ULS VLS 6.60 Laser Cutter

Universal Laser Systems VLS 6.60 Laser Cutter

Description

The Universal Laser Systems VLS 6.60 is a 60 watt laser cutter / engraver capable of cutting a range of wood and plastic materials up to 1/4" (6.3mm) thick

Safety Concerns

The laser cutter is safe when used by properly trained makers following our SOPs and cutting only approved materials. Used improperly, laser cutters present several risks that need to be understood by all makers. The most important safety concerns specific to laser cutter use are Fire, Fumes, and Laser Radiation.

Training

Use of this tool requires the completion of a safety and usage training module. This training may be found on the Sandbox Canvas course in this module. If this link does not work for you, ensure that you are enrolled in the course by going to ter.ps/Learn2Make and clicking on the 'Join this Course' or 'Enroll' button.

Self-training via this wiki, user manuals, or other sources is encouraged but does not substitute for the online training module. Students found using this tool without completing the Canvas training module are subject to disciplinary action which may include termination of Sandbox access.

Trained Managers

The managers that have adopted this tool and can help you with using. Keep in mind these are not the only managers that know how to use this tool, feel free to ask any. Full list of adopted tools can be found here here.

Manager

Tips & Tricks

• Using the ULS Laser Control Panel
• How to markup a file in Adobe Illustrator (or other illustration software) to indicate what to raster engrave, vector engrave, or vector cut
• Tips and tricks for using Adobe Illustrator to prepare graphics for laser cutting
• Manually Focusing
• Using the Rotary Attachment
• Design and cut a finger-jointed laser box.
• Laser Engraving a Photograph How to adjust a photographic image file for best laser engraving.

Helpful YouTube Videos

One important skill needed to master the Laser (and many other makerspace tools) is the ability to create vector graphics While you can get started by downloading files you find online or buying pre-prepared files, at some point you'll want to create something not available online (or modify a file you have) For this understanding a vector drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape is important

There are countless Adobe Illustrator tutorials on YouTube, so many that it can be hard to locate the exact information you need to learn

We've organized a set of these to give you a starting point

YouTube Creators with a series of videos:

Adobe Illustrator for Beginners by Cory George

June Escalada at IllustratorHow

Other YouTube videos:

• Adobe Illustrator for Laser Cutting 101! (& Easy DIY Holiday Ornaments)
• Adobe Illustrator (Basics) for Laser Cutter
  • 00:50 Setup
  • 3:28 Colours for Raster, Etch & Cut
  • 12:12 Laser Cut Example
  • 13:28 Scaling & Moving
  • 23:22 Combining Shapes
  • 31:49 Image Trace
  • 45:43 Changing Points in Images
  • 59:28 Radials & Repeats
  • 1:10:16 Ear Rings
  • 1:23:45 Outro

• Preparing Your Text for Laser Cutting in Illustrator
• Adobe Illustrator — How to Thicken a Font for Laser-Cutting
• How to Join Letters for Laser Cutting Names in Adobe Illustrator
• Name Cut Outs in Illustrator Laser cutting
• Adobe Illustrator: Making a Name with an Offset Path

• Adobe Illustrator — How to Create a Keychain Design Using Offsets & Knockouts
  • This video is a complete walk-through for how to create a custom digital design using Adobe Illustrator. Tools / Techniques Reviewed:
    • Selection Tool (V)
    • Direct Selection Tool (A)
    • Eraser Tool (Shift+E)
    • Group (Cmd/Ctrl+G)
    • Ungroup (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+G)
    • Undo (Cmd/Ctrl+Z)
    • Redo (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z)
    • Ellipse Tool (L)
    • Pencil Tool (N)
    • Arrange (Bring to Front/Send to Back — Cmd+Shift+[ or Cmd+Shift+])
    • Compound Shape (Cmd/Ctrl+8)
    • Pathfinder Unite
    • Pathfinder Minus Front
    • Swap Fill and Stroke (Shift+X)
    • Adding/Expanding Stroke
    • Creating Outlines from Text/Fonts

• Printing to a Universal Laser System using Adobe Illustrator
• Beginner intro to using Adobe Illustrator for laser cutting

Accessories

• Rotary Accessory
• Focus Gauge
• Thickness Gauge

Manuals

A downloaded copy of the VLS manual can be found on our shared drive

Manufacturer's Web Site

ULS VLS 6.60 Platform

Specifications

• Laser Power: 60 Watts
• Laser Material Processing Area (W x H): 32 x 18 in (813 x 457 mm)
• Maximum Part Size (W x H x D): 37 x 23 x 9 in (940 x 584 x 229 mm)
• Rotary Capacity Max Diameter: 8 in (203 mm)
• Motorized Z Axis Lifting Capacity 40 lbs (18 kg)
• Available Focus Lenses
  • 2.0 in (50 mm)
  • HPDFO™ (High Power Density Focusing Optics)
• Laser Platform Interface Panel Five button keypad
• Computer Requirements Requires dedicated PC with Windows® 7/8/10 32/64 bit and one available USB port (2.0 or higher)
• Optics Protection Available with Optional Air Assist
• Cabinet Style Free-Standing
• Overall Dimension (W x H x D) 44 x 39 x 36 in (1118 x 991 x 914 mm)
• Weight 325 lbs (147 kg)
• Power Requirements
  • 110V/10A
  • 220V-240V/5A
• Exhaust Requirements
  • Two 4 in (102 mm) ports
  • 500 CFM @ 6 in static pressure (850 m3/hr at 1.5 kPa)