Laser Left in Operation Unattended`

Laser
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I’m at the Space right now, and I just walked back to the back door, where I observed the laser cutter in operation without anyone near it. I looked around, saw no one, so I shut it off. I apologize if that makes anyone angry, but our instructions are clear.

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Thanks Richard (@Opcode)!

You definitely did the right thing!

If anyone gives you a hard time about it, ask them to bring it up to @william_petefish, me and/or the Board of Directors ([email protected]).

Thanks again!

Lisa

Tagging Board Members:
@AndrewLeCody
@Robert_Davidson
@BenjaminGroves
@Kentamanos
@AlexRhodes

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Well Done! That’s exactly what needed to be done.

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Yep, time for a pressure sensitive mat in front of the lasers. And if you use a weight to keep the laser on you are booted out of DMS. Thanks @Opcode, you certainly did the right thing in shutting it down.

I suspect that a lot of arcing issues with the laser is due to smoke build up from two things. Forgetting the fan exhaust or small fires not noticed while unattended. HV and sooty particulate don’t make great friends.

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We are working on getting the mat post haste.

The fire marshal had a word or two to say about that too. Needless to say,
both lasers will probably have to have one.

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I spoke with the member after he returned. He said he had to use the bathroom.

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Question about the pressure mat. Is it important to be right in front of the laser while in operation? I thought that the purpose is to prevent the risk of fire. I often like to work on the design files while the laser is in operation. Yet if there is a pressure mat that won’t be possible. How close do you need to be to the laser?

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Nature breaks are understandable, but you have to have someone there monitoring it for you. A laser fire starts in an instant, and can be out of control in less than 30 seconds depending on the materials. I’ve witnessed it first hand, and know how wrong things can go.

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You need to be able to see the cut as it’s happening, and actively attentive. As @Andrew_Falgout pointed out, just 30 seconds is enough of a lapse to cause an issue, so unless you’re actively checking the laser every 20 seconds, I wouldn’t recommend doing that.