more shallow engravings. The Engrave settings text is engraved using the Trotec recommended settings. Smoke levels were average.
Engraving: 60% power 100% Speed
Japanese Polyester
Test Date Aug 2016
PETG
Copper wire test passed and OK'd for laser
Peter Musk Nov 2017
Acrylic Felt
Sourced from Spotlight.
Tested (copper wire) on 15/11/17
Smoky but passed for laser cutting.
Peter Musk
Silicone Rubber 0.5mm Test Date 22 Aug 2017 Test Completed By Mick Byrne. Silicon Rubber is a material recommended for cutting on the Trotec Website. After a few cuts we arrived at the following settings
Etching 20% Power 4% Speed
Cutting 40% Power 4% Speed
The aim of this document is to provide a guideline for the testing of the cutting and etching of new materials in the Edge’s Trotec 100w CO2 Laser Cutter.
Most of the tools in The Edge Fabrication Lab have been acquired with the intention of making these available to the public so members of our community can experiment with a range of fabrication technologies.
There is also an acknowledgement that members of the public and staff will want to experiment using different materials in equipment like The Edge’s Laser Cutter.
This section outlines a process to manage the risks of health hazards and damage to equipment that could occur from cutting/ etching different materials in the Laser cutter. These are guideline only and as such, do not cover all eventualities.
When testing new materials using the laser cutter extreme caution should be used.
Management of The Edge also reserves the right to the ban the cutting / etching of certain materials found to reduce the efficiency of the machine.
The following Flowchart describes the process an authorized supervisor can undertake to assess a new material for approval to be cut/ etched on the Edge’s Laser cutter.
THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS ARE KNOWN TO BE HAZARDOUS AND CANNONT BE CUT
- Needs sentence here about whether test is passed when chlorine is or is not present
Sections 3, 4 and 5 above all say 'perform the test again from Step 8, but there is no Step 8 - re-write needed
As with normal operation, the laser cutter must always be monitored during operation in case of smoke, fire or flare up
Harvard Fab Lab, n.d. Laser Training Checklist, Retrieved 27 May 2015 from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1198394.files/training_checklist_LASER.pdf
David A. Katz, Identification of Polymers ©1998 Retrived 31 Aug 2015 http://www.chymist.com/polymers.html
The Atmos 500 uses a three stage process to remove airborne contaminants. The first stage filters large particles, the second and activated carbon bed, the third is a HEPA filter (small particles).
Of the three the activated carbon stage is the most important for removing smells and potentially toxic out-gasses caused by the laser cutting process, and is most critical to the operation of the fabrication lab.
While most organic compounds will adsorb on activated carbon to some degree, the adsorption process is most effective on higher molecular weight and high boiling point compounds. Compounds having a molecular weight over 50 and a boiling point greater than 50 degrees centigrade are good candidates for adsorption 4)
These charts are adapted from More information about the Regeneration of Active Carbon - Lenntech
<datatables>
2,4-D | Deisopropyltatrazine | Linuron |
Alachlor | Desethylatrazine | Malathion |
Aldrin | Demeton-O | MCPA |
Anthracene | Di-n-butylphthalate | Mecoprop |
Atrazine | 1,2-Dichlorobenzene | Metazachlor |
Azinphos-ethyl | 1,3-Dichlorobenzene | 2-Methyl benzenamine |
Bentazone | 1,4-Dichlorobenzene | Methyl naphthalene |
Biphenil | 2,4-Dichlorocresol | 2-Methylbutane |
2,2-Bipyridine | 2,5-Dichlorophenol | Monuron |
Bis(2-Ethylhexyl)Phthalate | 3,6-Dichlorophenol | Napthalene |
Bromacil | 2,4-Dichlorophenoxy | Nitrobenzene |
Bromodichloromethane | Dieldrin | m-Nitrophenol |
p-Bromophenol | Diethylphthalate | o-Nitrophenol |
Butylbenzene | 2,4-Dinitrocresol | p-Nitrophenol |
Calcium Hypochloryte | 2,4-Dinitrotoluene | Ozone |
Carbofuran | 2,6-Dinitrotoluene | Parathion |
Chlorine | Diuron | Pentachlorophenol |
Chlorine dioxide | Endosulfan | Propazine |
Chlorobenzene | Endrin | Simazine |
4-Chloro-2-nitrotoluene | Ethylbenzene | Terbutryn |
2-Chlorophenol | Hezachlorobenzene | Tetrachloroethylene |
Chlorotoluene | Hezachlorobutadiene | Triclopyr |
Chrysene | Hexane | 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene |
m-Cresol | Isodrin | m-Xylene |
Cyanazine | Isooctane | o-Xylene |
Cyclohexane | Isoproturon | p-Xylene |
DDT | Lindane | 2,4-Xylenol |
</datatables>
Aniline | Dibromo-3-chloropropane | 1-Pentanol |
Benzene | Dibromochloromethane | Phenol |
Benzyl alcohol | 1,1-Dichloroethylene | Phenylalanine |
Benzoic acid | cis-1,2- Dichloroethylene | o-Phthalic acid |
Bis(2-chloroethyl) ether | trans-1,2- Dichloroethylene | Styrene |
Bromodichloromethane | 1,2-Dichloropropane | 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane |
Bromoform | Ethylene | Toluene |
Carbon tetrachloride | Hydroquinone | 1,1,1-Trichloroethane |
1-Chloropropane | Methyl Isobutyl Ketone | Trichloroethylene |
Chlorotoluron | 4-Methylbenzenamine | Vinyl acetate |
For these chemicals active carbon is only effective in certain cases.
Acetic acid | Dimethoate | Methionine |
Acrylamide | Ethyl acetate | Methyl-tert-butyl ether |
Chloroethane | Ethyl ether | Methyl ethyl ketone |
Chloroform | Freon 11 | Pyridine |
1,1-Dichloroethane | Freon 113 | 1,1,2-Trichloroethane |
1,2-Dichloroethane | Freon 12 | Vinyl chloride |
1,3-Dichloropropene | Glyphosate | |
Dikegulac | Imazypur |
However it may be viable in certain cases such as for low flow or concentrations.
Acetone | Methylene chloride |
Acetonitrile | 1-Propanol |
Acrylonitrile | Propionitrile |
Dimethylformaldehyde | Propylene |
1,4-Dioxane | Tetrahydrofuran |
Isopropyl alcohol | Urea |
Methyl chloride |
Factors that influence the performance of active carbon in air
1) source: Wastewater Engineering; Metcalf & Eddy; third edition; 1991; page 317|
Read more: http://www.lenntech.com/library/adsorption/adsorption.htm#ixzz4880i9cJh