Lasercutter: basic use and safety

Need precise cuts in thin materials? Bitraf has two laser cutters that can cut and engrave wood, plastic, fabric, leather and more. They can also do real damage if used wrongly, so you must complete this course before you use them. We’ll go through the whole process, from a quick design to a finished object. The course is in English.

Who can join
This course is for paying Bitraf members only, because the lasers are expensive to run. Not a member yet? Sign up at https://bitraf.no/join before you book your spot.

How the evening works:

• We'll meet at the kitchen table 10 minutes prior to the start.
• From there we'll move to the course room for the theory (about 45 minutes)
• After that we'll relocate to the lasercutting room for the practical (about an hour)
• At the end you’ll be added to the TOOLS access system, so you can start using the lasers right away.

Before the course:

• To make cutting files you can use Illustrator, Inkscape, Fusion 360 or Rhino. Inkscape (https://inkscape.org/en) and Fusion (https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview) are free to install. For Fusion, choose the “Start-up or Educational” license.
• We use LightBurn (https://lightburnsoftware.com) on the lasers. You can download it to your own laptop beforehand and watch some of the tutorials.
• You are free to, but don’t need, to bring a laptop. We can work on Bitraf’s PCs.

Documentation:

• https://wiki.bitraf.no/wiki/Laser
• https://wiki.bitraf.no/wiki/Laser-steg
• Guidelines of use: https://paper.dropbox.com/doc/Lasercutter-Guidelines-of-use--Bu19hdZzo6KoAg6AlpgjTMPgAg-SJmzPpa01ts2cHiMjybQE

Meetup notices:

• You do not need to pay anything to [[Meetup.com](http://meetup.com/)](http://meetup.com/) to attend a Bitraf event!
• There is a chance that people cancel (happens a lot), so make sure you reserve the time in your calendar when you're on the waitlist and keep an eye out for any changes.
• You are not allowed to reserve a spot for somebody else.