Powerful industrial machinery has certain operational hazards tied to it, and laser cutters are no different. While laser cutters are exceedingly fast and efficient at cutting things, the cutting method they employ can cause harm to the operator. So, before you start operating a laser cutter, it’s best to learn all the safety protocols.

Laser cutters use high-energy radiation to create the laser, which is highly dangerous outside a controlled environment. The cutting process produces a lot of heat and intense radiation. The method also creates toxic gas as a byproduct.

While that sounds frightening, we assure you it’s perfectly safe as long as you maintain the correct working conditions. And it’s pretty easy to maintain such conditions if you follow the safety guidelines. We’ll try our best to explain the health risks of laser cutting in detail in this article.

Health Risks Of Laser Cutting That You Should Know

Commercial laser cutters use high-intensity lasers to cut. It’s a highly heat-intensive process with massive power consumption. Any configuration or alignment issue can cause the laser to veer off course and hit something it shouldn’t.

Let’s look at some of the risks of laser cutting:

1. Eye Damage

The number one hazard when operating a laser cutter comes from radiation. Laser beams used in laser cutters are infrared beams that are invisible to the naked eye. These are powerful and can leave you blind in a matter of seconds if they reach your eyes directly. Admittedly, diode lasers are more dangerous for the eyes than CO2 lasers because of how our eyes interact with them.

But let’s be honest here: no one is actually going to place their eye in the direct line of a laser cutter’s laser beam. What people need protection against is the constant radiation it emits. Such radiation is typically within 810 to 1060 nm in the near-infrared spectrum. This video does a fantastic job of summarizing how that process works.

The only way to make the laser as flexible and controllable is by moving them through multiple mirror alignments. If you don’t set things up correctly, the light can bounce in random directions, which you don’t want. That’s why DIY laser-cutting machines are so dangerous. 

2. Burns

Causing a fire and getting burnt is the other potential threat of laser cutters. Laser cutters work by burning away a certain amount of material when cutting them. We’re talking steel, aluminum, and other metals. So, you can imagine how hot the laser needs to be to achieve that.

However, most people misinterpret the threat of laser cutters. As you can see in the video, the person must do some pretty stupid things, even to cause a simple fire. So laser cutting machines are very safe for the most part.

The problems only start when you leave a laser cutter unattended. The modular components of the machine may get stuck. Or you may misconfigure the cutting path, which may lead to the machine setting fire to the material you’re trying to cut. Such situations are easy to solve if you are paying attention. But can quickly get out of hand if left unattended.

3. Toxic Fumes

Since laser cutters need to burn some material away to cut things, the process naturally produces particulates and fumes. In some cases, cutting some material creates particularly nasty-smelling fumes, while the fumes are downright lethal in other cases.

For example, burning anything with acrylic creates this absolutely revolting smell that takes hours to dissipate, even with a robust extraction unit. Burning Chrome-tanned leather produces lethal toxicity. Materials with chlorine will create hydrochloric acid when the fumes interact with the moisture from the air.

Fake leather is also a hazard because they are made from PVC, and PVC creates chlorine. Same for fiberglass, carbon fiber, and other thermoset materials.

4. Shock Or Electrical Fire

Laser-cutting machines use a lot of electricity. A CO2 laser will use 20 kilovolts of electricity; that’s some serious firepower. Such high voltages can easily shock you or cause a fire if you configure it poorly or handle the machine without proper care. Diode lasers are much safer in this case because they use far less power.

The issue of electrical hazard stems from improper mains grounding and handling, using cheap connectors, subpar wires, and other parts. Electricity arcing off onto the metal frame of the laser cutter is a relatively common issue. This video is a good demonstration of how dangerous a faulty laser cutter can become.

How To Prevent Accidents When Using Laser Cutters?

The hazards of laser cutting may seem overwhelming, but there are very easy ways of mitigating them. That’s partly why laser cutting is so popular. Here’s a list of things we suggest for making laser cutting safer:

1. Enclosure

Ninety percent of your laser exposure issues can be solved by just putting a box around your laser cutter. Industrial laser cutters come with a dedicated enclosure, but that’s not the case for the low-end consumer-level units.

Cheap laser cutters have barebone features like the CNC and the gantry, nothing else. However, using a laser cutter in an open space is highly dangerous because you could fill your home with toxic fumes in minutes. You can DIY craft the enclosures or have one made from a nearby woodworking shop.

2. Laser Goggles

One of the first safety gear we recommend is a pair of laser protective goggles. These can protect your eyes from laser radiation and also from direct exposure. When buying safety goggles, you must ensure they are OD-certified. And if you have a diode laser cutter, you’ll need to buy a pair of goggles that match the frequency range of your laser, or it won’t work.

3. Extraction Unit

The extraction unit is the answer to your toxic fume problem. Most industrial laser cutters have extraction and purification units almost the same size as the laser machine. These are essentially air-purifying chambers. You need a lot of airflow to deal with the fumes. Low-end laser cutters won’t naturally have such features, so you’ll need to DIY using a vent fan instead.

4. Mislabeling and Correct Settings

Before you laser-cut anything, make sure you know exactly what that material is made of. Some consumer-grade products come with lousy labeling. Things like cellophane or clear acrylic often have misleading labels. So check before you put anything under the laser to avoid potential mishaps.

You must also put the right setting for cutting things. Do not layer your drawing in the .dxf file. Multiple layers on the same cutting path can cause fire hazards.

5. Maintenance and Caution

Always check all your components, connectors, and other hardware before you turn on your laser cutter to prevent electrical hazards. Most of the common electrical hazards happen due to hardware failure and can be easily avoided if you check beforehand.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you are now more aware of the health risks of laser cutting and how to avoid them. Most accidents related to laser cutters happen due to user error material incompatibility, so you can easily avoid most issues by being vigilant. 

Our final advice is never to leave a running laser cutter unattended. For more information, you can contact us here.