Zing Training

Members must be trained before using the Zing 24 laser cutter.

The curriculum for training is still being developed, but so far it consists of:


 * Fire Safety and protocol
 * Always watch the machine
 * Some flame (about birthday-candle amount) is expected and normal for wood, acrylic, etc. when cutting.
 * Venting and air-assist help control flame
 * In case of too much fire:
 * Open lid to turn off laser. This will usually put it out.
 * Blow it out.
 * If that doesn't work, use fire extinguisher.
 * If necessary, evacuate and call 911
 * Material Safety
 * Go over good materials, general rules
 * Go over bad materials, and why
 * Go over iffy materials
 * Usage Protocol
 * First-come, first served, don't bogart the laser cutter.
 * Class/event reservations
 * No designing on the print server.
 * Machine usage
 * MAFF
 * Material: Is the material suitable for cutting/engraving?
 * Air: Is the air on the vent and air assist?
 * Fit: Does the job fit the 24x12 bed of the Zing?
 * Focus: Is the focus of the machine appropriate for the job?
 * How to process a job from design to product
 * Design in Inkscape/CorelDraw/Illustrator/CAD/etc
 * Hairlines for vectors
 * Wider stuff/fills/bitmaps for rasters
 * Use of color for different material settings.
 * Print to PDF
 * On print server, load PDF in Acrobat
 * Print to Zing
 * Go to Properties to access Epilog Dashboard
 * Set "page size", job type, power and speed settings as per material
 * Print
 * Make sure machine is set up
 * MAFF
 * (Optional) Print dry-run, "Go" with lid up, red pointer on.
 * With lid closed, "Go" the job.
 * Supervise job, watching for fire/danger.
 * Documentation
 * Wiki
 * Manuals in drawer
 * Sign-up sheets
 * etc.
 * Policies
 * Don't let non-trained use it, with you "supervising"
 * Make sure machine is set up before you use it.
 * Make sure machine is cleaned up when done.