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It is important to consider laser cutter safety when installing a machine in your home, business, school or makerspace. Here at Thunder Laser Canada we operate our headquarters out of Fuse 33 makerspace. At this shared workshop space with tools and equipment members pay a monthly fee to access the space. We have members of all skill and experience levels who use the shared workspace. This makes laser cutter safety extremely important.
We never planned on becoming laser sales reps- it happened by accident. Fuse33 Makerspace director Shannon Hoover (a self proclaimed laser nerd) had used many popular brands of lasers over the years. During this time Shannon found that Thunder Laser machines were the safest, most reliable to easiest to train makerspace members who were new to making.
Thunder Laser machines are equipped with a fire AND smoke sensor that sounds an audible and visual alarm if a fire starts in the machine.
Tempered Glass on the lid of the machine contains the fire and protects from spread
The Emergency Stop Button is a centrally located large button on the front of the machine can be pressed at any time to stop a job in action and automatically power down the machine.
CO2 laser cutting machines generate intense heat and can ignite combustible materials during the cutting process. Traditional ABC fire extinguishers may not be effective and can even be dangerous in such situations.
A CO2 laser cutter fire extinguisher is designed specifically to handle fires involving electrical and flammable liquid fires. A CO2 fire extinguisher is non-conductive, making it safe to use on electrical fires. Additionally, a CO2 leaves no residue, which is crucial for preventing damage to the laser cutter’s components. It is also effective at suppressing fires fueled by flammable liquids and materials, commonly used in laser cutting processes.
When selecting a CO2 fire extinguisher ensure that it is the appropriate size and rating for your machine. It’s also important to regularly inspect and maintain the fire extinguisher. Additionally, make sure that all operators are trained in the proper use of the extinguisher and are familiar with safety procedures.
A Halotron fire extinguisher can be useful if a fire involves electrical components or if there’s a risk of damaging sensitive electronic equipment near the laser cutter. However, it may not be the most effective choice for suppressing fires involving flammable materials or combustibles ignited during the laser cutting process itself.
For fires specifically related to a CO2 laser cutter, a CO2 fire extinguisher is generally recommended.
It may be handy to have both a C02 and Halotron fire extinguisher on hand.
There are several options for ventilating your machine
Our laser machines includes an exhaust fan so you can easily ventilate to outside or to an indoor air filter.
No window? No problem. Our Filtrabox Fume extractors can completely remove fumes from your workshop, office or classroom!
Water Protection Switch: This switch will shut off the machine if the water used to cool the tube stops flowing.
Ground Wiring: Our machines comes with ground wiring which protects the user from electrocution in the case of a malfunction. There are multiple grounding points on our machines.
Water protections switch labelled under “Alarm Outlet’
Grounding wire (green)
The tempered safety glass of your machine is effective at blocking the wavelength of the laser machine (10,600 um). So, as long as all lid of the machine is shut, you will be safe.
However, if the pass through door or other panels such as the pass through are held open for maintenance or adjustment purposes, additional protection may be required. Users should always be cautious of the materials they are using in these instances to lessen the chance of beams reflecting of the surface of the material and possibly causing bodily harm
There are specially crafted laser glasses, that have lenses that filter specific wavelengths of light.The glasses we tested are for the 10,600 um range of the laser. These glasses also have a high rating for Optical Density (OD). This refers to how well the safety glasses will block the light transmitted from a particular wavelength.
Thunder Laser recommends purchasing safety glasses with a rating of at least OD6 that can block wavelengths of 10,600um. Another thing to consider is the CO2 reactions where the laser meets the material. This is not safe to stare at for extended periods of time because the visible light can overwhelm the iris, leading to temporary blindness or eye fatigue. Long term exposure to UV and infrared light has also been known to produce cataracts in the eyes
If at any time during use the lid of a Thunder Machine is opened, the auto shut off feature will turn off the cutting or engraving beam immediately; you’ll hear an audible alarm and light will turn red. This features protects the eyes from unintended laser beam exposure. If you’d like to use the pass-through feature on the machine, you can disable the auto shut off in order to leave the front panel open for larger projects.
Laser Safety: Laser beam classification goes from Class I to Class IV. Our lasers are Class I , which are deemed safe even for prolonged viewing, and for the skin and eyes.
CE Approved: Our machines have been approved by import regulators for safe use in Canada passing CE Class 1 certification and FDA Class 2 certification.
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