| Area | ⏩ | 1.00 x 0.80 meters. |
| Table | ⏩ | Honeycomb or rod |
| Accesory | ⏩ | Double Tube |
| Cutting speed | ⏩ | 0–36,000 (min/mm) |
| Engraving speed | ⏩ | 0-64000 (min/mm) |
| Power | ⏩ | 100 Watts |
| Cutting thickness: | ⏩ | 0–25 mm |
| Cutting thickness: | ⏩ | 0–25 mm |
| Resolution | ⏩ | Up to 4000 DPI (typically between 600 DPI and 2000 DPI) | Motion accuracy | ⏩ | 0.01 mm |
When choosing materials for CNC cutting, it's important to consider their compatibility with the machine and the cutting process.
Woods, plastics, and metals are typically suitable, while materials like glass and stone may not be.
Selecting materials that match the machine's capabilities and cutting tools is crucial for optimal results.
| Tool | Function | |
|---|---|---|
| Unfocused Laser Beam | ⏩ | The initial laser beam generated from the laser source, wider and less concentrated than when directed. |
| Focus Lens | ⏩ | Focuses the laser beam into a smaller, more potent point, vital for achieving effective concentration. |
| Focal Distance | ⏩ | Determines the location where the laser beam is highly concentrated, essential for aligning the focal point with the material surface. |
| Laser Nozzle | ⏩ | Guides the laser beam onto the material and eliminates residues from cutting or engraving. |
| Focused Laser Beam | ⏩ | Upon traversing the lens, the beam undergoes further concentration, thereby amplifying its intensity. |
| Focal Point | ⏩ | Where the laser beam is at its maximum concentration, resulting in the most significant cutting or engraving impact. |
| Focus Depth | ⏩ | Represents the span along the laser beam axis where the light persists within a confined point. |
| Materials you can cut | Cut | Engrave |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cardboard | ✅ | ✅ |
| Foaming | ✅ | ✅ |
| Leather (Natural and synthetic) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cork | ✅ | ✅ |
| MDF (pressed cardboard) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Wood | ✅ | ✅ |
| Plastic | ✅ | ✅ |
| Acrylic | ✅ | ✅ |
| Metal | ❌ | ✅ |
| Materials you CAN'T cut | Why not? |
|---|---|
| ❌ PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) | As it ruin the object it emits chlorine gas. |
| ❌ ABS | It tends to melt rather and has a chance of catching on fire and leaving behind melted gooey deposits on the vector cutting grid. Cutting ABS plastic emits hydrogen cyanide, which is unsafe at any concentration. |
| ❌ HDPE/milk bottle plastic | It melts. It gets gooey. It catches fire. |
| ❌ PolyStyrene Foam | It catches fire quickly, burns rapidly, it melts, and only thin pieces cut |
| ❌ Epoxy | Epoxy is an aliphatic resin, strongly cross-linked carbon chains. A CO2 laser can't cut it, and the resulting burned mess creates toxic fumes. |
| ❌ Fiberglass | Epoxy is an aliphatic resin, strongly cross-linked carbon chains. A CO2 laser can't cut it, and the resulting burned mess creates toxic fumes ( like cyanide! ). |
| ❌ Foodstuff (meat, cookies, bread) | Just don't. |
To evaluate the power and speed of laser cutters, two graphical tests were implemented that combined both variables.
Power: A range of 10% to 95% of the total laser power (100 watts) was used, following the manufacturer's recommendations.
The test started with 10% power and gradually increased in 10% intervals.
Speed: Speeds from 15 mm/s to 40 mm/s were evaluated, increasing by 5 mm/s each time.
In this experiment, it's evident that power percentages of 30% or lower failed to cut through the material,
with the 10% mark even failing to leave a mark. At 40% power, the laser barely managed to cut at the slowest speed,
making it the only successful cut. Other power percentages allowed for material cutting, yet the cleanest cut was
achieved at 50% power with a speed of 40 mm/s. It's also notable that slower speeds resulted in more burning,
indicating poorer cutting quality.
The second test is more comprehensive, involving a larger matrix to explore a wider range of speeds.
Additionally, it incorporates a 10% increase in power and includes speeds ranging from 10 mm/s to 100 mm/s
in increments of 10 mm/s. This setup allows for a more thorough examination of the laser's performance across
various speeds and power levels.
Ensure the machine's ventilation remains clear and unobstructed.
To activate the machine's fan using the button situated on the lower left side
Turn on the machine using the red button located on the right side of the machine.
The safety stop by turning in the direction indicated on the machine, also located on the right side.
Insert the machine key and turn. The lock is located on the top of the machine on the right.
Turn on the laser by pressing the button. The button is located next to the key.
Place the material you wish to cut on the worktable, ensuring it is securely fastened and level.
