[hackerspaces] [ SPAM 4.8 ] Re: Laser Cutter Fires?

[Bob Bownes]

+1 to Arclights comments.

I'll add, get the right kind of extinguishers.

Have at least one Class D extinguisher in your welding area,
Shake up dry chemical extinguishers at least once a year lest they compact
and cake up internally
Don't let a water extinguisher near the kitchen or any flammable fluids.

etc, etc

Firefighter Bob



On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 2:47 PM, Arclight <arclight at gmail.com> wrote:

> Regarding fire extinguishers:
>
> 1. I recommend paying a viisit to the nearest shop that services them.
> You will find that the extinguishers sold by "Big Box" stores like
> Home Depot are basically disposable. For about 2X the money, you can
> get a commercial-grade extinguisher that only costs a few dollars to
> have overhauled every year. The yearly servicing is also a requirement
> in many commercial zones, and spending more up-front will save you
> money after a year or two.
>
> 2. Those places often have refurbished ones that are about half price
> of new. Also, once you know what brands they service in your area
> (i.e. Badger, Amerex) you can look out for more at garage sales and
> swap meets. Getting them serviced doesn't cost very much, and pretty
> soon, you'll have one for every major room.
>
> 3. We require that the large extinguisher and a spotter be present
> whenever someone welds on a vehicle. For the laser, it needs to have
> one nearby and have someone keeping an eye on it. You just can't go
> out to lunch and leave it cutting.
>
>
> Arclight
>
> On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 11:24 AM, bownes <bownes at gmail.com> wrote:
> > At the TVGoG, we've never had a fire leave the enclosure, but it was
> close. A member left the cutter unattended while doing a raster engraving,
> a belt broke, and the laser was firing constantly at a single spot on a
> piece of flammable material, which caught fire, setting anything flammable
> inside the enclosure on fire. Including the viewport filter, constructed of
> acrylic. It was caught before the acrylic was breached. Total damage about
> $150 in parts and some wounded ego.
> >
> > Remediation included posting a warning never to leave the laser cutter
> unattended, beefing up the warning, and adding the melted plastic viewport
> to the Wall of Shame. Ok, maybe not the last part.
> >
> > iii
> >
> >> On Apr 29, 2015, at 14:10, Pete Prodoehl <raster at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> At Milwaukee Makerspace we have air lines running through the building,
> and use air assist with our laser cutters, which can help avoid fires. I
> don't believe we've ever had a fire besides material burning a little too
> much when cutting. During training people are shown how to turn on the
> exhaust and the air assist, and as long as those things are done, and you
> don't do anything too stupid (and don't leave it unattended!) all has been
> good.
> >>
> >>
> >> Pete
> >>
> >>
> >>> On 4/29/15 1:06 PM, Joshua Pritt wrote:
> >>> No fires yet.  But one of the main safety rules with the laser is to
> never leave it unattended.  You should be able to hit the emergency stop
> button the moment you see a flame then extinguish it immediately.  Also
> make sure there is a fire extinguisher right next to the laser just in case.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 1:56 PM, Robert Davidson <
> robert at dallasmakerspace.org <mailto:robert at dallasmakerspace.org>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>    I wanted to know how many out there have had a fire on there CO2
> >>>    Laser?
> >>>
> >>>    What was the root cause?
> >>>
> >>>    I define fire as leaving the confines of the machine.
> >>>    Though if your machine was destroyed by a fire in the tray that
> >>>    would count as well.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>    I can start out with Dallas Makerspace we had the High Voltage
> >>>    line arc to the metal case and caused a fire in the laser tube
> >>>    area. (It was quickly extinguished with a Fire Extinguisher)
> >>>
> >>>    Artifacture a local company in Dallas; there CO2 laser destroyed a
> >>>    large part of there building from a fire that was not observed.
>  Root Cause: (Guessing as it was absolute destruction was that the
> >>>    material was left in the tray from acrylic that had fallen through
> >>>    the tray)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>    Robert Davidson
> >>>    Dallas Makerspace
> >>
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