We have a laser system available for requests from Makerspace Members. Depending on the type of material, the laser is capable of:
Marking
Engraving
Etching
Cutting
This laser system is not available for commercial purposes.
All items should be for personal use and not for resale.
The largest material that can be used in the laser system is:
flat: 2 feet by 1 foot, up to 7 inches thick
round: 21 inches long, 4 inches in diameter
It may take up to 2 weeks to fulfill a print request after your design and materials have been approved. If you want to use the laser system on your own, you must be certified to do so (see below).
For more information about the laser system, design, or our policies, email your questions to maker@mfplibrary.org.
Approval for the laser system requires a preview of both the design and the material used.
You must bring your final design to a Makerspace Specialist for preview. One-on-one consultation is required before the process can continue. This design will be checked for:
size
format
contrast
hazards
duration
restricted elements (see below)
Your design will be accepted if it passes preview. Suggestions will be provided to help your design pass preview if it does not pass.
You must supply your own material if you are requesting to make something with the laser system. All materials will be screened before use and an identical sample material must be supplied for testing. This helps us to find the right settings for power, speed, and pulse frequency. Without this calibration, you are accepting the results of a "best guess".
The following materials are banned because they will present hazards to the health of patrons or damage the laser optics:
PVC, vinyl, pleather, artificial leather
ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a type of 3D printer filament)
HDPE (high-density polyethylene, milk bottle plastic)
polystyrene, polypropylene (foam)
materials with stains, oils, resins, sealants, plastic coating, etc.
The following materials are not recommended because they do not lead to quality reproductions:
polycarbonate, Lexan
fiberglass, coated carbon fiber
uncoated metals
The following materials are generally acceptable but the Makerspace Specialist may still insist that the laser system be used outside or may refuse to allow their use due to uncertainty.
natural wood, plywood, MDF (medium density fiberboard, engineered wood)
paper, cardstock, cardboard
acrylic, lucite, plexiglass, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate)
thermoplastic, acetal, polyacetal, polyformaldehyde, POM (polyoxymethylene)
PLA (polylactic acid, a type of 3D printer filament, thin water bottle plastic)
cloth, felt, leather, suede
rubber, silicon
glass, ceramic tile
stone, marble, granite
metals that are painted, anodized, or have bonded coatings
If the request will take longer than an hour to complete or is expected to complete after the library closes, your request will be added to a queue and run at a later time. It may take up to 2 weeks to fulfill your request if you are in the queue.
You can become certified to use the laser system on your own. The process requires in-person training and may be specific to the project you want to work on. Check out our Laser Engraving project page for more information to get you started. If you are using the laser system on your own, you are expected to be able to assess your designs by yourself and assess the materials by yourself.
A few designs are banned:
Unlicensed designs -- These may be protected by copyright, trademark, and/or patents.
Hateful and/or derogatory and/or blatantly obscene themes -- These are against library policy.
Our general policies apply to this activity.
Staff members are not responsible for your design.
Staff members are not responsible for any errors due to your design.
Staff members are not responsible for the quality of the reproduction of your design.