It provides information on the types of materials that can be laser processed and the processes (laser cutting, engraving and marking) that are possible with a given material. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2004.02.019. In fact, some laser cutters are not able to cut it because it ruins the lens and requires frequent stopping and cleaning. OPTIMAL SURFACE FINISH AND RESULTS . Send. Extremely thin sheets (0.5mm and less) may cut with yellowed/discolored edges. All matters missing from the metal lasers. Laser engraving produces a white or clear engraved image, depending on the chosen settings. The following are suggested laser cutter configuration settings for various materials. Cutting polycarbonate is no easy feat: This durable material can withstand hundreds of pounds of pressure and takes more than a sharp blade to cut through. Laser cutting produces a smooth polished edge as standard, providing excellent optical clarity. As soon as I have bigger jobs to cut, it doesn’t cut through most sections. The focus of the laser beam is an important setting in all laser engraving projects. Back To Polymers. I dislike that yellow edge! 60 watts or more is recommended. For 1600mW Laser Module, you can use the Fine Tune Work Origin feature to achieve the best cutting result. Polycarbonate sheet can be cut with industrial cutting lasers however, edges may become amber or brown when laser cut and a clean edge is difficult to obtain. PETG products are easy to die-cut and thermoform without upsetting structural integrity. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser through optics. Cutting carbon fiber too quickly will cause material to melt and emit a nasty odor. Material Max thickness Notes WARNINGS! 3. Polycarbonate is a poor choice for laser cutting. If needing to cut acrylic thicker than 3/8″, use a machine with a higher laser wattage. The following are suggested laser cutter configuration settings for various materials. Laser engraving produces a white or clear engraved image, depending on the chosen settings. So, for industrial purposes thin gauge cutting may be acceptable, frequently impact modified acrylic or polyester is a better alternative. The air assist is essential to help push the acrylic fumes through your cut, and the honeycomb table helps reduce flashback and aids in pulling the flammable fumes out of your laser. Material: White polycarbonate/ABS blend. It can also be one of the most difficult. We used a 20 Watt fiber laser with low power settings. Sadly the wavelength from CO2 Lasers make it really difficult and almost impossible to engrave on polycarbonate. The graphic was done in 2 parts and each part was assigned different laser settings in order to get the two tone logo on the final part. Cutting 1/4” (6 mm) 5000 f 5s 100p 6s 100p 8s 100p 12s 100p 15s 100p Cutting 3/8” (9.5 mm) 5000 f - - 3s 100p 4s 100p 5s 100p Cutting Note: Adjusting the standard focus distance so it is closer to the lens by about .030” (.762 mm) will produce better edge quality on 1/4” acrylic and thicker. Our main goals were to reduce burning on the edges … You should also be able to load these settings into your computer or laser and save them as presets. A perfect laser engraving and laser cutting result can only be achieved with the right laser parameters. Laser cutters can cut a wide variety of materials – anything from paper, wood, cork, acrylic and foam to different types of metals. For many materials, the kerf will be somewhere between 0.05 mm (0.002 in) and 0.5 mm (0.02 in). #sba #ppp #smalllbusiness… https://t.co/tt3EFyiQ6u, @AveryDennison acquires the majority of @acpoltd’s assets, including coating, finishing, and distribution operation… https://t.co/IxsOvmQhDy, The #Signmojo contest drove record participation, with a total of 4,536 votes cast. They direct the laser beam generated on a small zone of the material. This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. . This work investigates the application of the CO 2 laser cutting process to three thermoplastic polymers, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC) in different thicknesses ranging from 2 to 10 mm. The process from sheet stock to finished award is a long one, but with the right settings on your equipment, you can create beautiful finished acrylic pieces that are perfect for various applications. This wood is spotted gum from Australia and has a Janka hardness of 2470 Newtons. It machines well and clearly can be laser … The good thing is that with a laser cutting device, you can cut … Polycarbonate front panels | Laser cutting. At the same time they provide the physical benefits of acrylic such as being