6 Essential Safety Gears and Tools for Laser Cutting

Laser cutters are amazing tools, but like all tools, they pose potential hazards to the user. While they lack fast-moving sharps, they do still have moving optics assemblies. The laser itself has the potential to harm the skin and the eyes. Vaporization and scorching/decomposition of the cut material can also release harmful gas, dust, and smoke.

It is essential that user safety is treated with seriousness. Below is a list of the most common and appropriate safety gear when using laser cutters.

1. Fire Extinguisher

The most obvious risk in operating a laser cutting machine is the ignition of the target material. Lasers rely on generating very high temperatures in the target to locally char or vaporize the cut zone. Most non-metals that can be cut are flammable. An operating assumption of the fire risk is a basic precaution for users. A fire extinguisher is a must-have safety accessory. It must be kept close to the machine and maintained in functioning condition. It should be certified and within the recommended service date. Dry powder extinguishers are very effective and have a long operational shelf life. They leave a mess, but cleaning up with a vacuum cleaner is easy. CO₂ extinguishers are commonly used for small electrical fires or equipment fires. They are effective for laser cutter applications, but many home users also rely on multipurpose dry chemical (ABC) extinguishers, which are easier to obtain and handle. They can be hard to use for larger fires. However, for small and contained equipment fires such as those in laser cutting, CO₂ extinguishers are simple, effective, and damage-free.

2. Safety Glasses or Goggles

Laser light is highly concentrated energy. In normal operation, it is virtually impossible to put the eye directly into the beam path. Diffuse reflections and scattered laser light can damage the eyes, especially with high-power lasers. Appropriate filter-type safety goggles are widely available and low-cost. Choose an option that is right for the frequency of the laser you are using. For example, goggles that are optimized for UV may be ineffective at blocking IR. Some consumer-grade laser cutters are supplied with basic goggles, but industrial machines often require users to obtain certified protective eyewear matched to the laser’s wavelength and optical density. The manufacturer will generally recommend replacements.

3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for laser cutting includes coveralls, head covers, and face shields. The hazards in laser cutting are rarely “whole body,” but all machining processes tend to produce contaminants that should not come into direct contact with skin, clothing, or hair. Even for low-power home equipment, basic PPE such as protective eyewear and masks is recommended, while full-body PPE is generally reserved for high-power or industrial laser cutters.

4. Gloves

While the risk to hands is low, it is non-zero. There are three main hand hazards that must be addressed: burns, cuts, and chemical hazardous material contact. Equipment fault or loss of concentration may result in burns, either from the laser light or hot parts. The beam is invisible, only showing when impacting matter that obstructs it. Leather work gloves can protect against burns from hot materials and surfaces, but they do not protect from direct laser exposure. With higher-power equipment, gloves will barely delay the onset of serious injury, so ensure that the machine is powered down and has a service tag on the power controls before accessing the beam path. Leather work gloves are also recommended for heavier or potentially hazardous materials. Disposable rubber gloves, on the other hand, are suggested for lightweight materials and for handling chemically hazardous materials.

5. Masks

A wide choice of filter masks is available to protect against the effects of hazardous substances present as powders. Basic disposable masks can capture larger dust particles, but effective protection against fine particulates and fumes from laser cutting requires certified respirators (e.g., N95, P100) and, for volatile compounds, activated carbon filters. The mask must preferably have an outflow valve to prevent the act of exhaling from lifting the mask and potentially allowing contamination past the face seal. If volatile, smoke, or sub-micron particulate particles are present, a filter mask that integrates particulate and adsorptive elements (such as an activated carbon filter element) is a better choice. This will reduce the potential exposure of very vulnerable tissues to unknown and unmeasurable toxicity. Life-threatening consequences of such exposures can be long delayed, so treating them as high risk is a logical precaution.

6. Hearing Protection

Large industrial laser cutting systems can generate significant noise from auxiliary equipment such as exhaust fans, compressors, and material handling, so hearing protection may be necessary depending on measured sound levels. Experience with a machine will allow a personal choice to be made about this safety-gear option, but treating it as a potential risk is advised.

What Problems Could Occur if Safety Gear And Tools Are Not Used When Laser Cutting?

The use of laser cutters without safety gear can cause significant problems, such as health issues and fire risks. Dust, volatiles, and combustion products present the most pernicious and potentially long-term harm to machinery users. Many materials can produce respiratory inflammation and irritation. Combustion products, in particular, can be carcinogenic and toxic. Additionally, laser cutters are among the class of machine that creates a greater fire hazard by cutting and combustion. It is recommended to follow all safety precautions stated by the OEM.

What Is Laser Cutting?

Laser cutting removes material by localized melting, burning, or vaporization with a focused, coherent laser beam. Most industrial laser cutters use infrared (CO₂ ~10.6 μm or fiber/diode ~1 μm) or visible wavelengths, not UV. The removed/destroyed material exits the cut either as char, vapor, or melted droplets, usually assisted by an air current. Cutting performance can be improved with assist gases: nitrogen or argon for clean, oxidation-free cuts, or oxygen to accelerate cutting of metals through an exothermic reaction. Laser cutting is widely used in various industries, including automotive, medical, jewelry, metalworking, and woodworking. Laser cutters help produce car components, pacemakers, intricate jewelry, pipes, and types of furniture. To learn more, see our full guide on Laser Cutting.

What Are the Dangers of Laser Cutting?

The dangers associated with laser cutting are essentially twofold: universal dangers in the use of machine tools and thermal-based cutting processes, and laser-specific safety hazards. Some examples of dangers with machine tools and thermal-based processes are: smoke, vapor, and particles in the air, fire risks from hot cutting, moving-equipment hazards (impacting, pinching, or trapping a person), and electrical hazards from faulty wiring. Laser-specific hazards include extreme danger to the eyes from direct or reflected beams and the risk of skin burns from high-power exposure. While lasers can cut or engrave materials, human tissue damage occurs primarily as burns rather than deep cutting.

What Are Some Laser Cutting Safety Tips?

Some laser cutting safety tips are listed below:

1. Never operate the laser cutting equipment unattended.
2. Keep the table and the work area clean.
3. Use all provided and recommended safety equipment.
4. Always use interlocked, laser-proof enclosures when available. If no enclosure is provided, use certified protective barriers designed for the specific laser wavelength and power.
5. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand and ensure it is within its use date.
6. Warning signs indicating laser operation are required in workplaces and laboratories and are advisable even for home equipment if others may be nearby.
7. Ensure good ventilation in the workspace and vent air extraction outside.

For more information, see our guide on Laser Cutting Safety Precautions.

What Are the Things To Avoid When Laser Cutting?

The things to avoid when laser cutting are listed below:

1. Don’t assume the process is safe just because the hazards are not clear.
2. Don’t bypass safety features like cover interlocks.
3. Don’t vent cutting gases/smoke into the workspace.
4. Don’t fail to act when a hazard is identified.
5. Don’t operate messy equipment; clean up first.
6. Don’t operate potentially faulty equipment; check and repair first.
7. Never view the laser beam or the cutting point without certified laser safety eyewear appropriate for the laser’s wavelength and optical density.

Summary

This article presented safety gears and tools for laser cutting, explained what they are, and discussed the importance of each one. To learn more about laser cutting safety, contact a Xometry representative.

Xometry provides a wide range of manufacturing capabilities, including sheet cutting and other value-added services for all of your prototyping and production needs. Visit our website to learn more or to request a free, no-obligation quote.

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