Basswood: measures 32 in x 6 in, and is available in 1/8th and 1/16th inch thicknesses. It's made by Hobarts. 2023 Universal Laser Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Slight edge discoloration may occur if settings are too high: Cardboard: 2-ply: . :V*5bRqO7)5M5em3(R2AW=NXp;&* ?~| S`oS}2AZsHQ>j(?n?GED]o4{jgR $4.q7O}~Qa~>;F4fAu>zU51yhNths3)YtG19[I Janka Hardness. It is usually a good idea to leave the adhesive paper on the bottom side of the material, but especially when etching, you will want to remove the paper from the top surface. `=-Y v#D>7#m8 5C \n o89L~_ Ax4: gK#Kl Y{&@X3$mF.5""# . That's engravers laminate, unless you bought the laser stuff it wont give a clean cut. Do not leave the machine unattended while it is running. This setting allows the operator to assign how many times the laser cutting machinewill complete a full cycle on the vector line that is being cut. The edges are sharp and clean, and it can be cut relatively quickly. Once you have done that, the objects can then be set to be processed from top to bottom or bottom to top, depending on how you set it up. stream All rights reserved. This is the laser cutter I use. For better results with thicker materials, you can also add extra passes (see below). The first pass cut almost through but second pass polished the edge quite nicely. here are the settings i used and the resulting cut. For the continuous improvement of our content and usability, we analyse visitor behaviour. **The current settings does not guarantee a clean cut -- you may have to knock your pieces out because the bottom didn't quite go all the way through all the time. Care should be taken with the following materials: Are you unsure whether a particular material is suitable for laser cutting or laser engraving? Send me the newsletter. Introducting xTool Laserbox. endobj the polystyrene is shrinky dink plastic. 0 147. . obj It cuts nice and safely, producing a fine polished edge. 3 comments. There are two types of acrylic materials: extruded and cast. It will ruin the optics of the laser cutters, cause the metal of the machine to corrode and ruin the motion control system. Our machines are running all over the world: from grade schools to National Labs, garage startups and many Fortune 500 companies. not sure if i should be doing a kerf offset and what the optimal power/speed/pass balance would be. Assistenz im Bereich Vertrieb/Marketing (m/w/d), Mitarbeiter in der Produktion Mechatroniker (m/w/d), Mitarbeiter im strategischen Einkauf (m/w/d), Mitarbeiter im Vertrieb-Auendienst (m/w/d), Ausbildung zum/zur Industriekaufmann/frau, Duales Studium fr Betriebswirtschaft / BWL, Ausbildung zum/zur Kaufmann/-frau fr Bromanagement, Ausbildung als Fachkraft fr Lagerlogistik (m/w/d), Certification as a laser system operator (2-day course), LaserScout software and the PLANNER module. The laser can cut or etch. Which materials are not suitable for laser cutting and engraving? R here are the settings i used and the resulting cut. Just remember, as yourlaser tube wears out, you will notice that it will take more power and slower speeds to cut. 0 1/8 cuts nice, use use 35 speed ,90 power , 3050 frequency thinner.040 45/ 85/ fr 870. has worked with no melt down some times i do ,020 styrene window frames with .020 mullions. 9 30 watt 40 watt 50 watt 60 watt Mat Board Engraving 400 DPI 90s 70p 90s 60p 90s 50p 90s 40p Cutting 500 f 30s 60p 30s 50p 30s 40p 30s 30p Bottom-up engraving is suggested for mat board etching. endobj JavaScript is disabled. Styrene isn't a big problem as it doesn't contain chlorine which can corrode the metal parts of the laser cutter. We offer fast turnaround times and ship to any location in . From plastic sheets, rods and films to films, rolls and more, Laird Plastics has cut and custom sizes and materials for every need. 3 Cookie Notice Polystyrene, like foam, should be able to be cut fine as long as you keep the pieces thin. any ideas or resources anyone can direct me to would be great. << I also used a card scraper, as Gene suggested, to remove any burr. << It also looks like the engravers bed wasn't so clean, there shouldn't be that many burn marks. If your material catches fire and remains on fire you must immediately stop the laser cutter using the main power switch and notify a Lab Assistant. It can cut and engrave plastics with utmost perfection, precision, and accuracy. Cutting rubber sheets is quite challenging due to the physical properties of rubber and the high quantity and thickness of rubber sheets processed in industrial settings. Only tried cutting on 60W. Edit- a lot more than 2.5w is necessary for quickly cutting styrene. 1 %PDF-1.4 LASER SETTINGS. R It is easy to get confused when it comes down to power, speed and other settings that are required. A good way to think of it is to compare it to an internal combustion engine. The plastic can be formed using either an injection molding process or an extruder. If you run the laser too hot, it will give you more melted edges. hide. Charring may occur, Avoid oily/resinous woods, Charring will occur, plywood contains glue and may be more difficult to cut, we recommend using a hard wood if possible, Slight edge discoloration may occur if settings are too high, Cuts nicely, but easily catches on fire under slow speeds or high power settings, Quality of the cuts depend on the quality of the cork, thick cork will char and burn, Cuts extremely well, with nice clean edges, ANY clear or plastic protective covering must be removed before cutting, Smokes severely when cut, laser cutter lens easily gets dirty and will need to be cleaned when finished and cooled, Chars and burns when speed is too slow or power is too high, Emits