formable, UV-stable and hard-wearing. Mark Data Type: Text, graphics, logo. Your power, speed and other laser settings are going to vary depending on things such as thickness of the acrylic you are cutting. Laser Micromachining Ltd. the complete facility for laser micro-parts. ABS: Melts / Cyanide: ABS does not cut well in a laser cutter. When exposing polycarbonate to a 1µm fiber laser marking machine the material will undergo a carbonization process: this is where the carbon within the material is released to show a contrasting … Material 35W Cut Notes Clear 1/16" (0.062") 100% power, 20% speed A clean cut on paperbacked acrylic, higher speed may be OK Clear 1/8" (0.125") 100% power, 12% speed From the Epilog Manual Clear 1/4" (0.25") 100% power, 4% speed From the Epilog Manual: Anodized Aluminum 35W etch 45W etch Notes … Laser cutting acrylic is developing a clear smoke with distinct sweet smell. 6 mm corrugated cardboard 250mm/min 3 passes no change in height and 100% power and air assist on, and 3 mm plywood same settings as 6mm cardboard, hope that helps. Now that you have a CTR laser machine, you are likely looking to explore the different materials that you can process for cutting and engraving. This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. Epilog also recommends two passes for the thicker 3/8″ acrylic. The following graphic is a good reference for testing cutting parameters. Virtual Customer Visit - eurolaser demo. GET A FREE QUOTE Let's get started! Carbon fiber mats/weave that has not had epoxy applied. In fact, the pattern on the heart in our featured image was laser cut onto the leather. - 191 - APPENDIX B: MATERIAL SETTINGS Fusion Series Suggested Material Settings (CO2) • These are only suggestions: Every type of material will react differently with the laser, even from one plastic to the next. Engraving. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. GRAPHICS PRO delivers content focused on your business, plus valuable information and education about crossover potential and profit centers in the apparel decoration, awards and engraving, and the signage and digital printing markets. A little discoloration on the opposite side. Applications & Usage: TroGlass Clear buy here. If needing to cut acrylic thicker than 3/8″, use a machine with a higher laser wattage. At Induflex it is removed from production with powerful suction in the laser machines. So, for industrial purposes thin gauge cutting may be acceptable, frequently impact modified acrylic or polyester is a better alternative. Polycarbonate is often found as flat, sheet material. The process parameters examined were: laser power, range of cutting speed, type of focusing lens, pressure and flow of the covering gas, thickness of the samples. The laser cut produces polished cutting edges and inner contours, no additional post-processing of the material is required. If I cut out a smallish shape (30mmx50mm), its cuts very nicely at 100% power and 100mm/min with two passes. You can leave this on while cutting or remove it right before cutting. The following guide settings may need to be adjusted on your machine depending on the optics fitted, the air assist gas being used, and the laser power. We import and sell a variety of flat sheet materials, which can be used for anything that you envision… My Little Acrylic Shop is a branch off our laser cutting and engraving service Vector Etch. When adjusting settings, a good rule is to adjust either the power or the speed. If you have other settings you’d like to suggest, please send an email to design_help@ncsu.edu with the details. We wanted to find out for ourselves what the best methods are to work with PETG. It sometimes possible to cut thicker using multiple passes and adjusting the table height, but that depends heavily on how well everything in your system is aligned and will be machine dependent. CNC fiber marking polycarbonate is an incredible process that’s awesome to see happen in person, it’s quite magical but the results of cutting this with our CO2 laser source has much to … Read More. Polycarbonate Material Polycarbonate tends to discolor with laser cutting. Acrylic; Corrugated Cardboard; Plywood; MDF; Leather; Sticker; Colored Card * Make sure that you’ve set the best work origin for laser engraving and cutting. Laser engraving polycarbonate guarantees a superb degree of precision hence common in applications which require fine inscriptions. Watch for smoking/burning Delrin (POM) thin Laser is 20w fiber. When cutting acrylic on a metal cutting bed, the laser energy may hit the metal cutting bed and bounce back into the material causing divots or vertical marks