FIRE SAFETY AND YOUR LASER ENGRAVER

Your laser engraver produces a high intensity beam of light that can create high temperature flare ups on certain types of material. Some materials are extremely flammable and produce a lot of smoke and/or debris. This is a guide of DO's and DON'Ts for Fire Safety and Your Laser Engraver.

DO's and DON'Ts

DON'T operate your engraver unattended, especially with flammable materials.

DO keep the engraving table and optics clean and properly maintained. For instructions on cleaning your engraver's optics, see Technical Tip #005, "Cleaning Your Laser Optics."

DON'T engrave on PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). The fumes produced are TOXIC and hazardous to your health.

DO keep a fire extinguisher nearby. A Halotron I or Halotron II is recommended because they are discharged using a rapidly evaporating liquid or gas that leaves no residue, therefore minimizing or eliminating potential damage to mechanical or electronic components.

DO use an Air Assist function if installed when vector cutting or engraving materials that produce a high volume of debris. This will help extinguish any flames. If the Air Assist integrated air compressor is not installed, contact your local sales representative for details.

DON'T attempt to operate your engraver with the top cover open by bypassing the safety interlock mechanism. Any damage that occurs by attempting to override the safety mechanism will void your engraver's warranty.

DO keep the area around your engraver clear of any combustible materials, explosive or volatile substances and chemicals.

DO keep the area under tyour HoneyComb Cutting Table clear of debris. These small pieces of material have the potential to ignite when engraving or vector cutting other flammable materials. Historically, wood and acrylic can melt or leave burning embers that can create a fire hazard.

DON'T inhale fumes produced when engraving or cutting any material, this can be hazardous to your health. When the engraving is complete, leave the top cover closed for 10-30 seconds to allow the machine to evacuate the fumes before removing your items. There is a function in the driver to program the exhaust control on for set time after the job is finished.

DO use a Gravograph certified exhaust system. Gravograph internal exhaust systems utilize a 3 stage filtering process that removes more that 99% of harmful substances and odor. For information regarding when to change your exhaust filters, see Technical Tip #007, "Knowing When To Replace Your Exhaust Filters."

For any additional information regarding laser safety, contact Gravograph Technical Support at: 1.800.843.7637 option 4. To download this Technical Tip, click here.