In the past, I have heard about laser cutting. However, I never really got to understand how a laser cutting machine works, how to operate it and the materials that it could be operated on. You could say that this sort of technology is very new to me.
For this exact reason, I have made a Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) that I will follow whenever I have to use the laser cutting machine. But you may wonder, how can I know what to do if laser cutting is totally new to me. Well, I have been provided with videos that demonstrated how to start up and operate the laser cutting machine and the software that is essential for completing a laser cutting/engraving/scoring operation.
Here is my SOP!
Start-up:
1. Turn on air compressor (red switch)
2. Turn on the fume extractor
3. Switch on a laser cutter (black switch)
4. Wait for the laser cutter to finish initializing
Operation of the laser cutter and CorelDraw and Epilog:
1. Import Fusion360 (dxf) file into CorelDraw
2.
3. After importing the Fusion360 dxf file, shapes and lines to be cut should be highlighted in red. Shapes and lines to be engraved or scored should be highlighted in green.
4. Click File > Print and
Epilog browser will pop up
5. Turn on autofocus manually for
Epilog Fusion Pro ( top right )/ Set autofocus to “THICKNESS” for Epilog
Fusion M2
6. Import material setting from
library
7. Select Engrave tab for
engraving, then select material to be used
8. Select Vector tab for cutting,
and select material to be used
9. Input thickness of the material
being cut
10. Turn on air assist (for Epilog
M2 machine)
11. Proceed to print
12. After cutting is done, wait for
a minute before continuing
Shut down:
1. Switch off the laser cutter (black switch)
2. Turn on the fume extractor
3. Turn on air compressor (red switch)
4. Clean up if there is any lying debris
However, as expected, my SOP is not perfect as I have:
(1)made a few mistakes and;
(2)missed out on many things that have not been covered in the videos provided.
In fact, there were some things in my SOP that were not clear and made my life more difficult because I couldn't understand the instructions given in the SOP. There were some steps that I did not include in the SOP because I only learnt about these steps before the competency test, when my assessor demonstrated certain actions that were not found in the video. Nonetheless, after learning these steps, I replicated the assessors actions and completed laser cutting and engraving a test product.
Thus, I have improved on my SOP.
Here is my IMPROVED SOP!
Start-up:
1. Turn on the air compressor by flicking the red switch found at the side of the compressor.
2. Turn on the fume extractor by pressing the green button found on the back of the fume extractor.
3. Turn on the laser cutting machine by flicking the black switch found on the front side of the machine, towards the far right. Wait for the machine to finish initializing.
4. Open CorelDraw.
5. To start on a new project, click on File > New > OK.
Operation of CorelDraw:
1. Click on File > Import > Select on dxf file to be operated on. Ensure that the 3D projection is set to "Top" and that the scaling is 1:1.
2(a) For engraving
1. Highlight text/shape/line to be engraved by clicking and dragging the cursor over the text/shape/line.
2. Double-click on the pen icon. Change the thickness of the outline to "Hairline" and change the colour of the outline to green(RGB: 0,255,0).
3. Double-click on the paint bucket icon. Change the colour of the fill to green(RGB: 0,255,0).
4. Double-click the pen icon again. Change the thickness of the outline from "Hairline" to "None".
2(b) For cutting
1. Highlight shape/line to be cut.
2. Double-click the pen icon. Change the thickness of the outline to "Hairline" and change the colour of the outline to red(RGB: 255,0,0).
3. Click Print > Print.
Operation of Epilog Dashboard:
1. Before changing process parameters, turn on "Auto Focus" and "Air Assist" for all operations.
2(a) For engraving operation
1. Click "Import Material Settings" and select the respective material and corresponding resolution for the engraving.
2. Change process parameters such as speed of the laser cutter, power of the laser and frequency of the laser as needed.
3. Ensure that the "Process Type" is set to "Engrave" and that the "Air Assist" is on.
2(b) For laser cutting operation
1. Click "Import Material Settings" and select the respective material and its corresponding thickness.
2. Change process parameters such as speed of the laser cutter, power of the laser and frequency of the laser as needed.
3. Ensure that the "Process Type" is set to "Vector" and that the "Air Assist" is on.
4. According to the location of the operation site that you want, refer to the two rulers found on the work table in the laser cutting machine to identify the coordinates of the desired operation site.
5. Highlight the project and indicate the coordinates under "Boundary", found on the far left side of the screen.
6. Click on "Print" to send the file to the laser cutter.
Operation of Epilog Fusion M2:
1. Check the file name. It should be the same as the name of the file in the Epilog Fusion M2 software.
2. To begin the operations, press the "Go" button.
3. After the machine is done cutting and engraving, remove the product and clear the machine of any unwanted materials.
Shut down:
1. Turn off the laser cutting machine by flicking the black switch found on the front side of the machine, towards the far right.
2. Turn off the fume extractor by pressing the green button found on the back of the fume extractor.
3. Turn off the air compressor by flicking the red switch found at the side of the compressor.
From now on, this will be the SOP I will be using and will be constantly updated if issues, complications or misunderstandings arise.
With the new SOP, I have cut out more pieces for my team's parametric construction kit
Reflection
For this activity, I was given a competency test, in which, I had to pass in order to use the laser cutting machine in the future. I think one thing that this test really tested me on was my capabilities to learn something without actually having any practice. In this sense, I now realise its importance.
Firstly, having a competency test is really important because it helps us gain the trust of others, knowing that nothing catastrophic may happen. Like my assessor likes to say, you wouldn't want a taxi driver who isn't competent in driving, because he may drive more recklessly which can increase the chances of an accident.
Secondly, having this competency test without having to practice is very important because it trains me to learn skills quickly and makes me very adaptable. In this sense, we can easily become a "Jack of All Trades"/"Master of None" or possibly "Master at Everything".
I used to think that before having a test, one should have practice. Now I think, practice is only necessary until you've learnt the skill. In this case, completing the competency test is an indicator that I have learnt the fundamentals and am ready to transition onto much more complex concepts. As the saying goes, "Experience is the hardest kind of teacher because she gives the test first before the lesson"
Next, I will have a more open mindset and be more passionate about learning by taking tests first.
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