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cefiar edited this page Aug 13, 2025 · 36 revisions

Laser cutters, 3D printers and associated equipment at the space.

Laser cutter and other CNC

K40 Laser Cutter (40w)

Status: ✅ OPERATIONAL

Caution

DO NOT adjust the laser power (current) knob, as this will shorten the life of the laser tube.

Usage

Important

Make sure the exhaust fan is running when performing any cutting.

The fan does not need to be running very fast. At full speed, it will drag any loose items into the vent (eg: cut parts, small pieces of material, etc).

K40 Whisperer software is installed on the PC next to the laser cutter.

Usually recommended to raise the height of the material off the bed by 1-3mm (optimal focus point), depending on material thickness.

Bed geometry

Max material size is 359mm x 227mm. Max cut size is 316mm x 216mm. x=0 is 26mm from left, y=0 is 2-3mm outside the material area.

Material

Recommended to use Laser Ply or Acrylic

For cutting, max material thickness is 4mm. Will require multiple passes.

Notes

When using SVG:

  • Make sure you reduce the canvas size of your SVG file to match the object size.
  • Make note of the DPI you are using, as it most likely will be required on import.

When using DXF:

  • Make sure your DXF file is ONLY the geometry of the part (no dimensions, etc).
  • Software cuts outside edges first, which can lead to the part dropping out of the material and losing registration for inside cuts.
    • Better here to use or convert the file to SVG. Make all inside cut lines Blue (Vector Engrave), and all outside cuts Red (Vector Cut). Change the cut speed for Vector Engrave down to match the cut speed of Vector Cut. Do all the Vector Engrave operations first to do all the interior features till they have cut through. You can then do the outside Vector Cut operations to cut the outside of the part(s). This ensures the material does not move and does not require loading multiple documents (and possibly needing to manually align them).

Resources

3D Printers

Creality CR-10S Pro V2

Status
✅ OPERATIONAL
Nozzle
0.4mm
Print volume
300x300x400mm
Cura profile
Creality CR-10S Pro

Intermediate (Recommended)

  • Under Support (when enabled) change the default Support Overhang Angle to 46°. This will stop Cura generating supports for 45 degree fillets and edges. The printer should be able to do 50° overhangs with 0.2mm layer heights, if not larger (actual value depends on layer height to layer width ratio).
  • Under Build Plate Adhesion, if using Skirt, change Skirt Height to 1.
    • The skirt prints first 10mm (adjustable) beyond the edge of the print. This will allow you to see if the plastic is adhering to the bed properly before the first layer of your object(s) start printing.

(Advanced)

G28 ;Home
G29 ;Auto bed Level
M500 ; save mesh to eeprom
M420 S1 ;Save and use mesh

Resources

Voxelabs Aquilla X2

Important

Printer uses a modified Cura Ender 3 V2 profile with reduced bed size and changed start/end G-code

Status
✅ OPERATIONAL
Nozzle
0.4mm
Filament
1.75mm PLA
Print volume
225x225x250mm
Cura profile
Use "Creality Ender-3/Ender-3 v2" as a base, edit as below, then rename as "MHV Aquila X2"

Profile changes

X (Width): 225 mm

Y (Depth): 225 mm

Start G-Code

; MHV Aquila X2 Custom Start G-code
G90 ; Absolute positioning
G28 ; Home
G29 ; Auto bed Level
M500 ; Save mesh to eeprom
M420 S1 ; Save and use mesh
G92 E0 ; Reset Extruder
G1 Z4.0 F3000 ; Move Z up 4mm
G1 E0.4 ; Prime the extruder
G92 E0 ; Reset Extruder
G1 X1.1 Y20 X0.28 F5000 ; Move to first prime line start
G1 X1.1 Y80 Z0.28 F1500 E10 ; Draw first prime line
G1 X1.4 Y80 Z0.28 F5000 E10 ; Move to second prime line
G1 X1.4 Y20 Z0.28 F1500 E10 ; Draw second prime line
G92 E0 ; Reset extruder
G1 Z2.0 F3000 ; Move Z up 2mm
G1 X5 Y20 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move over to prevent blob squish

Stop G-Code

; MHV Aquila X2 Custom End G-Code
G91 ; Relative positioning
G1 E-2 F2700 ; Retract 2mm
G1 E-2 Z0.2 F1600 ; Retract 2mm and move Z up 0.2mm
G1 X5 Y5 F3000 ; Wipe out
G1 Z10 ; Raise Z up 10mm
G90 ; Absolute positioning
G1 X0 Y{machine_depth} ; Present bed forwards
M106 S0 ; Fan off
M104 S0 ; Hotend off
M140 S0 ; Bed off
M84 X Y E ; Disable all steppers but Z

Advanced settings

General settings:

  • Add Machine Prefix to job name: Unticked

Changes for "Standard Quality" settings:

Walls:

  • Wall Thickness: 1.2mm
  • Wall Ordering: Outside to Inside
  • Z Seam Alignment: Sharpest Corner

Top/Bottom:

  • Top/Bottom Thickness: 1.2mm

Infill:

  • Connect Infill Lines: Ticked

Travel:

  • Retract at Layer Change: Ticked
  • Travel Avoid Distance: 1mm

Support:

  • Support Structure: Tree
  • Support Placement: Touching Buildplate
  • Support Overhang Angle: 48°

Build Plate Adhesion:

  • Build Plate Adhesion Type: Skirt
  • Skirt Height: 1
  • Skirt Distance: 5
  • Skirt/Brim Minimum Length: 200

Materials:

These need to be set per material, after selecting.

  • eSun PLA+:
    • Temp: 218-220°C
    • Retraction: 5mm

No enclosure. Marlin v2.1.3-b3 firmware. Magnetic build plate. Bed springs replaced by rubber mounts. 3DTouch bed leveling sensor.
Cura on the PC next to the laser cutter has been set up with a suitable profile (TBC).

Upgrade Notes

  • Upgraded to Marlin v2.1.3-b3 with Marlin UI on the display.
  • Enabled support for M600 filament changing during prints.

Resources

  • Manual - At Voxelabs (broken link)

Cocoon Create ModelMaker

Status: ✅ OPERATIONAL

Nozzle: 0.4mm. Filament: 1.75mm PLA. Print volume of 120 x 135 x 100mm. No enclosure. No heated bed. Magnetic build plate.
Cura on the PC next to the laser cutter has been set up with a suitable profile.

Resources

Lulzbot Taz 5

Status: ❌ NOT OPERATIONAL

Resources

Currently not operational (needs tuning and a general service, plus construction of an enclosure).
Nozzle: 0.5mm. Filament: 3mm PLA/ABS. Print volume of 298 x 275 x 250mm. No enclosure (currently). PEI build plate.
Cura on the PC next to the laser cutter has been set up with a suitable profile.

Cocoon Create 3D Pen

Nozzle: 0.7mm. Filament: 1.75mm PLA/ABS. Hand-held operation.

Resources

Sunbeam VAC440 FoodSaver Vacuum packaging system

Used for sealing filament up with desiccant after drying so it stays dry. 28mm and 22mm wide plastic continuous pouch material available.

Resources

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