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Thread: Watch your laser!

  1. #1

    Watch your laser!

    I pulled up in my driveway as the hourly news update was on the radio. The fire chief was saying the fire started in the garage of a residence and it appeared to have started by a laser cutter the owner operated in his home.

    I came in, looked it up on a local news site and realized I have been in the guys garage. I bought a piece of equipment from him.

    http://www.nbc12.com/story/27965317/...eld-house-fire
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    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

  2. #2
    Yea as much of a------ it is I stand there and watch it cut.I keep a small spray bottle on the laser itself and have a Kiddi extinguisher by the kitchen stove (less then 10 ft away) I'll do computer work if engraving but if its cutting I stand right there drinking coffee. I'm thinking about putting a mirror over head so I can sit at the computer and do design stuff, all I'd have to do is look up to see inside or maybe install a heat sensor inside the case that set off a bell or something.I dunno just thinking out type
    Last edited by Mike Null; 01-29-2015 at 6:50 AM.
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  3. #3
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    After reading anough fire threads here, I bought a big CO2 extinguisher. If I do have a fire, putting it out with CO2 will not kill the machine. (I remember a car fire when a bare carb and bad spark plug wire caused a BIG problem. As it turns out, spraying fire extinguisher powder down the carb of a running motor is definitely not good for the motor!)
    Longtai 460 with 100 watt EFR, mostly for fun. More power is good!! And a shop with enough wood working tools to make a lot of sawdust. Ex-owner of Shenhui 460-80 and engraving business with 45 watt Epilog Mini18.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by John Noell View Post
    After reading anough fire threads here, I bought a big CO2 extinguisher. If I do have a fire, putting it out with CO2 will not kill the machine. (I remember a car fire when a bare carb and bad spark plug wire caused a BIG problem. As it turns out, spraying fire extinguisher powder down the carb of a running motor is definitely not good for the motor!)
    About 1 year ago laser company about 1/2 away from me caught on fire. They left the room for only a few minutes. I believe it was a total loss.
    Redsail x700, 50watt & Shenhui 350, 50 watt

  5. #5
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    I hope he doesn't have problems getting his insurance to cover the damage.
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  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Harman View Post
    I hope he doesn't have problems getting his insurance to cover the damage.
    It should be interesting. When I bought the equipment from him, I saw this "contraption" packed into the corner of the garage. He said "it's a laser cutter" then told me that he built it all himself. He opened the top and it was all stuff he had hacked together to make a machine.
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
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    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Shepherd View Post
    It should be interesting. When I bought the equipment from him, I saw this "contraption" packed into the corner of the garage. He said "it's a laser cutter" then told me that he built it all himself. He opened the top and it was all stuff he had hacked together to make a machine.
    Hmmm, built it as homemade. I bet his insurance Co will take a long look. The CO2 extinguisher is a good idea. Wonder why a automatic fire protection could not be fitted?
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  8. #8
    If the box is enclosed, how could the fire jump ? We have an Epilog mini 24 and can't see how a fire could exit out of the machine. There's gotta be a better way to extinguish a small fire like that vs using a powder base extinguisher. How about a fireproof blanket or something along those lines to smother the fire ?
    Last edited by chris szlachetka; 01-29-2015 at 8:54 AM.

  9. #9
    If you haven't already done it, make sure you've installed a smoke detector in the laser room.
    I keep a fire extinguisher in the corner as well. Cheers!
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  10. #10
    We're in a commercial building that's setup for this kind of thing. One of the first things we purchased was a fire extinguisher (located right near the machine) and smoke detectors. I was just thinking there's gotta be a better way to put it out if the problem was to ever show its ugly face.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by chris szlachetka View Post
    If the box is enclosed, how could the fire jump ? We have an Epilog mini 24 and can't see how a fire could exit out of the machine. There's gotta be a better way to extinguish a small fire like that vs using a powder base extinguisher. How about a fireproof blanket or something along those lines to smother the fire ?
    If the lid is acrylic, it'll catch the lid on fire and then you've got a serious fire going.

    Also, there was nothing said (nor will there be in the news stories) about what caught fire. Was it material? Was it electronics in the machine? It could have been totally outside of the machine, or it could have been inside, while cutting. If my memory is correct, he wasn't engraving anything, only cutting and his machine was running Mach 3, so it was strictly used for cutting. I think he told me that almost everything he cut was plywood.
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
    Printers : Mimaki UJF-6042 UV Flatbed Printer , HP Designjet L26500 61" Wide Format Latex Printer, Summa S140-T 48" Vinyl Plotter
    Router : ShopBot 48" x 96" CNC Router Rotary Engravers : (2) Xenetech XOT 16 x 25 Rotary Engravers

    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

  12. #12
    Sometimes I'll leave the room when doing the wood that we use in day in day out but never do when it's acrylic.
    We have a smoke alarm and a CO2 extinguisher in there with it.
    Trotec Speedy 300 80W

  13. #13
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    Well, given my other hobbies, one of which is reloading (ammo), I have an acute awareness of fire hazards. The last thing I need is a fire eating up 50# of powder and 10's of thousands of primers and getting out of hand and getting to the loaded ammo.

    Extinguishing fires is accomplished in one of three ways. Remove the fuel. Remove the oxygen. Remove the heat. Since both of those (powder and primers) contain their own oxidizers, a chemical ABC will not work as it operates by removing oxygen to the fire. I use pressurized water type extinguishers as they remove both the oxygen and the heat from the fire. Also by saturating surrounding surfaces they remove additional fuel as a source. But, if its more than a small fire, there is no surviving it unless I get everyone out of the house toot sweet. With that much powder and primers along with 100's of thousands of loaded rounds of various types (from 22LR to 50BMG) being stored there, well, lets just say you won't want to be around when it starts cooking off.

    I do keep a small windex type spray bottle with water near the laser cutter. I know the water extinguishers are very close though as my relaoding room is on the other side of a partition wall (its all in the basement). They are not good with electrical and I can see a serious hazard given the HV on the tube. I think I need to re-think things and seek out a CO2 or Halon extinguisher for around the laser cutter. It should sufficiently take care of any issues inside the cutter as well as not causing a shock risk around the high voltage components of the cutter.
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  14. #14
    The company that burnt down near me pretty much only did wood! So wood can be just as dangerous. In my town a fire extinguisher was required before I could open business.
    Redsail x700, 50watt & Shenhui 350, 50 watt

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clark Pace View Post
    The company that burnt down near me pretty much only did wood! So wood can be just as dangerous. In my town a fire extinguisher was required before I could open business.
    I am not a business, just a home hobbyist. But its the same risk as far as fire goes.
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