Wear protective glasses
During laser engraving and cutting, the intense laser beam may cause permanent damage to the eyes. Therefore, be sure to wear special laser protective glasses to ensure eye safety.
Keep work area tidy and airy
Avoid placing paper, cloth or other flammable items in the work area to prevent them from being ignited by the laser. Smoke may be generated during processing. Make sure the work area is well ventilated so smoke can escape.
Wear a mask
Certain materials will release toxic gases during laser cutting. Before laser cutting and engraving, you should take appropriate protective measures, such as wearing a gas mask can filter gas. Masks that provide the highest filtration efficiency for solid and liquid aerosols, as well as some vapors, are preferred.
Have fire extinguisher ready
Since the laser machine may produce sparks and fire caused by high temperature when working, you should choose a fire extinguisher that can quickly extinguish such fires. Such as dry powder fire extinguishers, carbon dioxide fire extinguishers. In addition, if there are people around, make sure that using a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher will not cause harm to people. And it’s best to clean your laser machine regularly to prevent fires caused by dust and dirt buildup.
Cleaning your lens regularly
The lens is affected by smoke and slag in the working environment, and dust easily adheres to the focusing lens. If the cleaning work is not done well, the lens will be burned or even damaged. At the same time, the laser lens will also be affected by the processing accuracy of the lens, so please clean the lens regularly.
Is the material toxic, and can be cut or engrave?
There are some materials, especially plastics, that you should never try to cut on a desktop laser. Polyvinyl chloride and polycarbonate will produce toxic gases under the action of laser. This can damage your laser cutter and your lungs! So before cutting and engraving, you can search on Google first to make sure your material are secure that can be cut and engrave