Area 49

Epilog Zing Laser Cutter, 50 watt

​Cut Bed:

• X axis: 24 inches
• Y axis: 12 inches

Location: Makerspace

Use Options: Training only

Cost: Free to use, but select materials are available for purchase, or you may provide your own.

The laser cutter uses a laser to cut and engrave all kinds of materials. This page shows how to prepare a file for cutting and engraving and how to use the laser cutter. Check out our Workshops & Events page for dates and times and to register.

Users may set their own jobs on the laser cutter after completing a training and signing the Laser Cutter Safety Agreement, but must schedule them ahead of time at groupstudy.charlotte.edu. Any unscheduled jobs may be stopped and removed from the machine if someone else has scheduled that time. If the user does not check in within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time, the scheduled job will be automatically removed from the calendar. 

• This machine uses a laser that can severely burn or blind anyone in its way. A reflection of the laser using a mirror is just as dangerous as the laser line in the machine. Do not look directly into the red dot pointer.
• When the laser moves slower through an item, there is a higher likelihood of the item catching on fire. Before using the machine, locate the fire extinguisher and safety tools. 
• Never run the laser cutter without an object in the cutting bed, as it can harm the machine.
• Never cut or engrave any flammable materials or any materials that will give off toxic materials, such as PVC or vinyl.
• Remain with the machine while it is in operation.
• Remove the job in a timely manner once it is complete.
• Limit jobs to those that are for non-commercial purposes only.
• Comply with all tutorial and operations instructions given by Makerspace staff.

Preparing the File

1. Open Adobe Illustrator and set the dimensions of the artboard using the dimensions of the physical piece you are placing in the laser cutter.

2. Design the piece the way you plan for it to look on the material.

   • To insert an already-developed item

     • File > Place, Then click and drag to place the item.
       OR

     • File > Open> select item > copy + paste on artboard.

   •  Make an object hollow for cutting

     • Select object > Image Trace > Expand > select Direct Selection arrow tool> click image > change inside color to transparent and outline color to black. This should look like an outline of your image.
       OR

     1. Select the object with the direct selection tool > Click the swap arrow near the color selector (image 1).

     2. 

     3. Make sure the fill color is transparent and the stroke color is black.

   • Photo engraving

     • File > Open, select item > copy + paste it on artboard > Edit > Edit Colors > Convert to Grayscale (whether it already looks like grayscale or not)

   • Vector/Cutting

     • Make sure the stroke color is black.

     • Change stroke value to.001 in or .072 pt for any lines that will be cut. The line will now appear lighter. 

     • Ensure that the Opacity value is set to 100%.

   • Raster/Engraving

     • Use only grayscale (black, gray, white)

     • Lighter in image = shallower engraving

     • Darker in image = deeper engravings

3. Prepare cutting settings: File > Print > Choose printer > Epilog Zing > Setup > Choose printer Epilog Zing again > More Settings .

   • Never check "Let the app change my printing preference" box.

   • If you can't see the print preview in the first gray printing box after you select the Epilog Zing as the printer, click "Done," then select File > Print again. The preview should show up.

4. In the Laser Dashboard (blue Epilog settings box), choose the correct settings based on the Laser Dashboard Guide.

   • If your material is uniquely shaped, check the box for Center Engraving.

   • In the Illustrator dialog box, ensure that "Auto Rotate" is not checked.

5. OK > Print. It will not send to the machine yet.

6. Print preview should appear correct with with Document and Media sizes showing the correct length and width (both should be the same). If it doesn't look right, click "Done," then go back into More Settings..Check that all setting are still correct in the Laser Dashboard. Click OK. 

7. To send job to the laser cutter, click Print on main print screen.
    

Machine Operation

1. Turn on the laser cutter. The machine will beep once it is ready for use.

2. Click Print on the computer. It is now sent to the machine. If the job doesn't show up on the machine, turn the machine off and on, then send the print job again.

   1. If an error box comes up saying that the job could not be sent to the printer, go to your Layers tab in Illustrator and click the lines for more options. Select either "Merge Selected" or "Flatten Artwork."

3. Set the focus: Press the Focus button, place the material below the silver laser beam arm, flip the arm down onto the material. Raise or lower the laser bed until the arm just touches the material. Press Reset and place material in the upper left-hand corner of the machine.

4. Set home position:

   1. If material is rectangular:

      1. Place material at the top left of the bed.

      2. Press X/Y off

      3. Press "Pointer" (turns on red pointer light)

      4. Manually move the pointer to the top left corner of your material.

      5. Press "Go" to lock in this location. This will not signal the machine to start.

   2. If your material is uniquely shaped and does not fit perfectly in the corner:

      1. Place the material in your desired location

      2. Press x/y off

      3. Press "Pointer" (turns on red pointer light)

      4. Manually move it to the center of your material or to the center of your desired location.

      5. Press Go to lock in this location. By pressing Go at this time will not signal the machine to start.

      6. (Note: Center engraving requires you to choose "Center Engraving" in the blue dialog box on the computer.)

