Laser

Our Laser Engraver/Cutter Area at Pikes Peak Makerspace (PPM) consists mostly of Level 3 equipment.

Additional PPM training and then certification is required to use any of our Level 3 equipment.

Zing Laser Check-in and Reservations

Contact Us if you cannot find your answer here on our Wiki or if you notice any information that is outdated.

 

Safety First

Members must know the following information:

In case of emergency, call 911.

Our physical location is:

735 East Pikes Peak Avenue

Colorado Springs, CO 80903

use this when ordering pizza or an ambulance

• 

  IN CASE OF
  EMERGENCY
  sign

PPM Fire Escape Plan

Fire Escape Plan maps are posted throughout the Makerspace.

There are 7 fire extinguishers on the fire escape plan map. Review the PPM Fire Escape Plan for locations.

• 

  PPM Emergency
  Evacuation Plan.pdf

• 

  PPM Fire
  Prevention Plan.pdf

• 

  PPM Fire Escape
  Plan

First Aid

There is a FIRST AID Supply Cabinet in our Kitchen Area.

FIRST AID Kits are available in four areas: the Kitchen, Metal Shop, Wood Shop and CNC Room.

• 

  FIRST AID
  Supply Cabinet

• 

  FIRST AID
  Kit

Eye Wash Stations

Emergency Eye & Face Wash Stations are mounted in four areas: the Kitchen, Wood Shop, CNC Room and Vented Room.

• 

  Emergency
  Eye & Face Wash
  Station

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Wear protective equipment in all Wood and Metal Shop Areas.

Wear gloves when using Isopropyl Alcohol and other cleaners.

• 

  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Hazardous Chemicals

All hazardous chemicals must be stored in the yellow hazardous chemical storage cabinet located in the Vented Room.

Review the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) information of unknown products before use.

SDS information is available via the QR code on the hazardous chemical storage cabinet or this spreadsheet.

Do not bring dangerous chemicals to the makerspace.

Spray paint, stains, and other approved items must be stored in the hazardous chemical storage cabinet in the Vented Room.

Please DO NOT paint indoors.

• 

  Flammables Cabinet
  in the Vented Room

Impairment

The use of PPM equipment requires you to be alert, attentive, and focused.

Do not use any PPM work area, or any PPM tools, if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

 

Classes

The Zing Laser Certification class is offered on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.

If this time or date does not work with your schedule, please Contact Us

Some instructors offer one-on-one training that we can help schedule.

PPM announces its Upcoming events, including classes, on Meetup

Training

Jonathan Wommack (Epilog Laser)

• 

  Zing Instruction Sheetv3.pdf

DO NOT cut materials with PVC on either laser, this will release chlorine gas which is toxic.

ALWAYS ensure the work area interior and exterior is clean before and after your work.

The maximum bed size for vector cutting or raster etching is 16” x 12” or less.

Past Events

• 

  TOSC tour at PPM
  (2021-11-24)

• 

  Intro to Laser Cutting at the MAC
  (January 15, 2015)

The following pages contain historical information. The pages are provided for reference only.

• Introduction to the Zing Laser‏‎ (15:26, 20 May 2015)

• Laser Cutting Material Table‏‎ (15:41, 21 May 2015)

• Laser Cutting Acrylic‏‎ (16:31, 24 November 2015)

Equipment Lists

Zing LASER

Picture	Item	Manufacturer/ Model	Resources
	zing 30 Watt  CO2 Laser Cutter/Engraver	Epilog Laser 10000 Laser System	zing manual (pdf)

Zing LASER Computer

Item	Application Software	Manufacturer/ Model	System Software
Computer, i7 3.4 GHz	Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Inkscape, CorelDRAW, and more.	hp	Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
monitor 20" widescreen		Asus VH202
keyboard (01/22/23)		Dell

Equipment Reservations

• Reserve 24 Hours in Advance to Guarantee Equipment.
• Unreserved equipment is first come first serve.
• Reservations are given up after 15 minute no show.
• Use this form to sign in (No more paper)

If you don't have a reservation:

• Be sure your job does not run longer than an upcoming reservation or you are expected to stop your job.

Donations Received

Wish List

Pikes Peak Makerspace is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so we can provide a receipt for any donations you make.

PPM Benefits

PPM members enjoy discounts at the following local merchants:

(bring proof of membership)

Company	Website	Benefit	Directions to
	Woodcraft of Colorado Springs	10% discount	4438 Austin Bluffs Parkway
	CO Lumber Specialties	10% discount	3636 Stone Avenue
	GENERAL AIR	10% discount	3031 N Nevada Ave.
	ACE Hardware Uintah Gardens	10% discount	1830 W Uintah Street

Map of stores that provide PPM member discounts

Map of helpful local resources curated by our makers

At home LightBurn subscriptions can be purchased at a discounted rate for being a PPM member.

The discount code is saved as a Pinned Message in our 'laser-cutter' channel in Slack.

PPM Policies

Materials

DO NOT cut materials with PVC on either laser, this will release chlorine gas which is toxic.

Avoid reflective material.

Donate for "Wood Sheet for Laser" via PayPal: bit.ly/ppmstuff

Or, leave donations in a black payment box, or use a QR code.

The following pages contain historical information. The pages are provided for reference only.

• Laser Cutting Material Table‏‎ (15:41, 21 May 2015)

• Laser Cutting Acrylic‏‎ (16:31, 24 November 2015)

Red Tags

If equipment needs repairs, place a Red Tag on it and report it via the Pikes Peak Makerspace Slack channel #red-tags-issues

This advises others on the malfunctioning equipment and ensures that actions can be taken to service/repair the equipment.

Related Software

Design Software

Adobe Illustrator Tips

Adobe Photoshop Tips

Inkscape Tips

Canva Tips

Procreate app Tips

Printing Software

Adobe Acrobat

Member Showcase

• 

  Laserable Leatherette
  by Debbie l Urquijo
  (03/19/24)

• 

  Engraved photo
  by Chris Stevens
  (09/09/22)

• 

  Engraved journal cover
  by Marvin Harrell
  (05/09/22)

• 

  Round PCB
  PPM clock
  (February 2020)

• 

  PPM engraved
  Printed Circuit Board
  keychain

For even more member projects, visit our #showcase channel on Slack, or follow our social media links.

Related Pages

Links to related PPM Wiki pages:

  Laser — BOSS   - make a reservation

  CNC Router Table   - make a reservation

Hand-Curated Links

Links to member-recommended external sites:

ImagR — Prepare your image for laser engraving

Boxes.py — Cut out boxes and other stuff with a laser cutter

MakerCase — web-based application for designing boxes

Homebrew CO₂ Laser Page — by John Doran (Epilog VP of Engineering)

Bell Laser — After market parts for laser machines

Laser Research Optics — Alternative and cheaper sources of lenses

For Additional Help

Use the PPM Slack channel #laser-cutter

List of all PPM Slack channels

Note that we have a Slack channel (#job-board) for members to post, discuss, or accept job opportunities either within PPM or from the community.

Search the PPM Wiki — include Content pages as well as Multimedia.

Contact Us if you cannot find your answer here on our Wiki or if you notice any information that is outdated.

Pikes Peak Makerspace (PPM) is dedicated to supporting our maker community in their creative processes by providing shared space, shared tools, materials, software, and a knowledge base to turn their ideas into reality.