Ensure the material is within the maximum dimensions allowed by the laser cutter.
Ensure the electronic key is connected to the computer to allow the cutting software to open.
the laser cutter control software "Smart Carve" on the computer.
To adjust the cutting speed and laser power, select your design, then click a configuration number (you can change the color of the configuration to identify where you apply these specifications).
Below the configurations, you'll find the speed and power parameters that you can adjust according to your needs (consult the power table).
To apply the modifications, double-click on the checkmark next to the configuration number.
the height of the cutting table and its start at the top controls of the machine, use the arrow controls to position the "x" and "y" axes, moving forward, backward, right, and left to align with the corner of your material.
To start designing my parametric kit I must first choose the plane I wanted to work on, in my case XY.
Then I used the line tool and started taking measurements which were 3.50 cm x 2.5 cm x .3 cm and so on until forming a square since the drawing will be parametric.
I do the same process but now with the shape of a triangle I will give it the measurements of 8.20 cm x 1.8 cm x .3 cm and I will finish the sketch.
Now I do the previous process although now with the shape of a hexagon giving the measurements of 4.90 cm x 2 cm x .3 cm and I give them their respective angles to create the shape of a hexagon.
To create a different figure I will use the slot function from center to center and give it a measurement of 2.40 cm x 8 cm.
Now I will create a rectangle at the edges with measurements of 1 cm x .3 cm and I will click on the symmetry button, I will select the rectangles and then I will select the line that is automatically generated in the middle and the other rectangle will be generated automatically. I do the same step but now for the ends of the figure.
Now I will generate a circle and give it a diameter of 8.4 cm
Now I will generate a circle and give it a diameter of 8.4 cm and I will also create rectangles so that it can fit one with another of 2 cm x .3 cm.
This is how the design of my pieces turned out.
This time, I will make something smaller. For this idea, I was inspired by my colleague’s work. Angel ivan
To start, I had to set the parameters to create the shapes. This step will help optimize time later in the process.
The first step I did was read the “How to Use” section. After doing all that procedure: I was able to turn on the cnc machine and open my file in .DXF format
When you finish assigning the priority and power colors for each figure, click on the start button to start cutting.
And it will begin to cut according to the priority, speed and power that I set for each element.
For this project, I used the CAMM 1 SERVO GX-24 vinyl cutter. This machine utilizes CutStudio software, which is known for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Equipment | CAMM 1 SERVO GX-24 |
| Brand | Roland |
| Model/Series | GX- 24 / DAP9405 |
| Power Supply | Input: AC 100 to 240 V + / – 10% 50/60 Hz 1.7 A Output: 24V DC, 2.8A Power: 30W |
For this week's assignment, which involved cutting a design in vinyl, a vector file was required. I chose to use Corel Draw to create my design quickly and efficiently. The image tracing tool was particularly helpful in converting my images into editable vectors. Once the design was complete, I exported the file in DXF format, which is compatible with the CAMM 1 SERVO GX-24 cutter.
Order to start i will open the cut studio program, after that the file with which I will work must be opened (upper left, open button).
Select the desired file to start
Once the file is opened in .cst format, select it to move it and modify the original file.
Modify the file by putting 4 circles on each side so that it could serve as a guide when sticking the vinyl (right side, tools section, draw circle/ellipse button).
I clicked the edit button (top left) so I could select everything, you can also just select everything with the mouse but I wanted to make it more efficient.
Since I have 5 colors in the design I made in week 2, I will need to place 5 different vectors of the same design (for that I will use the multiple copy tool, this is found in edit>multiple copy. This tool is useful to be faster and have better symmetry) but these will be incomplete since the vectors that are not of the same color will be removed (do this for all 5 vectors).
I will enter the number I need from my vectors (in the Horizontal part it only accepts multiples, you will have to manually remove the excess) and click the OK button to create the copies of these vectors.
I clicked on the vector and right click, delete button.
Having everything ready, I will start right clicking on the break polyline button to delete what is not the same color of the vector.
Taking as a reference the colors of my design
Select each vector you did not need (with shift+select) and delete them.
Here are the 5 vectors with respect to the corresponding colors
Right click and select the complete vector to convert to the polyline
after what I did above, right-clicking again will give me a new option called integrate polyline so I can move the vector to any side and all this together
move 4 vectors outside the white grid so that only the color of a single piece can be cut in vinyl.
use the move option (top middle bar>MOVE button) to make the cut centered and save more material
to finish, we use the cutting tool (upper left bar) and if the machine is not configured to be used, configure it, and click OK.
we do the same step for the 4 vectors until we have all the colors in vinyl.
Having already cut the vinyl, it is time to start gluing part by part according to the color hierarchy of the design.
And just cut & paste
