Fire Extinguishers for Laser Cutters

[Kevin Jarrett]

Hi all,

Epilog recommends Halotron based extinguishers, I found this: http://goo.gl/lsScUf

We have a 40w 18x24 mini.

How large of an extinguisher do we need?

Where are good places to purchase them?

Thanks, kj

​

-----

Kevin Jarrett

Middle School STEAM Teacher

Technology, Engineering & Design Program

Northfield Community Middle School

kjar...@ncs-nj.org | @kjarrett

"Life ​changes when you trust kids.​" - ​Ira Socol. 

[eric nadler]

We got this one to hang next to our Epilog Fusion 40:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009WUGRXS

Haven't had a need to use it, but specs look reasonably good.

Most important thing for us for fire protection is actually our very strong ventilation fan -- pulls the air/gases out of the chamber very rapidly, and any combustion that appears to begin is controlled by that. That we got from Penn State Industries.

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/DC250SEMB.html

Definitely figure out the CFM you need for ventilation (figure out your run of conduit and how much that will reduce your CFM as well). 

[Jaymes Dec]

The other thing I highly recommend is an air assist pump if you don't have one. It will blow out any flames that pop up.

--
For a compilation of resources/links/etc mentioned on this forum, visit: https://sites.google.com/site/k12makers/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "K-12 Fab Labs and Makerspaces" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to k-12-fablabs...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to k-12-f...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/fb5ce36d-61df-46a5-9156-c9aef716661e%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Kevin Jarrett]

Thanks Eric. We have a BOFA filter. Working great so far!

[Kevin Jarrett]

Thanks Jaymes. We do have one. 

[Michael Darfler]

In addition to a good vent fan and air assist make sure your laser is always well focused. I had a fire in our 40w Universal laser because the lens was not properly focused. When the laser isn't properly focused there is not enough focused energy to properly cut the material. That vaporized material absorbs a lot of the energy which is then sucked out by the air handler. When the lens wasn't focused, the energy of the laser was just absorbed into the acrylic until it spontaneously combusted. Luckily we had fire extinguisher near by and the damage was minimal. 

As an alternative to halon you can also use a CO2 extinguisher or fire blankets. DO NOT use a standard household extinguisher. The chemicals used can do more damage to the laser than the fire itself. Also, make sure you clean you the inside with regularity. In the event of a fire, the deposited residue can make the fire worse than it otherwise would be.

Good luck with your laser. They're great tools!

-Mike

[Diego Fonstad]

It should be noted that the most common form of fires in a laser are small ones or low smoldering ones. (In our experience fires are not common with many materials but cardboard and paper can light up or smolder especially if there are many lines being cut next to each other.)

 The extinguisher should only be used for the large fires since while it doesn't "ruin" the electronics, it will create a mess that will shut down the laser for a while to clean.

You should develop  a plan for these fires (flame or smolder lasts more than a few seconds) because while ventilation is critical to remove the smoke it will also stoke the fire with a steady flow of air.

The easiest solution is if you have a sink nearby and can grab the material and douse it in water.  At Castilleja our sink is clear across the room so we have a bin of sand we use to bury any smoldering material.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/71d61e6c-c9db-479e-8274-102deb9afd40%40googlegroups.com.

[Kevin Jarrett]

Superb. Thanks Mike!

[Kevin Jarrett]

Very helpful, yes. Procedures. Absolutely. We have no sink but a bin of sand is doable. Can you share a pic of yours? Thanks!

[Angi Chau]

I don't have a photo but our bin of sand is literally that. We have a large shallow-ish tupperware and filled it with sand (bought from Home Depot in a big ol' bag). Many kids joke that it looks like we keep a cat in the lab and this is its litter box, so you can probably get a sense of how unglamorous it is.

We stow it under a work bench right next to the laser cutter and as part of our safety spiel with students and teachers, we point out where the box is and how one might pull it out to use it if necessary, e.g. shove a smoldering piece of material into the sand box.

-- 

Angi Chau, PhD
Director of Bourn Idea Lab, Faculty Advisor for Robotics @ Castilleja School
650-470-7756 (direct)
ac...@castilleja.org

WOMEN LEARNING  |  WOMEN LEADING

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to k-12-fablabs+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to k-12-f...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/f5043f88-ddf0-4bc4-945e-b3238dd07925%40googlegroups.com.