The Adventure Begins…
October 24, 2011For years I’ve been dreaming of having an industrial laser cutter. I would get envious of everyone that I came across that had one. Wasn’t sure what I would do with one if I had it, but having something that cuts with photons is just so irresistible to a geek like me. I’m one of those people that is constantly dreaming of cool things to build, only to be stopped by the thought of lacking the necessary tools or budget to make it happen. That little voice in the back of my head kept saying “If only I had a laser cutter…”
All that is about to change (hopefully). This blog is an attempt to document my challenges, successes (and I’m sure some failures), as I go through the process of refurbishing an old beat-up industrial laser.
Ouch my eye! 
I’m glad this is working out! It is encouraging to see it have a complete renewal. Call us if you want to check about operation, we got to know the machine well over several years. I purchased it originally from an out-of-business sign maker in Arizona, located just a short distance from the ULS factory. The laser cartridge was purchased refurbished from ULS and was rated at 30W. The The acrylic we were cutting caught fire and created intense heat, melting the tempered glass lid and putting us past a reasonable budget for repair.
PB
First let me say thanks for the laser! I’m going to do my best to do the machine justice in restoring it.
I can’t believe that was tempered glass! I had just assumed the window was acrylic [or some other plastic] by how it formed over everything. It also had a plastic like feel while I was breaking it off. I knew the fire was really hot by the warping of the metal. In hindsight, I should have guessed it wasn’t acrylic, as it would have burnt and not just melted in that fire.
Thanks again, and thanks for a bit of history on the unit. I’ll be sure to invite you over to see it once it’s back up and running.
You are very welcome! I noticed your speculation about the laser cartridge- we purchased that just before the fire in 2009; the machine was actively used up until that point. We were very lucky with the fire- we put it out within a couple of minutes, and had housed the unit in a fireproof room in any case. But it emphasizes just how important safety is with the gear… By the way, we have a couple of old lenses that are damaged from burns during cutting (not in the fire, just regular production)- these still have some limited function in them and might help testing when you don’t want to risk using a new lense. Stop in if they sound useful ok?
Absolutely… thank you very much. At the very least it’ll help me work out the mechanics for the air assist while I wait for the new replacements from ULS. The rep I’ve been talking to has been very slow in getting back to me. And yes, these machines need to be constantly monitored while in use due to the risk of fire. I’m considering adding some form of fire suppression system into the chassis, so if a fire did break out, all I need to do is hit a button to put it out.