pure chlorine gas when etched or cut! These materials include: Leather and artificial leather that contains chromium (VI) Carbon fibers (Carbon) Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) /Creator If the laser head moves too quickly or its power is too lower, it will cause the laser to be unable to cut all the way through the material. DO NOT cut this material!! Located in Manassas, VA, our services are easily accessible to those in Northern Virginia and the Washington DC Metro area. The CO laser systems from eurolaser are ideally suited for the processing of acrylonitrile butadiene styreneCO laser systems are an excellent tool for cutt. obj ANY clear or plastic protective covering must be removed before cutting: Styrene Sheets: 1/16" Smokes severely when cut, laser cutter lens easily gets . Just remember that your laser cuts the material by burning through it, so if you do multiple passes, you will burn and char the edges more than with a single pass. Please bring your files completed and ready to cut. <> Perhaps test the underside and do only a small window. ACRYLIC - Engraving. Sometimes you will have projects that need to be cut out in a very specific order. 3 0 obj 10 PPI, 20% power, 80% speed (60-watt, 3mm Baltic Birch) Image Density The "image density" setting varies the DPI (not PPI) and determines how many horizontal passes are made per one vertical inch of travel when raster engraving. Marketing The speed settings will determine how quickly the head on the laser cutting machinewill move. Materials you should not process with a laser There are some materials you should not engrave or cut with a laser becuase of their chemical make-up. (3a) Focus laser beam (manually) By default (for the mid-resolving lens) the beam is located 5.08 cm (2.0 in) below the lens. Cutting 3/8" (9.5 mm) 10 f 2s* 100p 2s* 100p 3s 100p 5s 100p Cutting 1/2" (12 mm) 10 f 2s 100p When cutting wood, multiple passes may allow cutting of thicker materials. , Mirrors: The front glass as well as the back coating can be etched, Too high power or too slow speed may cause cracking, Consider infilling with acrylic/craft paint and then wiping off excess, Rick suggests wetting the material to keep smoke/dust low, Rubber Stamp setting used on Print Settings in Corel Draw, Subsetting under the Rubber Stamp options were left as their defaults, Black color was used as what would be cut out. Laser engraving of polystyrene can be performed with a 9.3 or 10.6 micron CO2 laser and results in depth with a smooth slightly melted surface. 1994 -2023 612 Glass and epoxy resin, High amounts of charring, difficult to cut. They cut styrofoam all the time with heated wires so I can't imagine a laser would produce anything harmful. eurolaser GmbH. and yes, we have goggles and ventilation. >> The laser tube, optics, electronics, driver software and precision components just add up to make machines that are not cheap to manufacture. FC-6012 Elite Fiber Laser Cutting Machine. /Type Well, job done and pretty happy with the results. [ I have tried several settings, using both cut and dot mode. We will laser engrave objects for any purpose you may have. x]BJ@|B@g{1lcx !)~zzj7Vt27WU_U6cCY.gcb Gil|5amZk xMo $v$,'~>'>{I]a@U5=hs&=>>_Yd23[06_-*]aFWxNK0"|Et8#a#2SP8#j0# 2;j|t f&WtJ78X3]&+c+0];;"Q f:S+ENLr;jdWvE( }unE3"fm9Qu5%5qWJv:tFDB>~w]Hn4F3n9VJ)0 57s PV[HY /D Won't need to buy bases for a while. Can I also cut at a slant with the laser? If I were to run it at 40% power and 100% speed, it would leave much more obvious melted edges. %PDF-1.5 I've cut translucent polystyrene sheet. This can especially happens if the operator doesnt fully understand how those settings work together and if they are raster (engraving) or vector (cutting) settings. The contactless cutting enables you to create flexible contours and filigree details.What are the benefits of cutting ABS with laser? Exact edges no reworking necessary No clamping or fixing of the ABS sheets necessary Less breakage and waste because laser cutting is a contactless process No chippings less soiling and less cleaning required High degree of flexibility in the choice of contours without any need for tool construction or changeover No tool wear so therefore consistently high cut qualityhttps://www.eurolaser.com/materials/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene/ https://www.eurolaser.com/ Contact: https://www.eurolaser.com/contact FOLLOW US:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/eurolaser/aboutInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/eurolaser_gmbh/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eurolaser/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eurolaser-gmbh/ Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eurolaser/ The Digital Lab provides recommended power and speed settings that serve as a starting point for laser cutting your material, these settings can be adjusted to achieve the intended results . Hang the focus tool on the external ring of the working head. It is severely damaged to our equipment. Your laser cutting machine'ssettings will vary across multiple variables. and Avoid! 6061 Aluminum. 1/8". << /Group WATTS POWER% SPEED (mm/s) INTERVAL /SCAN GAP (mm) THINCKNESS; 70W: 25: 350.065: ANY . endobj /St Recommended Settings For the laser to cut properly, its settings need to be adjusted for your specific material and its thickness. It is very ineffective in etching/cutting and discolors the material. Avoid! <> Acrylic (lucite/plexiglass/PMMA) is one of the top materials for laser cutting. In theprevious blog post, we looked at the best settings for engraving (raster), and now we will dive in and take a closer look at the settings to use for vector cutting.