Lasers

Lasers: Exciting!

Also, dangerous.

Only safety-conscious adults with proper safeguards should operate lasers of any kind.

CO₂ Lasers

Hyrel offers a 40w CO₂ laser on some of our Hydra models.

We recommend at least 500 cfm (850 m³/h) of exhaust while lasering.

Hyrel Specific

Settings

Your acutal laser controller, on the Aux Heads tab, should be set to "Laser_40".
Your safety/mirror/lens controller, on the Heads 1-5 tab, should be set to "CO2_Laser"

Videos

• CO2 Laser Alignment
• CO2 Laser Marking with the Hydra
• Converting a Hydra from Printer to Laser
• Cutting Nylon Mesh with CO2 Laser on a Hydra
• Cutting Acrylic with the CO2 Laser on a Hydrda
• Changing the Address Resistor on the Hydra CO2 Laser
• Hyrel Hydra CO2 Laser Alignment
• Flashing Firmware on the Modified CO2 Laser Controller
• Draining Laser Coolant on the Hyrel Hydra
• DXF to Laser Gcode Generation

Laser Alignment

Hyrel CO2 Laser Alignment Video.

Below are great videos about laser alignment in very similar setups:

1. RDWorks
2. ThunderLaser
3. BossLaser
4. MakeTech

Informational Videos

Below are links to some VERY helpful videos from a gentleman named Russ, who purchased a laser engraver very similar to ours. In these videos, he shares his experiences, advice, and safety tips. While some of what Russ explains does not apply to using lasers on Hyrel equipment, much of it does. Please watch all these videos, even if you don't feel you need the information. Safety first!

1. Introduction to Laser Cutting
2. Laser Theory and Safety Issues
3. Software (n/a for Hyrel users)
4. Initial Setup and Powerup
5. Test Prints
6. Focal Distance and Power Analysis
7. Modifications and Recommendations from a Year of Use

Diode Lasers

While less powerful than CO₂ lasers, diode lasers are still dangerous, and the same safety precautions apply.

Diode Laser Properties

Property	LA5-808	LA6-450
Watts	~5	~6
Wavelength	808	450
Columnated	FAC	No
Focused	Yes	Yes
Dot Size	200-800 µm	200-500 µm
Pulsable	to 2 kHz	to 2 kHz

Hyrel offers diode lasers in several configurations:

• The LA6-450, a 6 watt, 450 nanometer laser. LA6-450 Intro Video
• The LA5-808, a 5 watt, 808 nanometer laser. LA5-808 Intro Video
• The LA3-450, a 3 watt, 450 nanometer laser.

More videos about the diode lasers:

• Laser Marking on a Cylinder
• LA6-450 and LA5-808 Laser Overview
• DXF to Laser Gcode Generation