Final Setup

[Russell Ludwick]

Next week I hope to be setting up my laser engraver. I found a small place in a woodshop office to set it up. Basically I am renting enough space for the engraver, dust collector and workstation computer/printer desk.

ELECTRICAL

Next week we will add more electrical outlets to the room to accomodate the extra power needed. I was thinking the Engraver and Dust collector should get its own 110V 20Amp circuit, and run all the rest of the electronics on a completely seperate circuit.

Should I hardwire switch panels into the conduit to turn the machine and blower on, or should I have a sort of power strip/switch combo after the outlet. Just wondering what a good setup looks like. Any electrical tips and tricks would be helpful.

FIRE

I am trying to get a 1million dollar general business liability policy to cover myself in case of total catastrophe. In case of a small catastrophe, what kind of fire extinguisher should I get? What class and what size? Powder, foam, CO2? I would like to purchase one to make sure I cover all my bases when it comes to safety. How much does a fire extinguisher cost and where should I get it?

What other safety precautions should I take before I start making some parts. Thanks again everyone, you guys have helped me get my business rolling and I think i am approaching the home stretch.

[Dan Hintz]

The engraver and computer can share a circuit... put the dust collector on a separate circuit. Depending upon the blower you choose, you may need 240V...

For fire extinguishers, you'll want either a Halotron I or an FE-36 type...

[Robert Walters]

Be aware that Haltron types do displace oxygen in the room.

So if it's a small area/room you might want to talk to an extinguisher specialist for proper sizing/ventilation and or your local Fire Marshall for regulations.

Also...
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=1488838&postcount=82
(Might not hurt to read that whole thread if you haven't already.)

[Russell Ludwick]

Thanks Guys

Just for reference, I have a Trotec Speedy II 30 Watt 110-120 V input power 10A. Standard Electrical Connector. As far as I know I can't go 220V, but I can look into it.

The blower I just bought it is from penn state

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/DC660P.html

rated 110V and 8A

The computer I am going to eventually build will have about a 650-750 watt power supply. typical current draws are about

11A @ 100V, 5.5A @ 240V

Does that change anything?

The room I am going to be working in is about 150 sqft, with a doorway and a blind like window(im planning on taking the lowest glass blind out and just stick the hose out the window to exhaust). The door to the room is about 3 ft from the door to the outside, so at least I have that as an avenue to fresh air.

For the Halotron Fire Extinguisher, is 5lbs about right?

[Larry Bratton]

My Epilog machine works on either 110v or 220v. I am running it off a dedicated 220v circuit because it is more efficient. You may want to check and see if your Trotec has the same capability and do the same if desired.

[Rodne Gold]

Use a clean power supply for the laser only - not tied into other circuits - lasers dont like dirty power so make sure the lasers power is smoothed and constant otherwise you can have issues like banding and so on.

[Joe Pelonio]

I put a switch in the line to the outlet, for three reasons. The exhaust fan had no switch, to save wear on the laser's switch, and to ensure that the laser is never run without the fan on since it cools the tube.

[Russell Ludwick]

I saw a youtube video of a guy running all his stuff off a switch control box like this.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/American-DJ-PC-4-4-Channel-Switch-Center-101231264-i1155516.gc

He seemed to have everything running through that switch box, but he wasn't drawing more than 15 amps to flip the breaker even running all three.

Is something like this a good idea, instead of plugging directly into the wall in case of power spikes or outages that can damage electronics?

[Dan Hintz]

Surge protectors protect against, well, large surges... they do nothing for line quality. And passing everything through a set of switches does nothing but add spikes on the same circuit as items are switched on/off.

[Mike Null]

I agree with Dan that you should not have your laser and blower on the same circuit. My guess is that your laser manual suggests a dedicated line as well.

[Russell Ludwick]

Maybe I should just put the laser and blower on their own circuits and run a 3rd for the computer. The room right now only has a single circuit, so we have to run all new electrical anyways, might as well do it right.

Are you guys using any sort of surge protection or are you plugging your laser and blower right into the outlet? Should I add in a single outlet surge protector for each?

[Dan Hintz]

Laser and computer on the same circuit is perfectly fine...

I run the laser through a surge protector and the computer through a quality UPS system. The computer/laser circuit and the blower circuits are on opposite sides of the bus, just to play it extra safe.