Epilog 30w Mini 24 Laser Engraver

Epilog 30w Mini 24 Laser Engraver
Owner/Loaner	PS:One
Serial Number	SERIAL NUMBER
Make/Model	Mini 24
Arrival Date	6/29/2011
Usability	yes
Contact	CNC Area Host
Where	Shock Shop
Authorization Needed	yes
Hackable	no
Estimated Value	$15,000
Host Area	{{{hostarea}}}

Status

OUT OF SERVICE — as of 8/18/15 Y motor burned out — estimated back in service 8/20 or 8/21

Epilog/Epilog service notes - please note any service, repairs, or adjustments you make to the machine

Top Eight

Don't use the autofocus, because it could burn out a motor.
Don't cut materials that will ignite or emit dangerous fumes (any chlorinated plastic like PVC, for example). See section below.
Always use the exhaust fan/always use the air assist on vector cuts.
You must stay with the job; don't walk away. Things could catch on fire, that would suck.
Sometimes it's a pain to get the right driver working. http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/11c3/
Do not attempt to service the machine yourself unless you've cleared it with the CNC Area Host
Do not touch any settings in the Config menu on the machine itself
Do not touch any settings in the Maint menu on the machine itself except you may use Maint/1/Return Home to reset the cutting head to the machine's default origin (.015" inside the top left corner as of 4/28/15)

General Info

This machine: http://www.epiloglaser.com/mini24_overview.htm

Manual for this machine: http://www.epiloglaser.com/downloads/pdf/mini_helix_4.22.10.pdf

Settings for various materials

Laser Cutter Instructions and Workflow

Cleaning the optics: http://www.epiloglaser.com/tl_clean_optics.htm

Inkscape for newbies: http://blog.ponoko.com/2008/01/21/how-to-inkscape-for-ponoko-newbies-trace-an-image/

Experiment with Laser settings to find the lowest possible power and highest possible speed to get clean vector cuts. The new optics and tube (as of December 2014) can cut many organic materials with a minimum of charring.

Ventilation

Always turn on the exhaust fan using the switch located in the silver box to the left of the machine.

Air assist

Turn on the air assist by turning the silver knob on the regulator located on the red bracket attached to the left of the machine. The pressure regulator has no adjustable settings. It is either on or off.

Air assist is used for vector cutting to have nice traces and avoid your material to burn. However some people like to have it disabled for raster jobs.

Turn air assist off when you've finished and you don't need it while doing your settings.

Check the regulator for accumulated water from time to time. Place a container (and maybe some paper towels) under the regulator and vent accumulated water from the bottom using the small petcock. If too much water accumulates in the regulator, it may flow through the air hose and into the machine, spraying onto the bed/material.

Cleanup

Please leave the machine cleaner than you found it by emptying the crumb tray below the cutting table, picking up cutouts, and vacuuming up any acrylic dust you made.

Troubleshooting

Under construction.

NEVER CUT THESE MATERIALS

PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride): Also known as "vinyl" "pleather" or "artificial leather." Most adhesive vinyl shelf paper (e.g. Con-Tact Paper) also is PVC. Emits HCl and nasty chlorinated compounds when cut! Don't ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, cause the metal of the machine to corrode, and ruin the motion control system.
Polycarbonate: Also known as "Lexan." Polycarbonate is also often found as flat, sheet material. The case cover window on the laser cutter is made of Polycarbonate because polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation! This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. Polycarbonate can also emit flame and chlorine gas when cut, making it a poor choice for laser cutting.
ABS: ABS does not cut well in a laser cutter. It tends to melt rather than vaporize, and has a higher chance of catching on fire and leaving behind melted gooey deposits on the vector cutting grid. It also does not engrave well (again, tends to melt). Finally, ABS emits cyanide when cut.
HDPE: "milk bottle" plastic. It melts. It gets gooey. It catches on fire. Don't use it.
PolyStyrene Foam: It catches fire, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!
Fiberglass: It's a mix of two materials that can't be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes)
Coated Carbon Fiber: Again, it's a mix of two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying. However, once coated with epoxy it will emit noxious fumes.
Silhouette magnet paper (sold by Inventables by example): it likely contains chlorine. Emits HCl and nasty chlorinated compounds when cut! Don't ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, cause the metal of the machine to corrode, and ruin the motion control system.
PTFE:, also known as Teflon or any fluorinated polymer it will releases nasty fluorinated compounds (bad for you) and sublimate then deposit on the lenses (likely destroying them).
Gator foam: foam core gets burned and eaten away compared to the top and bottom hard paper shell. Not a fantastic thing to cut, but it can be cut if watched. And the MSDS sheet says it may produce hydrogen bromide and hydrogen chloride known to degrade the optics and mechanic of the cutter
Any other plastic with "Chlor" or "Fluor" in the name, for the same reasons as PVC and PTFE above.

