Are cheap laser cutters safe?

Laser cutters are incredibly handy tools, but the technology poses a significant safety risk... and these companies don't seem to care!

In this video I'll run you through all of these risks, and how to manage them so you can use laser cutters to make awesome things!

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
0:23 My experience with laser cutters
1:06 What can you do with a laser cutter?
1:41 Safety concern 1: Laser Radiation
4:12 Safety concern 2: High Voltage
4:55 Safety concern 3: Fume Extraction
5:36 Materials which can or cannot be laser cut
15:24 Safety concern 4: Fire
16:54 How to proceed?

[ElectraFlarefire]

Favorite first test for anything going through the laser cutters: The flame test.. Take some copper wire, get it to red hot in a flame, stick it in the material then back in the flame until it glows again. If the flame is green, it includes a halide (Clorhine/flurine/bromide) and IS NOT SAFE..
Good fast first pass tesing.

[zenthai]

This video right here is why I love your content.
Your message about safety on the tech we use for our hobbies is priceless. Thank you so much and keep doing what you do!!

[evanduffy]

My first job out of college was writing testing software for a medical laser company and it was ALARMING how complacent people get around invisible lasers, even the optics safety guy gave me a hard time when I came asking for the right wavelength protection goggles, most people didn't even wear goggles when testing the lasers

[MarinusMakesStuff]

Every time I see some youtuber reviewing some el cheapo diode laser cutter I keep on bringing up all the safety hazards and each time people just ignore the warnings and tell me I'm being negative and that I should look on the positive side. The positive side of permanent eye damage of lung cancer they mean? Youtubers should take responsibility and not just want to have to score some likes for a free product they were given to review. You're one of the few that actually doesn't lick the heels and tells it like it is. Good job Angus!
By the way, engraving paper is totally doable. Cardboard as well, I work with a Trotec 100W Co2 laser on a daily basis and when you get the settings right it can bring out a great result.

[achannelhasnoname]

Love how the thumbnail plainly says "no" 😂

[MartysRandomStuff]

I've had the same reaction to seeing these lasers being sold. In a lab setting lasers that powerful in an open system like that would require a special room with a kill switch on the door that turned it off if anyone walked in. Ads showing them being used in a room with pets and children is just insane.

[thomas_st]

As a laser safety representative I must emphasize the safety risks mentioned here. A very important video for those who want to work with lasers.

[donutboy]

Appreciate the time you put into this video. As a "kinda thinking about getting a laser cutter" guy, I found out that I didn't know all the hazards that came from laser cutters. Thanks.

[AFistfulOfK]

I operated an industrial laser for a few years, these are all good tips. I would add that there are actually lots of things you "can" do that are supposedly impossible for a given laser wattage, it just takes a lot of patience. I cut a big logo half an inch deep into hardened stainless steel using a machine designed for surface marking once - just 40 watt output I think. It took a whole weekend, but it worked. Lots of fast passes. The point is to vaporize, not melt/burn. Don't give the heat a chance to spread. Would you believe I had to fight with them for months to get an exhaust system so I wasn't hotboxing my face with atomized god-knows-what every time I open the enclosure? Eventually I just made my own and suddenly it became a big deal that I was exhausting this shit right into the shop's air for everyone else to breathe.

[jannepeltonen]

Having watched quite a lot of Styropyro videos, anything to do with lasers that aren't properly enclosed sound like utter madness to me :D Thanks for spreading awareness!

[orbita]

I just sent this video to a bunch of people in my lab as they seem to think it's ok to have a very large laser cutter in an office space with no ventilation or fume extraction. I shut that down and am now jumping into the world of fume extraction.

[BLBlackDragon]

Safety concerns should always be called out and considered.

I've forwarded this video to a friend who wants to get into laser cutting for crafting purposes, and I want her to have ammo to justify the expense of proper safety gear (enclosures and filtration) to her husband, who is famous for trying to go with just the basics.

Thank you for making this video, from the entire maker community.

[Shanemarsh]

Nice, and I hope Linus will be grateful for the product placement too.

[jaycee]

Great video. This confirms my deep suspicions about these machines. I used lasers in my work and they were designed with safety built-in so that even dummies could not damage themselves or others. I hope that people pay attention.

[zlaax]

Thanks Angus, I've been following your content since I bought my Prusa a few years ago, and I've found your safety videos in particular to be both hugely educational and fascinating.

I've watched this particular video couple of times -- shortly after it was first posted, when I was first thinking about picking up a laser cutter, and more recently (having just bought an xTool P2!)

I suspect some of the safety videos like this don't do quite so well with The Algorithm, but please know that they're hugely appreciated!

Cheers :)

Sam

[Francois_L_]

And with leather it's even worst than you think. A lot of the cheap leather comes from parts of the hide that had defects in it. To make the surface perfect, it gets filled with a polymer and sold at a lower price.
And wood derivatives, even if "natural", will release upwards of 300 chemical byproducts when burned, including a lot of carcinogens. So if you can't afford a cutter with a closed enclosure, I feel it's a good idea to build one just to avoid having those airborne chemicals in your shop.

[TheCrafsMan]

My friend, I just wanted to thank you for putting this out there and doing it in an emphatic way.
Even smaller channels like mine get contacted by companies weekly (and these particular open designs that make you cringe - that's how they all look right about now), so the information comes at a good time.

I recently did a review of the Atomstack X20, a unit I was willing to review because it would have been the one I'd buy. Had a safety glasses bit, talked about the fumes, etc. ...and it turns out I'm showing people the *wrong color safety glasses*, because I simply trusted what was sent to me. "These came with the laser, so they must be the right ones." Had no idea I was supposed to be using orange instead of green, let alone the appropriate density or rating.
Past couple of days have been eye-opening. Thank you for videos like this!

[springplus]

For metal "engraving", you can replace Cermark with moly lube spray with good results, and save a buck!
The better option is to spray your metal black with a regular spraycan, burn your design with the laser (burning away the paint), then etch drop it in an etching solution.
Works great for diy pcb's as well.

[Spirit]

For the record: The cheap gantry cutters, and fiber markers, both come with completely useless fake goggles 99% of the time. We've tested most chinese goggles, and they vary in quality from "misses critical absorption lines" to "colorful plastic lmao". You NEED a very large, respectable western brand name(Thorlabs, Edmund, Laserglow, NoIR, for example) for any goggles besides CO2(in which case all you need is full cover glass or polycarbonate safety gogs, as both are opaque to 10.6um, but not PMMA).
Given the risk of stuff reflecting off your material should there be something shiny, it's my primary worry.

[vidm]

I'm always surprised how easily some youtubers will feature an unsafe laser device in their videos, or just show careless behavior around lasers, chucking all sorts of materials in them without checking. Thanks for bringing this topic up again!