[ML-General] Big Laser

Thu Dec 19 15:33:13 CST 2019

Wat time are you going? I need to cut 2 planks but I'll hop off if I'm in
the way.

On Thu, Dec 19, 2019, 3:17 PM Hunter Quinn <hunterq93 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the info and help!
>
> I need to cut a smallish project today (17x10")
> Will the laser be able to do this?
> Thanks
>
> Hunter Quinn
> Structural Designer - International Paper
>
> On Thu, Dec 19, 2019, 2:28 PM <smeeon at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Next time I’m there I’ll put a sign warning people to not let cuts flame
>> up. But yea... Fire is bad. But I guess that’s signs like these are
>> important.
>>
>> - Dianna Valdez
>>
>> On Dec 19, 2019, at 2:25 PM, Ryan Coons <ryancoonsyhg at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> 1) Fire.
>>
>> Actually, that's true off all shop equipment,  excluding the forge...
>>
>> On Thu, Dec 19, 2019, 2:23 PM Nick Kopp <nkopp2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Can someone tape a checklist to the machine of the things we should be
>>> watching for and stop use if seen?
>>>
>>> Nick
>>>
>>> On Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 1:54 PM <smeeon at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Thank you for the correction Ryan, I typed out the wrong thing.
>>>> Diluting it should be safer too from what I’ve read on the forums.
>>>>
>>>> - Dianna Valdez
>>>>
>>>> On Dec 19, 2019, at 1:18 PM, Ryan Coons <ryancoonsyhg at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> 
>>>>
>>>> Methanol is the go-to for cleaning optics. We should keep some on hand.
>>>>
>>>> Placing a crosshairs T alignment point will expedite the process, since
>>>> an aligned beam will make a cloverleaf pattern, and a wonked up beam will
>>>> signal which direction is needed.
>>>>
>>>> Tube lifetime seems good because the discharge is still purple, but
>>>> tube replacement will become a thing someday, and we should start saving up.
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Dec 19, 2019, 1:04 PM <smeeon at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> FYI I met with Norm the other night and we installed the new mirrors
>>>>> and adjusted alignment some.
>>>>>
>>>>> It cuts okay-ish in the bottom right corner. However this big cut from
>>>>> Norm has proven that most of the bed alignment is bad right now.
>>>>>
>>>>> What this means: the alignment is off, really off, when I got into the
>>>>> mirrors I noticed that they had all been previously adjusted and the
>>>>> locking nuts not screwed in tightly, so pretty much everything was loose.
>>>>> This is bad. It means the alignment had likely drifted pretty far and we’re
>>>>> just getting it “sorta right” in that one corner.
>>>>>
>>>>> It’s going to require a full 2-3 hours of alignment to really dial her
>>>>> back in to cutting well. This isn’t an easy job, I’ve done it a few times
>>>>> even with other laser techs and it’s tedious at best. I’ll try to find some
>>>>> time this weekend to tinker with it and get it closer. If anyone wants to
>>>>> drop $500 on a laser alignment sensor system that works too *nudge wink
>>>>> nudge*
>>>>>
>>>>> The new mirrors are not *as good* as the ones that came with the
>>>>> laser. That means they won’t last as long as the ones we tore through in
>>>>> about a year? The old mirrors had been cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and
>>>>> the protective coating had been mostly worn off. This diminishes the
>>>>> cutting capabilities quite a bit. We really need a bottle of pure ethanol
>>>>> alcohol to mix with some distilled water to dilute down enough to not be
>>>>> harsh on the mirrors and focusing lens. For clarification, all parts of
>>>>> laser optic chain (tube, mirrors, focusing lens, power supply) all wear out
>>>>> at an almost uniform rate. Even the flyback transformers in the power
>>>>> supply wear out even if you “dial the power back” some. This is just normal
>>>>> for 100+watt Co2 laser systems with such heavy use.
>>>>>
>>>>> Heat is a problem for all of the the optics. Running the laser without
>>>>> the air assist or with a damaged air assist caused quite a bit of damage,
>>>>> the aluminum nozzle heated up, that heat transfers to the focusing lens and
>>>>> the lens actually cracked from the heat. This is really not okay, please if
>>>>> you see fire from your project, there is a problem, stop it and get help to
>>>>> address the issue. the flame ups have damaged several proximity sensors and
>>>>> now destroyed the factory tube for the air assist.
>>>>>
>>>>> The aluminum nozzle is already providing heat sink for the lens itself
>>>>> as it naturally heats up from the focused infrared light passing through
>>>>> it. It simply can’t handle all of that additional heat.
>>>>>
>>>>> So in closing, please take care with this very valuable shop asset and
>>>>> help everyone to keep it functioning well after we patch her back together.
>>>>> If these problems persist through these extensive repairs We need to
>>>>> investigate a system for approving members to use the machine or a
>>>>> lockout/user log system.
>>>>>
>>>>> - Dianna Valdez
>>>>>
>>>>> On Dec 19, 2019, at 9:09 AM, Joseph Absher <
>>>>> joseph.ryan.absher at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> 
>>>>> Will do. Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Dec 19, 2019, 09:07 Norm Marshall <normcooks at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Go ahead and move it
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Norm Marshall
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Thu, Dec 19, 2019, 9:05 AM Joseph Absher <
>>>>>> joseph.ryan.absher at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> When I got to the shop this morning there was what looked to be a
>>>>>>> completed job on the laser. However, it looked like some of the pieces
>>>>>>> didn't cut all the way through, so I didn't move it in case the owner
>>>>>>> wanted to cut it again.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Does anyone know when that job will be finished?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>> Ryan Absher
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> This is the general mailing list.
>>>>>>> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
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>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> This is the general mailing list.
>>>>>> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
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>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> This is the general mailing list.
>>>>> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
>>>>> activities.
>>>>> To stop receiving mail from this list, write to
>>>>> general-leave at lists.makerslocal.org.
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> This is the general mailing list.
>>>>> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
>>>>> activities.
>>>>> To stop receiving mail from this list, write to
>>>>> general-leave at lists.makerslocal.org.
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> This is the general mailing list.
>>>> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
>>>> activities.
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>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>> --
>>> Nicholas Kopp
>>> 630-536-6231
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> This is the general mailing list.
>>> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
>>> activities.
>>> To stop receiving mail from this list, write to
>>> general-leave at lists.makerslocal.org.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> This is the general mailing list.
>> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
>> activities.
>> To stop receiving mail from this list, write to
>> general-leave at lists.makerslocal.org.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
>> activities.
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>> general-leave at lists.makerslocal.org.
>
> _______________________________________________
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> This list is for public discussion about Makers Local and related
> activities.
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