Laser Lab

LASER CUTTING AT THE SCHOOL OF ART

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Yale School of Art Laser Lab, 36 Edgewood (B20, basement level)

Available for use - 1 UNIVERSAL LASER (MODEL ILS 12.150D) 24x48"

The laser cutter is only available to Graduate School of Art Students and Undergraduate Art Majors who complete the below training.

There must be graduate laser lab monitors or the lab manager present in order to use the laser cutter. Available times are in the sign up sheet below. YOU CAN NOT WORK IN THE LAB ALONE and you can not work after hours or on the weekends. Please plan accordingly.

YOU MUST SIGN UP ON THE GOOGLE DOC (BELOW) TO USE THE LAB. YOU CAN NOT SHOW UP WITHOUT SIGNING UP, THE LAB TECHS WILL NOT BE IN THE SPACE IF YOU DO NOT SIGN UP

To use the laser cutter, you must complete the following three steps:

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1) Online health and safety training and quiz ↓

https://ehs.yale.edu/trainings/embedded-laser-safety-program

Please wait for the quiz portion to load at the end of the video.

2) File Preparation Training Video ↓

https://youtu.be/zjTBJLxp1dI

3) Understanding Material Limitations ↓

OUTSIDE OF WOOD, PAPER AND CARDBOARD, ALL OTHER MATERIALS NEED TO BE APPROVED BEFORE CUTTING OR ETCHING

Please familiarize yourself with this material list with information about hazardous materials and approved materials.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YrbSIuBfIDDDYDT8twD87929lotIbltuR_rDPU8aJOM/edit?usp=sharing

4) In-person training

SIGN UP FOR IN PERSON TRAININGS AND SUPPORT

In addition to seven available slots each session for training, there are also two slots each session available for cutting for already trained students.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V7KeMbcuhZWDeu3f-6XZWRlDkplfnE8Oj9cCPUG00xk/edit?usp=sharing

For hours not on the sign up sheet please contact art.help@yale.edu

HOW TO SET UP YOUR FILE FOR LASER CUTTING

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Here is a sample Illustrator file that has lines and shapes for cut, engraved and etched text plus registration / size lines.

SAMPLE ILLUSTRATOR FILE

Take a look at it and read through the specs and watch the video below to get a sense of what a file that one would use for a laser cutter would look like (for our machine).

File Preparation Training Video ↓

https://youtu.be/zjTBJLxp1dI

Size

Art board should be 24x48” which is the same size as the laser cutter bed. There should also be a .125 bleed. (This is setup in the sample file if you want to use it as a template).

Color Space

The file should be made in the RGB color space and not CMYK. Sometimes if it is made in CMYK the laser cutter software won’t read it. Also, if it was made in RGB you still need to check each color to make sure it is true RGB. (Also setup in the sample file if you want to use it as a template).

RED (cut) - Red 255, Green 0, Blue 0 BLUE (engrave) - Red 0, Green 0, Blue 255 BLACK (etch) - Red 0, Green 0, Blue 0 GREEN (registration) - Red 0, Green 255, Blue 0

Note on registration lines: This line should be the size of the material. It doesn’t matter where on the artboard you make the green shape that corresponds to your material shape as long as it is the exact size of your material)

Lines and Strokes

Also all lines / strokes need to be .001” (inches) or it won’t show up in the laser cutting software.

NOTES:

You’ll want to separate blue and red and anything else into separate layers so they can be easily edited / turned on and off and more. The more organized the layers are the easier it is to make changes if there are issues during cutting. This is also in the sample file and I suggest starting with the sample file and modifying it to make your file.

Please contact the Digital Media Office at art.help@yale.edu or at 203-432-9120 for more information