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 (see Suggested Settings for approved materials list).

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. Complete our online training course to get authorized!

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 on Atkins Reservations. 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 fumes or gasses, 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.
• Only materials that are on the approved materials list can be used with the laser cutter.

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.

   The artboard is the "canvas" that you are working with in Illustrator. It represents the surface of your material in this case. You can change the size and configuration of your artboard when making a new project by changing the indicated settings.

   
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.

View the Instructions for vector cutting and raster engraving.

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 focus arm, flip the arm down onto the material. Raise or lower the laser bed using the up and down arrow keys until the arm just touches the material. Press Go.
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)

         This laser pointer also serves as a reference for where the laser will fire while the job runs. If you have a project where you want to check exactly where the laser will cut or engrave (i.e. projects where registration is important, projects where you are unsure if you placed your material correctly, etc.) You can run the laser with the pointer turned on and the lid open. The laser will follow the paths that your job has specified, but it won't fire with the lid open, which allows you to preview how your project will be cut.

      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)

         This laser pointer also serves as a reference for where the laser will fire while the job runs. If you have a project where you want to check exactly where the laser will cut or engrave (i.e. projects where registration is important, projects where you are unsure if you placed your material correctly, etc.) You can run the laser with the pointer turned on and the lid open. The laser will follow the paths that your job has specified, but it won't fire with the lid open, which allows you to preview how your project will be cut.

      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. If you are cutting all the way through your material, always be sure that the vector grid is in place. Do not cut all the way through materials without the vector grid.
8. The laser cutter should display your file name. Press Go.
9. 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.
   1. If using the vector grid, ensure that any debris are removed from the inside.
       

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.

• 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.

What is color mapping?

Setting Up Your File

1. In illustrator, make sure your file is in RGB color mode.

   To do this, look at the top of the screen at the tab that lists your file’s name. In parenthesis you will see the document’s colormode.

   1. If it lists RGB, continue.
   2. If it lists another color mode like CMYK or Grayscale, go to File>Document Color Mode>RGB

    

2. Select the objects that you want to use separate settings for by clicking on them with the select tool while holding the shift key. 
3. In the color window, click on the options icon, then select RGB from the list of options. Click show options in the menu as well. (image5)
4. You should see three sliders titled with R, G, and B. These stand for red, green, and blue. (image6)
5. With your objects still selected, slide the R slider all the way to the right. The value at the left should read 255. Then slide the G and B sliders all the way to the left so they show 0. This will make your selected objects turn red. (image7)
6. You can do this with any other objects that you want to have separate settings. For any additional objects that you would like different settings with, use the sliders to change their color to either green or blue.

   Setting the G slider at 255 and the other two at 0 will give you green lines, and setting the B slider at 255 and the other two at 0 will give you blue lines. The objects you keep black will be cut last.

   It is possible to use other colors than red, green, blue, and black, but it is very unlikely that you will have to use more than that.

7. Ensure that you are coloring the stroke (outline) of the objects, not the fill.

   If your color changes show up as the fill, click the arrow next to the color boxes on the left of the screen. This will swap the fill color and stroke color.

8. Make sure the fill color is transparent by clicking on the solid color box on the left side of the screen and then selecting the small, white box with a red line through it.
9. When you’re ready to start your job, follow the steps above to set up the laser and ventilation, then go to File>Print>Setup>Preferences.
10. In the initial screen, set up the settings you want to use with your black objects using the instructions on the libguide.
11. Click the color mapping tab. 
12. Click the checkbox in the upper left corner to enable color mapping.
13. On the right side, there is a panel that lists several different colors and their settings. Select the first color, then click the minus sign. Do this for all colors in the list. (image1)
14. At the top of the left panel, you will see a set of RGB sliders much like the one you used in illustrator. Use the RGB sliders to choose the first color you want the laser to cut/engrave. 
15. Use the Suggested Material Settings to determine what settings you want the laser to use and input those using the fields/sliders below the color picker.

    Note: The frequency slider does not let you type in your desired number, so you will need to manually select it by using the slider.

16. Do not change the focus value.
17. Select whether this color uses raster engraving, vector cutting/engraving, or both.
18. When you are done inputting the settings for that color, click the plus sign.

19. Repeat steps 12-15 for any additional colors in your file, using the order that you want them to cut in. You do not need to add black as a color because you have already set those values in the general tab.
20. When you’re ready, click OK, then Print, then Print again (on the Illustrator dialog) to send your job to the laser cutter.

• 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.