Test for material

Some people came up with an easy protocol to help identify unknown polymers: Nyc Resistor - how to identify polymers with burnination. We don't know how reliable it is. And we can't but recommend to do that under good ventilation (outside?)

Safe Materials

The laser can cut or etch. The materials that the laser can cut materials like wood, paper, cork, and some kinds of plastics. Etching can be done on almost anything, wood, cardboard, aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, marble, stone, tile, and glass.

Cutting
- Many woods up to 1/4" thick. Composite woods like plywood contain glue, and may not laser cut as well as solid wood. Engineered woods like MDF are okay to use but may experience a higher amount of charring when cut. Be very careful about cutting oily woods, or very resinous woods as they also may catch fire.
- Paper cuts very very well on the laser cutter, and also very quickly. Thin paper and single layer card stock and cardboard are perfectly OK. Thicker cardboard, carton, and other papers also cut very well but need to be watched to make sure they don't catch fire.
- Cork cuts nicely, but the quality of the cut depends on the thickness and quality of the cork. Engineered cork has a lot of glue in it, and may not cut as well. Cork thicker than 1/4" should be avoided.
- Cast acrylic (also known as Lucite, Plexiglas, PMMA) cuts extremely well on the laser cutter, leaving a beautifully polished edge. With care, acrylic material up to 1/2" thick can be cut on the laser cutter. Extruded acrylic cuts less well and etches even worse. It tends to melt and puddle rather than vaporize.
- Delrin (POM) in thin sheets cuts and engraves very well. Delrin comes in a number of shore strengths (hardness) and the harder delrin tends to work better. Great for gears! It is possible to deeply engrave Delrin to make dies for embossing paper and leather.
- Kapton tape (Polyimide) : Works well, in thin sheets and strips like tape. 1/16" thick is about as thick as you can cut reliably.
- Mylar : Works well if it's thin. Once you get too far past 1/16" thick mylar has a tendency to warp, bubble, and curl. Gold coated mylar will not work.
- Solid Styrene : Smokes a lot when cut, but can be cut. Keep it thin (1/16")
- Depron foam: Used a lot for hobby, RC aircraft, architectural models, and toys. 1/4" cuts nicely, with a smooth edge. Must be constantly monitored when cutting.
- Cloth (leather, suede, felt, hemp, cotton, polyester, but NEVER vinyl or pleather-- see above) They all cut well. Leather is very hard to cut, but can be if it's thinner than a belt (call it 1/8")
- Magnetic Sheet material cuts beautifully (make SURE it does NOT contain chlorine, see above)
- NON-CHLORINE containing rubber is fine for cutting. Natural rubber engraves but leaves a dark sticky residue that doesn't affect stamps if the piece is engraved deeply enough.
- Carbon fiber mats/weave that has not yet had epoxy applied can be cut, very slowly. You must not cut carbon fiber that has been coated!!
Etching: all the above can be etched, in some cases very deeply. In addition, you can etch:
- Glass (green seems to work best) .. looks sandblasted. Only FLAT GLASS can be engraved in our cutter. No round or cylindrical items.
- Ceramic tile
- Anodized aluminum ( vaporizes the anodization away )
- Painted/coated metals ( vaporizes the paint away )
- Stone : Marble, Granite, Soapstone, Onyx. Gets a white "textured" look when etched
Marking

There is an expensive coating called 'cermark'. This marking compound costs $100 for a small bottle, and must be diluted with ethanol and applied to metal (not ceramics or stone) before being etched to leave behind a permanent dark black mark.

Material sources

Inventables for acrylic
Abbey Specialties for acrylic in varied sizes, this company is our landlord. They are in the other half of our building and if you ask they can drop off in our shared loading dock.
Petersen Brother's Plastics Has off-cuts and small pieces for $2/lb. 2929 N Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60641 (773) 286-5666
Amazon.com good Baltic Birch 1/8" plywood.
Laser-engravable rubber and polymer, for stamps
Amazon, laserable rubber for stamps

Strategies and techniques

See main article, Epilog techniques.

Laser settings for various materials.

