Laser Operation Class
Instructors
The following people have been designated by our laser cutting SME as having appropriate knowledge about the safe operation of our laser cutter to provide training to others.
- Jondale Stratton
- Andy Lautner
- Brian Manifold
- Doug Laney
- Issac Merkle
Description
In order to use the laser cutter, you must first take the Laser Operation Class from one of the Knox Maker's member that have been designated as an instructor to teach the course. The course takes an hour, and has a lab material fee. Once you have taken the course, you can schedule time on and operate the laser cutter.
You will learn:
- How to safely operate the Laser Cutter hardware.
- Installation, design, and exporting gcode using Inkscape and the KMLaser bundle.
- Importing your gcode to the Laser Cutter.
- Controlling the laser with LinuxCNC.
- How to raster engrave images.
- Recommended settings to cut and engrave various materials.
- Materials that are safe and not safe for laser cutting.
Cost
$10 per student.
Duration
One day, one hour course
Class Size
Number of students depends on classroom space, possibly 10-20 students.
Prerequisites
Basic electronic theory will be helpful, although there will be a review.
Further Information
See the Laser Cutter Materials page for general information.
The basic class provides an overview of the machine itself, what materials you can and can't use, and basics of operation.
You will be provided 3 6x6" (roughly) pieces of material: poster paper, plywood, and acrylic. The poster paper and acrylic are utilized in two exercises during class time, and the wood is left for you to experiment with on your own.