Aunque casi cualquier material que introduzca en su sistema de grabado contendrá o liberará algún tipo de residuo o suciedad, en general, la mayoría de los materiales son seguros para su uso en el sistema. Sin embargo, hay ciertos materiales que no son adecuados para el grabado y corte por láser, ya que pueden corroer el interior de la máquina, lo que reduce su rendimiento y anula la garantía. La seguridad de los materiales es un paso esencial para prolongar la vida útil de su sistema láser.
El cloruro de hidrógeno y el cloruro de vinilo (que se encuentran principalmente en el PVC y otros materiales sintéticos) son peligrosos para la vida útil de su sistema láser. Grabar y cortar estos materiales puede causar daños irreversibles a su máquina, por lo que es extremadamente importante determinar los componentes de los materiales que va a cortar y grabar. Pero, ¿cómo se determina la composición del material que desea cortar o grabar con láser? Siga leyendo para averiguarlo.
Material Safety Data Sheet
A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is designed to provide you the proper procedures for handling or working with a particular substance. These documents contain the elements used to make up the material and will indicate whether or not it contains elements that are potentially harmful to your engraving system. MSDS’s also include information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures.
Obtaining a MSDS
There are several ways to obtain a MSDS for the material sheet. The easiest way is to perform an Internet search with the key words “MSDS” and whatever material you’re working with (example: MSDS + Neoprene.)
Si no encuentra la información que busca utilizando este método, póngase en contacto directamente con el fabricante para obtener una ficha de datos de seguridad (FDS) sobre el material en cuestión.
Sample MSDS
Below are some sample safety data sheets for various products.
Neoprene – Notice that under hazardous combustion products, the MSDS indicates hydrogen chloride is emitted when the material is heated.
Polyester – there is no mention of toxic or questionable elements in this material so it appears safe to laser cut and/or engrave.
What happens if you engrave or cut something containing hydrogen or vinyl chloride?
If you don’t know what’s in the material you’re engraving or cutting, you may have unintentionally cut or engraved items containing polyvinyl chloride. Performing this once or twice will likely not drastically damage your machine; however, continued engraving or cutting of this material will corrode the inside of your machine.
A more important consideration are the potentially hazardous fumes that might be released from processing these materials. Some materials are quite toxic when burned and the damage to your health is much more important than the minor damage you might do to your machine.
Material Safety Data Sheets are an invaluable resource for laser engravers. To protect your health and the life of your machine, always obtain a MSDS for materials about which you are uncertain.
