A question mainly for the UK members (but anyone can chip in with opinions)

[Graham Taylor]

Hi,

My question is aimed mainly at the UK members and is about the safety and environmental issues when venting the Speedy 300 direct to the outside.

We are planning to vent our Speedy 300 directly to the outside of our building which is right next to the fenced off perimeter of the industrial estate we are on. Then there is a railway line directly behind this so nobody would walk past the vent.

So I guess my question is: we will be cutting/engraving laser rubber, Mylar and MDF so does the collective opinion think that this is ok from an environmental issue or would the output of the laser machine contain carcinogenic material that would be hazardous to human and wildlife and so put us in breach of some UK environment laws?

I have had a quick search but was wondering if anyone else vented directly outside and had similar issues?

Thanks as always,

Graham

[matthew knott]

lots of people do it, we do, i would imagine as long as no one complains you will have no problems. At the end of the day there is not much stopping you collecting your rubber, Mylar and MDF and having a big old bonfire out the back of your unit (again unless you get complaints). A disposable bbq is going to emit way more hazards gasses into the environment.

[Graham Taylor]

Cool, one less thing to think about, now all I have to do is master CorelWorks and the Speedy so no buggy really

[Frank Corker]

Graham, I have never had any issues with the venting problems, most of the time the smells are so minimal you can hardly detect them anyway. I work from home and none of my neighbours have had any complaints.

[Graham Taylor]

Thanks for the reply Frank, good to hear about the minimal smell.

Another question I have is with regards to connecting the o/p of the machine to the extraction fan. I assume that it is best to make this as short as possible with minimal bends so I was going to just go straight from the machine o/p to the fan in a straight line at whatever level the o/p hole is on the machine. What sort of pipe work/ducting would be best for this? Something like you have on the portable aircon machines or would this not be suitable due to the heat of the vented fumes?

Hopefully I have explained this ok and makes sense.

Cheers,

graham

[Michael Hunter]

I suspect that Frank does not cut much rubber, foam or leather - the smell from these is terrible and lingers a long time unless there is a good breeze.

Metal ducting is best as it helps protect the building in case there is a fire in the machine.
Smooth ducting is much more efficient than the corrugated bendable type.

Plastic ducting is fine (apart from loosing the fire protection) as the exhaust is normally completely cold.

The fan/blower should be at or near the far end (from the laser) of the duct run so that any leaks draw in air from the room, rather than forcing out exhaust smells.

[Graham Taylor]

Thanks for the input Michael,

I have asked the rep exactly what make/model fan he has included in the quote and for the diameter of the ducting required. I am trying to get everything arranged and in place prior to delivery.

Do you cut much rubber?

Cheers,

Graham

[Michael Hunter]

I cut gaskets from cork/rubber sheet. Lots in a batch, but only 4 or 5 batches per year thank goodness.
The workshop stinks for several weeks afterwards!.

Used to cut a lot of thick PU foam. The smell from that is disgusting, but it does not linger as long as rubber.

I avoid leather as far as possible - very inconsistent stuff for cutting. Smell is not only awful, but upsetting for anyone nearby.

I only process any of these when there is a decent wind from the West so that the smell blows out over fields, rather than towards the neighbours.

The smell from wood is OK (people round here are used to bonfires) and I find that the smell from acrylic disperses very quickly so isn't much of a problem.

[David Somers]

A couple of thoughts. One....Michael mentioned metal ducting to reduce the risk of fire. I am curious how high that risk is, and how many confirmed instances of fire in dedicated laser ducting are we aware of? I am aware of the risk and can dig up numbers on actual fires in dust extraction systems, but am curious what we are talking about in laser venting systems?

The other thought is that in a number of posts, Dave Sheldrake has referred to the stiffness with which UK law and authorities enforce their environmental and safety laws. I thought we could be bad in the US, but on reading Dave's posts I feel like we live in the wild west by comparison. I might go so far as to say that we are in the "better to ask forgiveness than permission" side of the equation, while the UK is far off on the "don't go there" side of the equation. You might direct a question to Dave if he is not actively reading this post. He may have some relevant advice to give you as a business owner.

Dave

[Michael Hunter]

David -

It is not fire in the duct that is a worry (there should be very little inflammable stuff in it).

A big fire in the machine - sucked into the ducting by the exhaust fan - could melt plastic ducting and also set it on fire : clearly a big risk as there are plenty of stories of machine fires.

[David Somers]

Thanks Michael!! Appreciate it!

Dave

[Graham Taylor]

A couple of thoughts. One....Michael mentioned metal ducting to reduce the risk of fire. I am curious how high that risk is, and how many confirmed instances of fire in dedicated laser ducting are we aware of? I am aware of the risk and can dig up numbers on actual fires in dust extraction systems, but am curious what we are talking about in laser venting systems?

The other thought is that in a number of posts, Dave Sheldrake has referred to the stiffness with which UK law and authorities enforce their environmental and safety laws. I thought we could be bad in the US, but on reading Dave's posts I feel like we live in the wild west by comparison. I might go so far as to say that we are in the "better to ask forgiveness than permission" side of the equation, while the UK is far off on the "don't go there" side of the equation. You might direct a question to Dave if he is not actively reading this post. He may have some relevant advice to give you as a business owner.

Dave

thanks for that, I have sent a PM to Dave and asked him for some advice.

[John Bion]

...... I avoid leather as far as possible - very inconsistent stuff for cutting. Smell is not only awful, but upsetting for anyone nearby....

I agree on the leather, leather is quite revolting but the worst I do from time to time is Perspex from the local hardware - makes one feel ill in the stomach ...... like you need a toilet very near at hand.
Best not vented into a passerby’s nostrils, he may have a little further to run...
John