General references

incredible box maker, with holes and text: http://www.makercase.com/

parametric pdf box creator: http://boxmaker.rahulbotics.com/

parametric svg box creator: http://www.giplt.nl/svg/ (load > construction category > better box)

Ladyada's info on the proper application of laser beams: http://www.ladyada.net/wiki/laserinfo/equipment

Information on materials that can and can't be cut: http://www.pololu.com/docs/0J24/3

paramateric living hinge generator: http://www.ashanan.com/hinges/ (code at: https://github.com/ashanan/hinges)

python svg library written by Toba: https://github.com/eastein/svgcuts

parametric flexbox generator: http://flexbox.herokuapp.com/

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/08/how-to-lasercut-custom-bo.html - Laser cut boxes

PS:One Logo

Long-ass list of laser designs on Thingiverse

Software Compatability

Note: this indicates success in using this software with the printer driver, not general capabilities about the software itself.

Software type	Manufacturer	File extensions	Raster (engraving)	Vector (cutting)	Other notes
CorelDraw	Corel	cbr	yes	yes	not available on machine
Illustrator CC	Adobe	ai, eps, svg, pdf	yes	yes	available on machine
Photoshop CC	Adobe	psd, eps, pdf	yes	yes	available on machine
Inkscape	Open Source		yes	yes (only if printed from PDF)	save as PDF (vectors should be stroked .01mm), then print from Acrobat. works for bitmap and vector.

Notes on Software Compatibility

Adobe Illustrator and the epilog drivers don't always work great together. If you're experiencing any of the following, there is a simple fix:

Job runs, but it's an empty run. Laser head moves once then completes, even though raster vs vector is correctly configured and stokes are set to 0.072pt.
Updating the media size in the epilog print driver does not update the size in Illustrator's print dialog, unless you reopen settings and press 'OK' in epilog again another time or two.
Open pressing print in Illustrator, you get a message about "nothing to print in selected layers" or similar.
Media size entered in epilog driver is read as the reverse by Illustrator (e.g. 24x12 is seen as 12x24 by Illustrator)

It seems epilog's driver doesn't play nicely with Illustrator, and Illustrator interfaces with the print driver a lot because it micromanages a lot of things. If your document is saved as a .AI with PDF compatibility, simply right-click your AI file and open with Adobe Reader instead of Adobe Illustrator, and print from there.

Adobe Reader has a much more "dumbed down" print dialog that just works with Epilog's driver. You don't have to resave your .AI as .PDF, as Adobe Reader can read .AI files saved in compatibility mode (that's the default).

Rotary Attachment

NB: Always return the machine back to the default configuration with a cutting bed after use.

Installing Attachment

Do not attempt to install the rotary attachment without ensuring that the cutting head AND autofocus plunger will clear it. It is extremely easy to damage the autofocus plunger and/or crash the head in the Y dimension, which will burn the motor out and make a lot of people sad.

Turn machine on
Disable X/Y
Open front cover
Lower bed almost to the bottom of the machine while still allowing the catch tray to be removed
Turn machine off
Flip up rulers and remove cutting bed
Remove slide out catch tray
Install the attachment locating it in the 3 holes in the bottom of the bed DO NOT CONNECT PLUG YET
Make sure the Y axis will clear the top of the attachment, if it will not turn the machine on and lower the bed further making sure to turn it off afterwards
Connect the attachment cable to the connector in the back of the bed
Turn the machine on - the machine will zero home over the top of the attachment

Reverse steps to uninstall.

Usage notes

DO NOT USE AUTO FOCUS
0,0 is TOP LEFT
Y axis is wrapped around the piece
Set Y size to circumference of piece - measure with soft tape or string/ribbon/etc
Make sure to set print size in driver to same as art board in illustrator

Known issues

Can't login

The trust relationship between this workstation and the primary domain failed

main page The trust relationship between this workstation and the primary domain failed
- Might be fixed now
- Occasional workaround: reboot

I was certified a long time ago

You need to

Be a Current Member
Have a https://members.pumpingstationone.org account
Talk to a recommended certifier, The area host, or email [email protected]

You may be asked to get recertified.

Front door interlock broken

The front door interlock has two reed switches. The one on the right isn't being activated by the factory magnet so it currently has an additional magnet on the inside of the machine, right to the left of the switch

List of Currently Certified Users

This list is hugely incomplete because nobody was doing it. Someone should fix that eventually... for now, new certs should go in here. If you are certified and remember who certified you, go ahead and add yourself. Your non-presence on this list is not intended to insult you or your relatives.

Authorizing Users

The laser cutter now has recommended authorizers. Recommended authorizers will periodically conduct authorization sessions for PS:1 members wishing to use the laser engraver. These sessions will be announced on the members' listserv as early as is practicable. A recommended authorizer can follow the instructions on Laser Engraver Certification to enable logins to the laser engraver computer.

