Laser Cutter Badge Checklist

Lasers (Universal 60w) Badging
Hardware
Video watched, quiz taken, any questions?
Identify the differences between Epilog and Universal lasers (power, layout, etc.)
Care of the machine
Lid all the way up when open, close gently (slamming degrades laser)
Clear range of motion on all three axes
Lens/optics (see below)
Fire safety
No unattended laser use (15-20’ or closer)
Pause/resume function to step away
Identifying fire vs. flareup; extinguishing fires
Cancel, pause, or open lid
Fire blanket
CO2 fire extinguisher (and why)
Chemical extinguisher, 911
Material safety
Organic materials
Laser-safe plastics/acrylics
Glass (etch only)
Unsafe materials
Damage to the machine (e.g., corrosive gas, soot on lens, melted plastic on bed)
Unsafe for users/bystanders (i.e., poisonous)
Ventilation - switch on when turning laser on
Prep for cutting
Check lens and mirror in cutting head
Clean gently, only when necessary
Cleanser only on cloth/tissue, never on lens
X-Y adjustment (correcting/setting new origin)
Focus (Z adjustment)
Shutdown/cleanup
Software (INKSCAPE)
Identify the difference between raster and vector files
Trace bitmap (optional)
Object to path on any shapes or text
Map colors, fill, and stroke to power levels and raster/vector behavior
Colors at absolute values
On RGB, a value of 255 on one color, 255 on “A” (saturation/opacity)
On CMYK scales, 100% on one color value
Stroke @ 0.2px or smaller for vector cutting
Check for/correct “Unset” or “Paint is undefined” errors
Sending print via Export => Win32VectorPrint
SKIP / RAST / VECT / RAST/VECT
Setting Power, Speed, and PPI
Image density
ALWAYS at 5 - double-check
Adjust and repeat as necessary
Sending grayscale etch via Print (optional)
Printer => x660
Preferences
Set power and speed
Advanced tab
Halftone for rougher materials, darker images
Error diffusion for smooter materials, lighter images
Black and White for true B/W images