How you can use it
You must be certified to use or reserve our laser cutters.
After you're certified, you can use a laser cutter to:
- Cut or engrave wood, paper, cardboard, fabrics, and certain types of plastic
- Engrave glass and stone
- Create and add creative embellishments to objects
Fees
Our laser cutters and materials cost fees to use. Learn more about our fees and how to pay them.
Tutorials & instructional videos
Models & technical details
Epilog Fusion Pro
- Work limits
- Cutting/engraving area: 36 x 48 in (or 1219 x 914 mm)
- Maximum cutting thickness (1 pass): .75 in
- Features: Rim-Style Rotary Attachment (for rotary etching) and 2 overhead IRIS Cameras
- Filetypes
- Vector file types supported: DXF, AI, DST, PLT, LAS
- Raster file types supported: JPG, BMP, GIF, TIF, PNG, TGA
- The laser cutter may support other file types. Contact us at catalyst@email.arizona.edu if you have a specific need not listed here.
- Laser
- Type: 80-watt max CO2 laser
- Wavelength: 10.6 microns (infrared, invisible to the naked eye)
Acceptable materials
All materials you bring in must be approved by CATalyst staff before you can use them. The following list is just a guide, so it's not complete.
Material | Cut | Engrave | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Wood | Yes | Yes | Most wood-based products, including solid wood and plywood, are excellent for cutting and engraving. Engineered woods, such as MDF, still work but might char more when cutting. Avoid oily or resinous woods. |
Acrylics | Yes | Yes | |
Cloth and fabric | Yes | Yes | No plastic-coated or impregnated cloth. |
Paper products and matte board | Yes | Yes | High fire risk, monitor closely. |
Cork | Yes | Yes | |
Leather | Yes | Yes | Genuine leather only. No "pleather" or anything containing vinyl. |
Rubber | Yes | Yes | Only rubber that contains no chlorine. |
Polyester sheet (Mylar) | Yes | Yes | Great for stencils. |
Anodized aluminum | No | Yes | The laser can't mark bare metals, but it can burn away the anodizing to make designs. |
Glass | No | Yes | |
Marble, granite, other stone | No | Yes | |
Ceramics | No | Yes |