Note: You must be trained to use it before handling it alone.
Please contact James Pittman to set up training on it.

Training Slides

• Effective cutting space is 24“x12.5”, or 18“x19.5”, depending on how you orient things.
• The laser is capable of cutting up to 1/4“ thickness.
• The unit is controlled by an RDLC320G made by Ruida Technology
• The software has gone by many names: RDCAM, LaserWorks, and RDWorks. The latest version is here.
• Machine home is typically upper lefthand corner.

Cutting

• Wood
• Fabric/Cloth
• Leather
• Acrylic
• Paper
• Chipboard
• Cardboard
• Rubber
• Solid Wood
• Plywood

Etching

• Wood
• Acrylic
• Glass
• Tile
• Leather
• Coated Metals
• Ceramics
• Stone
• Chipboard
• Cardboard
• Plywood
• Solid Wood
• Rubber

CUTTING & ETCHING

• Polycarbonate (Lexan)
• PVC
• Vinyl
• Fiberglass
• Printed Circuit boards
• Carbon fiber
• high-density polyethylene
• Nylon
• Treated Lumber
• Polyester
• Depron Foam
• Polyproylene
• Teflon
• ABS
• Metal(with the exception of coated metals, i.e. anodized aluminum or using Thermark)

Etching Only

• Glass
• Stone
• Ceramics

Laserworks RDCam only likes certain file types.Try:

• .dxf
• If using Adobe Illustrator, save as “Illustrator 8” and the file will direct import.

Here are suggested settings for different materials:

• Cutting power should never be set above 80.

1. Remove dust cover
2. Conduit Fan - ON
3. Water pump - Submerged
4. Water level - To Line (Distilled water only!)
5. Control Switch - ON
6. Water Pump - ON
7. Air Pump - ON
8. Focus - Calibrate with Orange Plate using Z-axis knob
9. Set Start Position with arrows
10. Press Origin to set 0 point
11. Laser - ON (but turn off for test runs)
12. Track all times and pay at $10/hr

1. Did you record your times?
2. Laser - OFF
3. Control Switch - OFF
4. Clean out interior
5. Conduit Fan - OFF
6. Replace Dust Cover

• The harder the wood, the more power/less speed it will take to cut.
• Plywood takes more power/less speed than solid wood of the same thickness.
• The kerf of the laser is often around .5mm. Keep this in mind if cutting pieces that are designed to fit together. (Kerf is the amount of material that is removed by the cutting element. With saws, it is the thickness of the saw blade.)
• The kerf will also be variable from the top to the bottom of the laser-cut piece, being wider on the top and thinner near the bottom. The variation will be more pronounced in thicker materials.