DIY Laser Engraving Air Filter System
Laser engraving certain materials such as acrylic can be bad for your health and those around you. It is not only good practice to protect yourself, but to have the courtesy to reduce the release of potentially hazardous fumes into your surroundings. A basic air filter is an absolute must, however as prices can be in the thousands, we have done a few tests to create a DIY version for a fraction of the cost. Depending on the tools available to you and your skill set, building a filter can be done relatively easily and for a reasonable cost.
Laser Cut Without Burn Marks Using Application Tape
Here is a very useful trick for laser cutting wood. What normally happens when you laser cut wood is that the edges are slightly burned and have an ugly browning yellow mark along the top and burned marks on the bottom from the beam reflecting off of the honeycomb metal grid. What you can do to avoid this is buying application tape from a local art and crafts supply store.
Epilog Laser Cutter Repair & Maintenance
We have created a section for repairs and maintenance of laser engraving systems, both for our own records as well as anyone with similar issues. Epilog has one of the best customer support staff, if not the best! This guide is meant as a reference guide only, we are not responsible for damage done to your machine by not following proper instructions provided by Epilog or other laser manufacturer. With that being said we hope to help others diagnose possible issues and discuss the possible options for repair.
Laser Material Settings
Information Regarding Material settings that work best for laser cutting, this information is different for every laser cutter so please test materials yourself before doing a large batch. We use a 50 watt Epilog Helix, so if you use a higher wattage machine you will need to decrease the power and if you have a low wattage machine you will need to increase the power. In addition to that laser engravers lose power over time so also think about how old it is. Use this scheme as a reference only, some information is relevant to all laser engravers and other are specific.