Laser Cutters

EPIC has three laser cutters available in our lab. These are easy to learn how to operate and work with a 2D graphic design. Laser cutting is an appropriate way to cut or engrave detailed designs into a variety of materials. The most commonly used materials are Acrylic and Balsa Wood.

Read through this page to learn about the laser cutters before you take the Quiz.

Quiz for Swipe Access

You will be asked to log into your BU Account to take this quiz.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a laser cutter?

Our laser cutters use C0₂ laser technology. The lasers are light produced by applying a high voltage to a gas filled tube, a set of mirrors intensifies the light until it is powerful enough to pass through a partially reflective mirror. The laser is then focused on your material using a lens. The software allows you to set a path of motion for vector cutting or raster engraving. Modifying the settings for speed, power and frequency allows you to cut or engrave a variety of materials.

What materials can I use?

Acrylic

Animal Hide Leather

Corian

Cork

Cotton Fabric

Delrin

Fleece & Polyester Fabric

Foam Board made of EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate), polyethylene, or polystyrene

Mat Board & Paper

Melamine

Mylar

Pressboard

PVC-Free Vinyl alternatives: PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate), PVB (polyvinyl butyral), PVA (polyvinyl acetate), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and Polyester

Rubber

Twill Fabric

Wood & MDF

Engrave Only:

AlumaMark

Anodized Metal

Ceramic & Glass

Marble & Slate

Painted Brass

Powder Coated Metals

Stainless Steel with Cermark

Prohibited materials

Materials containing Hydrogen Chloride

Kydex

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride), common artificial leather

PVB (Polyvinyl butyrale)

PTFE/Teflon (Polytetrafluoroethylenes)

ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)

Carbon Fiber

Epoxy

Resin & Ecoresin

Fiberglass

Polycarbonate & Lexan

HDPE (High density polyethylene)

Polypropylene Foam

Polystyrene Foam (Styrofoam)

Polyurethane Foam

What is the maximum material size?

60 watt lasers – 24″ x 24″ x 0.25″
80 watt laser – 24″ x 24″ x 0.5″

Thickness based on Acrylic

Where can I buy materials?

Vendors we have had success purchasing (be aware some Amazon vendors will say the product is Acrylic/Plexiglas but it is not, make sure it is for C02 lasers):

Acrylic sheets: McMaster-Carr

1/8″ acrylic sheets: Amazon Enoin store

1/8″ acrylic sheets: Amazon BESARME product

1/8″ acrylic and wood sheets, other laserable products: Amazon xTool store

What are the limitations of laser cutting?

Cuts are always at a slight angle.
Kerf is lost, may be large dependent on settings

What tolerance should I use?

± 0.005″ | 0.13mm

How to prepare a part for laser cutting?

Our preferred file types for laser cutting are PDF and DXF. Please make sure to export your ready-to-cut part drawing without any text, labels, or extraneous features. Other files, such as images, may be used for rasterizing art or logos.

You should also provide a drawing or hand-sketch that communicates the part size, thickness, and type of material you plan to cut.

What software does the Laser Cutter Lab use?

We use Corel Draw Graphics Suite 2021 to print to the laser cutters. Each laser cutter has its own PC associated with it that you can use in the lab. Corel Draw can open other common graphics files like those created in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Compatible file types:

DXF, DWG, EPS, PS, PRN, PDF, SVG/Z, CPT, PNG, JPG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, RAW, ARW, CR2, CRW, DCR, DNG, KDC, MOS, MRW, NEF, ORF, PEF, RAF, SR2, RW2, SRF, SRW, THM, CDR Legacy, AI, CMX, CDT, PAT, CLK, CGM, CGZ, CPX, CSL, DES, DSF, DRW, DST, MGX, EMF (Enhanced Windows Metafile), FH (Free hand), FMV (Frame Vector Metafile), GEM, HTM, MET, NAP, PIC, PCT, PLT, PPT, PUB, SHW, VSD, WMF, WPG, RTF, CAL, CUR, DOCX, EXE, ICO, IMG, JP2, MAC, PCX, PP4, PSD, RIFF, SCT, TGA, TXT, WB, WQ, WK, WP4 (4.2), WP5 (5.0), WP5 (5.1), WPD (6-11), WSD (2000), (WSD (7.0), XCF, XPM, XLS, PFB, DOC, SWF, TTF

Inkscape is also available.