5. Close the door.

6. Turn on the Filtration unit. The normal blower speed is 80%.

   1.  Materials such as leather, acrylic, and other smelly materials can be set to a higher speed.

   2. For cardboard, the blower should be set to no higher than 80%, as the flame can easily be pulled across the cardboard, causing it to burn. If this happens (especially with slower laser cutting speeds or more detailed cuts), move the cardboard lower on the cutting bed away from the blowers and begin your project there by choosing center engraving or moving the top left start point to the new start location.

7. The laser cutter should display your file name. Press Go.

8. Remove your materials after all movement has stopped. Close the door. Turn off both the filtration unit and the laser cutter. Turning off the machine will delete the job from the machine’s memory.
    

Using the Vector Grid

• If the vector grid is not in the laser cutter and aligned with the vent holes, please ask a Makerspace Monitor to insert the grid and check that it is properly lined up.

• The vector grid should be as free as possible of small debris before use. Please check for debris inside the vector grid before use. If debris is present, remove the vector grid, turn it upside down over a trash can to dump out debris, and ask a Makerspace Monitor for assistance with replacing and aligning the grid into the machine.

• Follow all other instructions for the laser cutter as normal including settings for the vector and raster.

• Piece Size: Measurements of the materials
• Job Type: Raster = engraving, Vector = cutting, and Combined = both
• Resolution, Frequency, Speed, Power: Refer to Suggested Material Settings.
• DPI: A larger DPI will result in a longer job time, but your engraving will be more detailed. DPI is the amount of strokes per inch, therefore, 400 DPI is 400 strokes per inch. It is important to remember that higher DPI settings will result in a darker image, so you may need to adjust the power accordingly.
• Vector Sorting: Determines which items on the canvas will print first.
• Center Engraving: Used only when you have an odd shaped item that cannot fit perfectly in the upper left corner of the machine.
• Send to Laser: Ensure it’s checked. Sends it to machine, but doesn’t start the job.
• Send to Manager: Ensure it’s checked. Sends it to Job manager.
• Save the setting if you plan to use the same materials more than once.
• Color Mapping
  • Change the color scale to RBG. Will tell the machine the exact depth you want based on the color.

• Go: Starts or resumes job
• Stop: Pauses the job
• Reset: Stops the job and sends carriage back to home position.
• Focus: Allows user to raise or lower bed using up and down arrows.
• Job: Displays name of last jobs in memory. Use arrows to scroll through the list.
• Pointer: Toggle switch for the Red Dot Pointer for gauging the start position. Does not fire laser.
• X/Y Off: Disables X and Y motors to move the carriage by hand.
• Do not adjust speed, power, or configuration. All settings are adjusted on the Laser Dashboard on the computer.

• Every type of material will react differently with the laser, even from one plastic to the next. Settings do not always have to be exact. While engraving acrylic at 35% speed and 75% speed will give you a very different result, the difference between 35% and 39% will be much more subtle and relies more on personal preferences.
• Test your material. If you have a small area of the material you won’t be using, or an extra of the item, take advantage of this area to test out your settings by engraving a small square or cutting a small circle. You can fine tune your settings in these areas. You can also run only a part of a file, such as text, to ensure correct settings.
• Similar materials use similar settings. For example, most anodized aluminums will react well with similar settings, as will most plastics.
• When in doubt, start low: You can always re-run your job as long as you don’t move it in the machine.
• Fabric: When engraving fabric, try changing the graphic to 80% gray and use the Jarvis dithering pattern for the best results. Every fabric you are cutting will need to have adjusted settings - find a small swatch of the fabric you can test first.

* These settings are recommended by the manufacturer but have not been tested on our machine. You may need to adjust Speed, Power, Frequency, or DPI for your project. Whenever possible, test setting on a scrap or section of your material that will not be used for your main project. 

Special Setting

Foldable Laser Cut Cardboard

• In Adobe Illustrator, change the stroke value to .001 in or .072 pt for all lines in your design.

• In the Laser Dashboard (blue Epilog settings box) use the following settings:
  Set to vector mode only. Set Frequency to 500, Power % to 30, and Speed % to 50

Engraving on Jeans

• In Adobe Illustrator go to File > Open, select your item and copy and paste it onto the artboard. Select item and go to Edit > Edit Color > Convert to Grayscale.
• In the Laser Dashboard (blue Epilog settings box) use the following settings:
  Set to raster mode only. Set DPI to 300, Power % to 25, Speed % to 90

• If the laser says that a cut job is complete as soon as the job is started, ensure that the Opacity value is set to 100%. (Opacity is located under Stroke.)
• If a file that contains engraving and cutting stops after engraving and does not cut, try sending the file through again as vector-only.
• If the job does not show up in the print preview window, try:
  • Changing the selected printer. There may be more than one Epilog laser cutter available from the printers list.
  • Changing the Color Management Settings to one that will allow you to view the vile in the pane.
• If the job name does not show up on the laser cutter, turn the laser cutter off, then turn it back on again and re-send your file once it has fully turned on again.