Kern: Introduction

Terrapin Works has 3 laser cutters : the Kern, Epilog, and Glowforge

The Kern is more powerful at 400 watts

The Epilog is 75 watts and the glowforge is 35 watts

The Kern features a much larger cutting area than the other laser cutters at 50" x 52"

The Kern can cut thicker materials and can cut more quickly than the other laser cutters

The epilog is quicker at engraving than the Kern

Some jobs that require more engraving will be better on the epilog than the Kern

All controls are on the front panel

Emergency stops are located around the machine

The computer contains all software required to run the machine

The Chiller is used to cool the system

The BOFA is the fume extractor

Gas bottles are used for different cutting situations

All of the above will have more detailed steps later

Proper PPE is always required while using this machine

Hearing protection is required when running the chiller and the BOFA

Gloves are occasionally required while handling some materials and while doing some maintenance on the machine (explained in later guides)

Eye protection is not required because the machine is completely enclosed meaning there is no debris or laser beams to worry about

Lasers can be dangerous so take care around this machine to prevent injury or damage

This is a class one laser product meaning it's extremely difficult to injure yourself while using it

All doors have interlocks to turn off the laser if they are open

Never try defeating the safety interlocks

Emergency stops are located on each corner

An operator must be supervising the Kern during any operation

Materials such as wood and acrylic are flammable, so a fire extinguisher is located next to the machine

The Kern cannot cut anything with Chlorine such as PVC because it created Chlorine gas

The metal lens must be installed to cut metal

The metal lens cannot cut nonmetals

Do not cut aluminum thicker than .060" because it can break the mirrors

If you have any questions about what can or cannot be cut ask an experienced user or send a message in the #equip-kern slack channel

Press the Green start button

Turn on the chiller (detailed later)

Switch the Laser key from off to on

Turn BOFA on

All lights should be green when ready to cut

The BOFA is the fume extractor. Simply press the power button to turn it on

Its default setting is 1000 CFM and it will run as high as possible

Occasionally it will limit itself well below 1000 CFM and needs to be reset

Simply press and hold the enter button then press the up button to adjust the CFM

Press the power button to turn it off

The BOFA needs to be turned on before using the Kern, it will not automatically turn on

The chiller helps cool the laser and is required to run the Kern

The Kern will not work if the chiller is off

It has 3 settings

Always on

Always off

Automatically turn on and off with the Kern

There are three types of air

Shop Air

Oxygen

Nitrogen

Air is used on all nonmetals and the dessicant needs to be checked periodically

Check the desiccant and make sure it is blue periodically

Oxygen and Nitrogen are used on metals

Make sure to turn the tanks on or off and purge the air lines when changing gas (explained further in the metal changing guide)

There are 5 lenses and 2 different tips for the Kern

3 of the lenses are for nonmetals and feature different focal distances

Longer focal distances makes cutting through thicker material easier

There are three focal distances: 2.5" which is good for thin materials, 5" which is good for most materials, and 7.5" which is mostly good for foam

The metal lenses have an even shorter focal length, a brass tip, and an extra wire

We generally use the 5" non-metal lens and the same length metal lens

There are 2 skinny tips and 1 fat tip that can be switched between the non-metal lenses

Fat tip is used on acrylic to get a flame polished edge and the skinny tips are used for all other materials

Chaning lenses is as simply as screwing one off and then screwing the new one on

Unplug the air hose before unscrewing and replug it back in when done

Tips just screw on the end of the lense

The Basic Operation guide covers what to do in the software when changing lenses

Press stop on the left side to turn the machine off

Switch the laser key to the off position

Turn the computer monitor off

Press one of the Emergency stops in case of a fire or other emergency

The Kern will stop and the chiller will eventually turn off

The BOFA will not turn off

The reset the emergency stop, twist the stop button to reset the button

Turn off the Kern then turn it back on and press the servo alarm reset button to reset the system from an emergency stop

Normal operation should resume after that

First place to check is the control panel

All lights should be green and if any are red, the Kern will not work and will not move

Each LED has 3 states Red, Orange, and Green

Red means not good to go and there is a problem

Orange means theres been a status change

Green means go

To update all the LEDs, switch the laser key from on to off then turn back on

In this picture the red indicates the emergency stop has been activated, an interlock is open, there's no water flow, and there's no DC power going to the laser

Grease all 6 grease ports with a pump and a half of grease from the grease gun once a month

Check the protective lens in the metal cutting head occasionally (explained in the metal cutting guide)

The gantry needs to be oiled once a month, simply put some oil in the ring

Everything else has some maintenance videos online and is completed on an as needed basis

Maintenance videos and other resources can be found on the Kern website: http://kernlasers.com/customer-login/

Username: laser

Password: system

Start by unscrewing these thumb screws

Lift the panel up to show the head

Put oil in the marked spot

This guide serves as a basic intro to safety and the some basic maintenance and troubleshooting

The next guide to check out is Corel Draw guide