Hi All,

Been a long time, but thought I'd show up with a warning we all need to hear. I was cutting some epoxy-based laminate samples - section only 3" x 14" into dozens of little 3/4 x 2" rectangles. Cut this material many times before, no flame. Calling an "F2" on tornado scale, because it could have been much worse, but still ceiling damage, entire room needs emptied, cleaned, and redone. Went through three large fire extinguishers to get the fire out.

Many contributing factors:

  • Running a business, not a hobby, so pressure to get stuff done, hit deadlines etc, always pushes one to do other things during auto machine cycles, oven cycles, curing phases, etc, so I often leave the laser room, but not anymore.
  • Lasering small pcs causes lots of concentrated heat / gas buildup within tight area, even though exhaust is always on.
  • lasering near an edge.
  • No big fire extinguishers immediately near laser, just a small one, and it was too close to laser to grab anyway.


What to change:

  • Never leave laser room during operation - Bring small jobs into laser room to do while monitering (shipping, labeling, packing, computor work, etc)
  • Make sure blower pre-filter is cleaned often for better exhaust
  • keep large extinguisher right at entry door, and more
  • replace lid window with tempered, laminated glass instead of plastic like it had. I think it was polycarbonate, which is the most flameproof of all plastics, but still melted allowing flame propagation. Tempered glass would be a great indicator of a fire, because its explosion will be heard across shop. Laminated would keep it together during fire (a little).


LaserFire.jpg