From the course: Laser Cutting: Design for Fabrication
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Laser safety
- [Instructor] Laser cutting, if done correctly, can be a safe and fun way to make that thing, but like most industrial equipment it has some hazards. These hazards include toxic fumes, eye damage, and fire. My biggest concern is fire safety as the only fire that should be in the machine is the laser you've programmed to cut. Excess debris below the bed plate can catch on fire, so I highly recommend keeping an up to date fire extinguisher handy. Even materials that are well suited to laser cutting safely can catch fire within standard operating procedure. Make sure you aren't using a high power setting if not required for your material. Prevention of fire comes down to regular machine maintenance, cleaning, and choosing the right type of material. Laser cutting removes material by vaporizing parts of the workpiece, burning solid into gas. Some of these gases are more toxic than others, but all of them can cause irritation. My general rule of thumb is that I shouldn't smell any kind of…
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