Electrician Jobs co2 laser cutter machine/engraver

[carole]

hi
I'm in need of a little advice, I bought a k40 laser cutter/engraver machine, it has come from china on the machine it has a fixture for grounding the case/machine, its power supply is the normal 3 pin plug, do I still need to ground it?, if so I'm on the second floor, any advice as to what I can ground it too, any advice much appreciated

 

[westward10]

What do the instructions state.

 

[Upton Sparks]

Call an Electrician out to install, if its for work it will most like need some sort of PAT testing as well.

If it need Grounding, then it will require a suitable Earthing Cable run form the equipment back to the Fuse board or it may be possible to run to a local Socket outlets CPC( Circuit Protective conductor, all so know as the Earth), but with out reading the Manufacture instruction on the requirement it is very difficult to advise, apart from the above comment "get an Electrician out"

Again if this is a work related item, which it sound like it is, then your Duty bound to make sure its safely installed and safe to use, it will most likely require PAT testing if it has a plug on it. .

Kind regards

Upton

 

[carole]

thry say to ground the case, but I'm not sure how I can do this, ive researched online and no one seems to gound it, but I would prefer to do what it states

 

[carole]

ok, I will call an electrican, thanks for the advise

 

[HandySparks]

ok, I will call an electrican, thanks for the advise

The electrician may well be able to verify that the case is already grounded via the mains lead.

 

[Bobster]

Is the machine CE marked?

There must be a reason they have a dedicated earthing point. Most probably because of excessive leakage current from the laser head. You may end up struggling to run it, if the circuit you plan on using has earth leakage protection.

 

[Darkwood]

The OP states it comes from China although he does not express if they purchased it direct or through a local distribution company, if the latter then a simple phone call to them to provide the relevant info' as regulations stipulate they should have already supplied should show how to connect the machine up earthing etc included.
If they have bought it direct from China then the CE mark could be worthless and I would definitely get it checked over before ever powering it up, I have seen so many fakes and dangerous equipment been bought direct from China it is a worrying trend I see with people getting caught out with what seem too hard to believe prices but often for very worrying reasons.
I even have seen said machinery go through a EU company where they are unaware what they are selling is fake just because they assume the CE mark is real.
If this was bought through a China trading platform then check the companies ratings and history plus whether they are signed up and use recognised credible payment methods, anything amiss in this list could be a sign it fake.

 

[Strima]

Having had a look online for this model it appears to be a mixture of good and bad. Appears to have been tested at the factory but finally assembly is poor with missing screws,poorly fitting fans, uneven beds and poorly manufactured mirrors.

For that amount of money I would expect some better quality.

With Chinese stuff, you pay your money, you take your chance.

 

[westward10]

Just watched a You Tube video on this which suggests you should not solely rely on the cpc in the supply cord.

 

[Darkwood]

Just seen it on Youtube, there is no way it meets our CE standards, yes it works, is it safe to use??????? It was clear the unit can be run with the orange screen raised which straight away is a health and safety issue especially to possible eyesight damage, like Strima says 'you pay your money and take your chance'.
I hope this is for personal use and the OP doesn't expect others ie employees to operate it as this could one day result in a H&S legal wrangle if anyone is hurt using it or negatively effected, if the OP did indeed buy direct from china the responsibility lies solely on them to ensure it meets all UK/EU standards, looking for a CE mark means nothing if it comes from outside the EU.

 

[westward10]

Does look a right piece of tat.

 

[carole]

Thanks for all your options and advise, yes it’s for personal use, it was bought for me and I would never allow anyone to use it, I have grounded it properly and while a lot of stuff online states it is tat, this came in very good condition and seems assembled to a good standard, I just wanted to make sure I was following all precautions to make sure I was being safe, thanks again
Kind regards

 

[Darkwood]

@carole

I would if using it ensure the ventilation is properly sealed and exhausted correctly (no leakage) and I would personally wear some independent eye protection for laser light, I really wouldn't trust anything on this machine to be to standards and safe to use, I have read some of the reviews and this is seriously a poor quality copy of a market product, considering you could be expecting to pay in the region of 30k for a certified laser cutter then you really have to ask yourself why it is about £300, I maintain, upgrade and build machinery control and what I see on YouTube regarding this machine is very worrying and if I came across it I would lock it off and stop anyone ever using it.
Just a reminder too, if this catches fire and does some property damage then your insurance could be void as you bought a fake product, that is an expensive lesson if your house burns down.... I would if possible use it in a garage and have a powder extinguisher close by, just in case, it's been shown the coolant pump for the laser hasn't always been fitted correctly and the machine doesn't appear to have any safety systems to automatically shut it down if problems occur.