[Noisebridge-discuss] Laser Cutter!

[Dr. Jesus]

On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 11:01 AM, Jonathan Foote <jtfoote at ieee.org> wrote:
> Yeah, as epsas & Rachel point out it needs ventilation (it's not a
> laser cutter so much as a laser burner --  it's like having a smoker
> in the family). Bre suggests a "filter" which is likely a
> fan/filter/vent thing; we could likely hack something similar out of a
> shop vac sending exhaust out a window/wall vent, but that's going to
> be noisy (also figure that  low-powered cutters will be slow and a
> 20-minute run for a complicated cut is not out of the question). At
> NYCResistor, they had a separate room for it with a window and the
> space still wound up a little smoky, but I didn't see a dedicated
> vent.
>
> Is the "DJ booth" space out of the question? I also note that a
> light-tight darkroom will be approximately air-tight as well, but I
> would understand the photographers objecting (not suggesting doing
> both cutting and developing at the same time, natch).

It's not out of the question, but unless all the servers are going to
move it's not a good idea to have Making going on in the same crowded
space as them.

It's worth noting that other than the area beneath the DJ booth, it is
the only walled off space with a window.  There isn't any reason why
the servers can't move, but I don't have enough information to
determine whether installing a new vent as part of the HVAC project is
easier than moving the servers.

Not that I don't want a laser cutter in the space, but I should point
out that the CNC machine still isn't working yet and last I heard the
makerbot wasn't bugfree.  (If it's working, it would be nice if the
wiki reflected this.)

There's also a place a 10 minute walk away that does bespoke things to
matter with lasers on Alabama st.  I forget the name, but I remember
the owner was very accommodating when I had a problem with a trade
show display and I asked them to do something perverted with their
lasers to a coconut.

If we're going to spend money on this, I think it would be wise to
ensure there's enough demand for it to be cost effective to buy vs
rent.