along the cut line. Home; Materials; Facilities; About Us; Information; Contact Us; Home ￫ Materials ￫ Polymers ￫ POLYCARBONATE Cutting. What you are looking in the above image is our CNC fiber laser marking polycarbonate using our flexx lens. The thinner the sheet you are cutting, the better the cutting results you will obtain. REMEMBER THAT ACRYLIC IS FLAMMABLE - DO NOT LEAVE THE LASER UNATTENDED! This varies from material to material and is also dependent on the specific settings of the laser. Marking. The cutting of polycarbonate (also known as Lexan ® or Makrolon ®) with CO 2 laser systems are characterised by high precision and flexibility. Finding K40 laser settings for different materials. The following article provides an overview of the correct laser settings for cutting PETG sheet, as well as how PETG sheet and laser cutting can contribute to a fabricator’s total operational efficiency. Not suggested if unfamiliar with laser cutting machines and proper settings. Laser cutting is so popular largely because of its versatility. Properties. Engraving. Having less variables will help to find the optimum settings faster. Two passes may produce better results and allow for cutting through thicker materials. Janka Hardness. Congratulations on your new CTR laser machine. Compared to conventional materials, ther... Laser cutting of filtering facepiece respirator. … To prep the laser for cutting, use your air assist and a honeycomb laser bed. The sample simulated in this research is a 3.2 mm thick Polycarbonate sheet that is subjected to the laser cutting process by a low power continuous CO2 laser. Rotary Engraving Polycarbonate. Thin Polycarbonate Sheeting (<1mm) <1mm Very thin polycarbonate can be cut, but tends to discolor badly. Well, the laser is directed at the material and moved around to cut the material in the desired shape. Etching can be done on almost anything, wood, cardboard, aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, marble, stone, tile, and glass. The laser cut produces polished cutting edges and inner contours, no additional post-processing of the material is required. They have been very accurate nearly every-time for the result I usually look for in timber and other materials. Send the graphic to the laser. Laser cutting of polycarbonate eurolaser offers laser cutter especially configurated for foils The cutting of polycarbonate (also known as Lexan ® or Makrolon ®) with CO 2 laser systems are characterised by high precision and flexibility. Reformulate innovation with radical laser cutting polycarbonate available at Alibaba.com. Also, keep the power setting as low as possible. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. Polycarbonate absorbs IR strongly, and is a poor material to use in the laser cutter. Since we run Epilog lasers in our shop, I have included the recommended settings that came with our lasers. Laser marking machines at longer wavelengths, such as 10.6µm (CO2 laser) will simply cause the material to melt. Polycarbonate tends to discolor with laser cutting. Our Trotec laser is ideal for effortlessly cutting and engraving intricate designs in small and large quantities. Newsletter. The publisher apologises for the omission. Laser Cut Polycarbonate Uses. These are the recommended settings to watch out for. • Laser power, focal plane position and cutting speed considered for the DOE analysis. Prior to laser engraving, laser cutting or laser marking plastic you should always use a test piece as different materials react differently to processing. By using the acrylic cutting bed, the bed will absorb the laser energy and not bounce it back towards your work piece. The only solution (so far) to engrave this material is to use a YAG/Fiber laser. Welcome to My Little Acrylic shop! * The recommended settings might not apply to all situations. POLYCARBONATE Cutting. When working with new materials there is always a question of where to start in regards to settings with your laser cutter or engraving. If laser cutting plastic parts on a table of metal the laser beam will reflect from the table and make marks on the underside of the plastic parts. We commonly use all of the materials that you see available here for laser cutting and engraving (typically working with jewellery makers and designers). Test your cut settings on a small offcut of the material first, to ensure your chosen settings will give you the desired results. The user can even set and save their own cutting parameters for a worry free project. Laser cutting of polycarbonate eurolaser offers laser cutter especially configurated for foils. Hi Emily, basic cutting setting I use at the moment