Intro to Laser Cutter (July 2026)

Introductory course for basic safety and operation of the 54″ 130W laser cutter/engraver at Mill Forge Makerspace. This class will cover basic care and feeding of the machine and use of the control & design software for it.

Anticipated coverage will include:

• Lightburn design & control software for laser cutters & engravers
• Components and setup for the laser cutter/engraver
• Configuration and recovery for typical projects and issues

Attendees will be able to select and cut or engrave an item on the laser cutter to take home.

Appropriate attire required:

• Closed-toe shoes
• No loose clothing, jewelry, or accessories
• Long hair tied back/up or securely covered (e.g., under a well-fitting hat)

Attendees should bring a laptop computer if they are able. A limited number of computers are available for attendees who cannot bring one. The software used in the class is supported on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

NOTE: Tablets (e.g., iPads) are not able to run Lightburn, but any tool that can create a vector file (e.g., SVG) can be used to create patterns for laser cutting.