Unfortunately, the Asylum laser cutter was severely damaged during use on October 7. Public access to the tool and trainings on it have been suspended until further notice. Our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience and disappointment. 

Description:

Our new CO2 laser cutter can cut arbitrary 2D patterns and engrave a wide variety of materials, from paper to plastic to granite. Parts are automatically cut out of any sheet stock smaller than the 3 foot by 4 foot laser cutter bed; the 150 watt cutter, one of the most powerful in its class, makes short work of any intricate design.

This class will train students on how to use the laser cutter safely and effectively, running through using the drawing creation process, laser setup, and operation. There will also be significant time dedicated to showing how to properly maintain the laser cutter.

Funds from the training will be used to offset the cost of moving the laser cutter from its current home and the infrastructure building required for it. Students who take the class will be allowed to use the laser cutter unsupervised with an Artisan's Asylum membership.

Class Goals:

The goal of this class is to fully train and prepare students for using the 150 watt CO2 laser cutter independently. This class is required before any member makes use of the laser cutter for personal projects.

Prerequisites:

None.

Materials:

Test cutting material will be provided, and are covered by training cost. (wood and acrylic)

Instructor Biography:

Joe Schlesinger is an Electrical and Computer Engineer, founder of the MakeIt Labs hackerspace in Nashua NH, and most recently an ARM/DSP Firmware Engineer for industrial power backup systems. Joe is currently working at his company ArcBotics, developing low-cost robotics platforms. He has spent hundreds of hours on the laser cutter, using it extensively for prototype development and manufacturing of his robots.