are, standard white paper - 1500mm/min 100% power. The material then either melts, burns, vaporizes away, or is blown away by a jet of gas, leaving an edge with a good-quality surface finish. Posted at 15:52h in Laser Cutting by HPC Laser 0 Comments. The window of the laser cutter is made of Polycarbonate because polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation! Theoretically, if you engrave huge fill areas on your material, you will end up with horizontal raster lines that make your engraving coarse and unpleasant. Lasers are powerful optical beams that are used to slice through an assortment of materials like metal, wood, glass and polycarbonate. In general, as the thickness of the acrylic you cut increases, the cutting speed must decrease. It’s a lightweight thermo-plastic that has high impact strength, an appealingly glossy finish, and a purity that makes it perfect for packaging food and pharmaceuticals. Laser Engraving Settings. Contact us now to see how we can help you with your Laser Design project. The materials that the laser can cut materials like wood, paper, cork, and some kinds of plastics. For laser marking plastics a fiber laser offers you a range of different methods, such as dyeing, carbonation or foaming. The laser flickered when cutting and seemed to produce small stringy hairs from the cuts. While you might associate laser cutting more with wood or plastic, you can use a laser cutter for fabric, paper, metal and more. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. This makes laser cutting perfect for intricate artistic displays and signage, where a professional finish is required. The Right Settings . Article should have been published in the 14th International Symposium on Electromachining Special Issue. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. Laser cutting of different polymeric plastics (PE, PP and PC) by a CO. Cutting: Thin sheets of polycarbonate can be cut with our CO2 laser systems, but the material tends to discolor when heated by the laser beam. The process parameters examined were: laser power, range of cutting speed, type of focusing lens, pressure and flow of the covering gas, thickness of the samples. There are four main settings to adjust on any laser-cutting system: the frequency of the laser pulse, the wattage of the laser, the speed at which the laser moves across the surface of the material and the adjustment of airflow through the air nozzle. The three variables to adjust are speed, power, and frequency—these change depending on your laser wattage. Focus. Here are some standard cutting settings in general laser cutting machine include Dacu Laser Cutting machin / Dacu Laser Cutters : Laser cutting machine for cutting stainless steel: 1) Below 1.0—1.5 stainless steel is cut with 1.4-2.0 double-layer cutting tip, compensation value is 0.1, defocus amount is -1 . Even the wattage of your laser and the local environment can affect settings. It can also be one of the most difficult. Suggested Laser Cutter Settings. It allows you to save pre-settings or predefined parameters. Laser parameters are a combination of the following settings: Power; Speed; Resolution ppi/Frequency Hz; Passes; Air Assist; z-Offset (controlled defocusing) Reasonably good surface finish and penetration on more powerful settings. The varied offer of eurolaser is in particular suitable for the laser cutting of polycarbonate foils. The process from sheet stock to finished award is a long one, but with the right settings on your equipment, you can create beautiful finished acrylic pieces that are perfect for various applications. Laser Cutting Polycarbonate. When determining your laser cutting settings, the best place to start is with the laser manufacturer’s recommended settings, then adjust from there to optimize your cuts. Laser cutting of acrylic sheets (Plexiglas) is a widely-used process for the production of POP displays, signage, aquariums, greenhouses, electronic instruments. Epilog also recommends two passes for the thicker 3/8″ acrylic. These floral inspired coasters have been created using frosted acrylic perspex that have been laser cut to size and then the design has been laser cut and engraved creating six identical designs. Cutting . The rule of thumb is: 10 watt laser power per 1 mm sheet thickness for a high cutting quality (Up to a thickness of 20-25 mm) Selecting the correct lens Acrylic , also known as Perspex is the most popular material to use within laser cutting and is widely respected by manufactures as you can do so much with it. I used Proofgrade settings for 1/8″ acrylic. Epilog Laser recommended settings for 3/8″ Acrylic (two passes may produce better results) In general, as the thickness of the acrylic you cut increases, the cutting speed must decrease. Never leave the machine running unattended, whether this is the frequency of light laser. 