Custom laser cutting

**SickVette** · 05-15-2005, 09:44 AM

DashCommand.....I looked up your machine last night. I am going to call the company tomorrow and check into one of their machines. Proably one that is bit more powerful because I would like to be able to use it on alumnium. Have you tried etching/engraving on ABS plastic with the laser? Does it work?

**DashCommand** · 05-15-2005, 10:02 AM

SickVette,

ABS plastic is the same as acrylic, it can go through it like butter. Aluminium on the other hand -- Wow, you must be looking to spend some serious cash. To cut aluminum about 1/8" thick you would need a 1500 Watt CO2 laser at the minimum which would run you anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000+ for a new machine. You would be best off to buy a VERY NICE CNC router for 10-15k that could cut plastic, wood, aluminium, and possibly some mild steel.

**GRUNT** · 05-15-2005, 11:52 AM

DashCommand,

What is the max size you can cut?

Would you be happy to ship to the UK?

Thanks.

**HHdesign** · 05-15-2005, 02:02 PM

Dash, I've been working with some 1/8" thick Plexiglass, and 1/4" thick plexiglass for some cool lighting effects. Recently I tried to engrave some logo of companies (alpine, kenwood, MTX, JL) into the plexi, but my work (with a dremmel) is really un even and, even at its best, looks mediocre. The human hand is only so steady.

Do you think you could some some etching in 1/8" thick plexi, not cutting it, but making a design in the plexiglass? Here's what I'm talking about doing, excuse my unstedy hand

My lines aren't as straight as I'd like them to be, so you see where a laser would come in handy, think you could manage something along these lines?

**thanatos106** · 05-15-2005, 02:29 PM

nice job dashcommand

**lastberserker** · 05-15-2005, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by HHdesign

My lines aren't as straight as I'd like them to be, so you see where a laser would come in handy, think you could manage something along these lines?

I've seen it done on case modding sites - they cut holes in plexi's protective cover and sandblast the exposed surface. As much as I enjoy my new Dremel, I imagine that would give much better result

**SickVette** · 05-15-2005, 04:26 PM

I machined the 1" plexi glass with a half lap joint to fit on the 1" aluminum. Once I finished the plexi glass I had a local laser place etch in the Stinger logos (Stinger is one of my sponsors). The best thing about the logos is they light up blue. I recessed blue LED's into the aluminum mount. They shine through the edge of the plexi and light up the logos. I will see if I can get a good night shot of it.

Dashcommand.....you are proably right and I should look into a CNC router. But I like the size and cleanliness of the laser. I have Bridgeport knee mill now that I am thinking of converting into CNC. I am really not sure which route to take. My biggest problem is I am running out of space. I have too much tooling and not enough space. Do you know much about CNC machines? Is there one out there that runs on Corel like yours? That is another issue I am going to have is programming. I need something that is as simple as possible.

**DashCommand** · 05-15-2005, 04:34 PM

GRUNT,
I can cut/engrave a maximum of 12x16 inches...and acrylic/plastic max thickness is around 1/2"...although I have never tried anything that thick. Yes, I would ship to the UK.

HHdesign,
I have done things very similar to that! Etching with the laser is no problem whatsoever, and looks great. You simply set the power to a lower setting, and instead of going right through the plastic, it simply 'etches' it. You can also do it to glass (etching that is).

SickVette,
CNC Machines...I am currently building one that has a 36x36" table, and has about 4 inches of z travel, however I am not extremely familiar with what would be the best ready-built cnc machine for you. You could check out www.cnczone.com. Great website with lots of info and a very good forum. Most cnc routers are based off of G-Code, which you may be able to find converters that would convert Corel files into G-Code. There is a learning curve of course, but it's not that bad.

**tonkadawg** · 05-17-2005, 12:02 PM

DashCommand, that is really cool! I have one question - when using the laser to cut acrylic, how does the cut edge turn out? I know when I cut acrylic with a saw, it is really rough and needs to be polished to get it looking good. If this laser can cut clean with a finished edge, that would save a ton of time!

**DashCommand** · 05-17-2005, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by tonkadawg

DashCommand, that is really cool! I have one question - when using the laser to cut acrylic, how does the cut edge turn out? I know when I cut acrylic with a saw, it is really rough and needs to be polished to get it looking good. If this laser can cut clean with a finished edge, that would save a ton of time!

Depending on the thickness, there may be some clouding, however it is not a rough edge. The only two possibilities are either a nice clean edge that is clear, or a clean edge that looks a little cloudy and needs a little polishing if you care for a clear shine. To get all of your cuts very clear and non cloudy, you need a gas assist attachment which I have not invested in. Havn't had the need.