Qualified Member	Trained By
Nat Zorach	Will McShane
Anthony Sontag	Elizabeth
Will McShane	Danger Committee
Eric Stein	Will McShane
Patrick Schless	Will McShane
Laurie Rich	Steve
Tom Forajter	Will McShane
Colin Parsons	Patrick Swayze (RIP)
Andrew Camardella	Colin Parsons
Dan Locks	Colin Parsons
Mahmoud Al-Qudsi	Colin Parsons
Lauren Conroy	Colin Parsons
Jesse Seay	Colin Parsons
Sai Yamanoor	Colin Parsons
Hef	Colin Parsons
Adam Talsma	Colin Parsons
Josh Cooper	Colin Parsons
Bryan Rosendale	Colin Parsons
Kevin Caughlin	Colin Parsons
Nathan Becka	Colin Parsons
Stephen Kamykowski	Colin Parsons
Jesse Seay	Colin Parsons
Bart Dring	Colin Parsons
Mike Morarity	Colin Parsons
Tony Dipaolo	Colin Parsons
Adrew An	Colin Parsons
Dean Anderson	Colin Parsons
Francesca Slade	Colin Parsons
David Fell	Colin Parsons
Ron Olson	Colin Parsons
Jay Pee	Elizabeth
Peter Borah	Elizabeth
April	Elizabeth
Ray Doeksen	Elizabeth
Jason Shanfield	Will McShane
Elizabeth Koprucki	Will McShane
George Shaw	Will McShane
Andrew Kos	Elizabeth Koprucki
Derek Bever	Elizabeth Koprucki
Jason Araujo	Derek Bever
Adam Glick	Ray Doeksen
Nathan Ellis	Jason Shanfield
Rob Riggs (Colorado Rob)	Elizabeth
Arturo Duarte	Elizabeth Koprucki
James Porter	Elizabeth Koprucki
Ryan Kelly	Elizabeth Koprucki
Sloan Lavery	William McShane
Casey Olson	Jason Shanfield
Spenser Gilliland	Elizabeth Koprucki
Jeff McBride	Elizabeth Koprucki
David Morton	Elizabeth Koprucki
Thomas Wright	Elizabeth Koprucki
Touly Phiachantharath	Elizabeth Koprucki
Robert Grossman	Elizabeth Koprucki
Eddie Muela	Elizabeth Koprucki
Rachel Wallis	Elizabeth Koprucki
Nick Halderman	Elizabeth Koprucki
Eric Beauchamp	Jason Shanfield
Aaron Mintz	Elizabeth Koprucki
Matt Makris	Elizabeth Koprucki
Roger Moore	Elizabeth Koprucki
Michael Leinartas	Elizabeth Koprucki
Solomon Hursey	Elizabeth Kopruki
Darold Higa	Elizabeth Koprucki
Curtiss Cooke	Elizabeth Koprucki
Dubi Kaufmann	Elizabeth Koprucki
Maria Miller	Derek Bever
Andrew Sowa	Elizabeth Koprucki
Mike Kislovsky	Will McShane
Kyle Bieneman	Will McShane
Michael Solheim	Elizabeth Koprucki
Tim Geiser	Elizabeth Koprucki
Lucas Goossen	Elizabeth Koprucki
Alec Weege	Jason Shanfield
Arjun Wadnerkar	Jason Shanfield
Kevin Pulver	Ray Doeksen
David Butler	Ray Doeksen
Mike Mandrea	Elizabeth Koprucki
Davis Mazariegos	Elizabeth Koprucki
John Farmer	Elizabeth Koprucki
Knute Martell	Elizabeth Koprucki
Leon Grossman	Jason Shanfield
Tina C	Elizabeth Koprucki
Benjamin Miller	Jason Shanfield
Ryan Taylor	Jason Shanfield
Joe Wallace	Jason Shanfield
Ryan Neuman	Elizabeth Koprucki
Scott Little	Ray Doeksen
Scott Drane	Ray Doeksen
Will Garza	Ray Doeksen
Mike Jones	Ray Doeksen
Bryan Sills	Ray Doeksen
Mike Patton	Ray Doeksen
James Huber	Jason Shanfield
Doorman Dave	Elizabeth Koprucki
Simon Pyle	Jason Shanfield
Kurt Ziegel	Lyn Cole
Ralph Brendler	Jonathan Bisson
Robert Caruso	Ray Doeksen
(Raj) Joseph Perera	Ray Doeksen
Jonathan Bisson	Elizabeth Koprucki
Erik Wessing	Ray Doeksen
Matt Crump	Ray Doeksen
Eugene Liolumovich	Ray Doeksen
Avner Shanan	Ray Doeksen
Chinzorig Davaatseren	Ray Doeksen
Temuulen Erdenekhvv	Ray Doeksen