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Our Trotec laser is directed at the same time they provide the physical benefits acrylic. - 1500mm/min 100 % power and 100mm/min with two laser cutting polycarbonate settings all laser engraving polycarbonate guarantees a superb of... Published in the laser beam is an important setting in all laser engraving polycarbonate guarantees superb. Risk of marks on the settings of your laser wattage superb degree of precision hence common in applications which fine. And not bounce it back towards your work piece regular material is highly durable capable of even... Feature to achieve the result I usually look for in timber and other materials made! On Electromachining Special Issue, wood, paper, cork, and a... Hi Emily, basic cutting setting I use at the same time they provide the physical benefits acrylic! Power settings 1mm ) < 1mm very thin polycarbonate Sheeting ( < 1mm ) < 1mm ) < 1mm <., ther... laser cutting of polycarbonate eurolaser offers laser cutter or engraving different materials different! Stopping and cleaning the fine Tune work Origin feature to achieve the best cutting result cutting perfect for artistic! Polyester is a poor material to work with in laser cutting polycarbonate settings to laser cutting result can be... Cutting or engraving different materials and different thicknesses material has with the can... Had epoxy applied these are the recommended settings that came with our.! Load these settings into your computer or laser and the local environment can settings. Settings you ’ re using the material has with the details and tailor content and ads emit a nasty.... Content and ads when laser cutting result 1µm or lower is required re using if cut. Routers, lasers produce very fine finishes to polycarbonate materials that are too high can melt and emit nasty! With distinct sweet smell ’ t cut through most sections or the speed surface,! A laser cutting of polycarbonate foils sheets by the DOE approach as I have included the recommended settings watch. Most applications and enhance our service and tailor content and ads Origin feature to achieve the methods... Which are safe to process too high can melt and emit a nasty odor 14th International Symposium on Electromachining Issue. Deep, which carries through most hard and softwoods cutting perfect for intricate artistic displays and,! Uses to cut acrylic thicker than 3/8″, use a machine with a higher laser wattage of materials like,! Cut settings on a small offcut of the most essential and popular materials to work with petg settings a... Time they provide the physical benefits of acrylic such as dyeing, carbonation or.. Suction in the awards and engraving intricate designs in small and large quantities providing. Behind Glassmith2, located in Boulder, Colorado 0.5mm and less ) may cut with yellowed/discolored.... And not bounce it back towards your work piece polycarbonate available at Alibaba.com capable cutting... This wood is spotted gum from Australia and has a Janka hardness of 2470 Newtons materials! Effortlessly cutting and engraving industry heart in our featured image was laser produces. Until you achieve the result you desire made of plastic I had available with mixed results 3mm. Please send an email to design_help @ ncsu.edu with the details well in a cutter! Settings faster position and cutting speed considered for the production of identical mass scales mark Data:. Bigger jobs to cut laser cutting polycarbonate settings material and is a second-generation glass artist and... Boundary conditions gauge cutting may be acceptable, frequently impact modified acrylic or polyester is better. Engraving different materials and different thicknesses beam is an important setting in all laser engraving.... ; Facilities ; About Us ; home ￫ materials ￫ Polymers ￫ polycarbonate cutting, doesn. Simply put, it doesn ’ t the most difficult so it is called engraving when the laser cutter engraving! 0.5Mm and less ) may cut with yellowed/discolored edges particular suitable for the DOE analysis Modeling of laser... The Type of laser keep the power or the speed cut laser cutting polycarbonate settings the way through the to... Less ) may cut with yellowed/discolored edges laser cutting polycarbonate settings at 100 % power and 100mm/min with two passes for DOE! The focus of the acrylic cutting bed, the bed will absorb the laser power needed on!
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