Laser cutting in the service of innovative projects

The prototyping workshop on the Créaluz technology park at Saint-Jean-de-Luz has acquired a laser-cutting machine that can mark, etch and cut out parts in a large number of different materials.

This machine is available to all project leaders in the Communauté Pays Basque area. The flatbed of the Speedy 300 machine by manufacturer Trotec Laser can take pieces of 740 mm x 440 mm and can be adjusted to heights of up to 200 mm. This machine is equipped with a CO2 laser head with adjustable power up to 120W and a moving speed of up to 3.55m/s. It is therefore possible to do marking, etching and laser cutting on a great variety of materials. 

With the Speedy 300, project leaders can work on many materials: wood, glass, paper, cardboard, leather, textiles, ceramics, cork, metals, plastic, etc. However, some materials should be avoided for reasons of incompatibility with the laser or simply to avoid risks to the operator (for example, chlorine release). A list of these prohibited materials is available in the workshop and the managers of Créaluz are aware of it.

For start-ups, very small businesses and SMEs in the Pays Basque

The laser marking, cutting and etching machine is controlled via software that accepts plans and graphic files in many formats (PDF, PNG image, DXF plans, etc.). Use of the equipment is managed by Pierre Diaz, an engineer at Compositadour, who contributed to the 3D modelling room at the Arkinova business generator in Anglet and is the technical Head of the prototyping workshop in Créaluz. He trains project leaders in the use of the Speedy 300 in under two hours and offers them the chance to work on their own material. 

The machine is available free of charge to all residents of Créaluz, and upon quotation for very small businesses and SMEs in the Pays Basque with prior support according to need. The machine has enabled numerous users to develop almost finished prototypes: LookUp has designed 90% of its product on it (an eco-designed stand for a laptop computer), the Resakassociation has used it to etch logos on their products developed from recycled material, the Noostrim Company has used it for marking, etching and cutting out their articles made of recycled fishing nets.

“We are especially focussed on local start-ups, very small businesses and SMEs at the project development phase, who want to go from the idea to the object very rapidly with a view to industrialization, or project leaders hoping to create a business that will generate employment,” explains Pierre Diaz. 

Contact: crealuztechnopole-paysbasque.fr