My apologies if this is a duplicate posting, I attempted to search for an answer to what is most likely a simple question for many.
I have a CO2 laser with the following specs:
80W CO2 Laser 20" x 27" bed, 10" Z travel with 2" focal length (20mm away from nozzle bottom to material)
I am attempting to cut 3mm acrylic and am having a heck of a time finding the best power to speed ratio. I have not changed the height of the nozzle from the material (20mm high from nozzle which yields best cut quality on most materials) and have ran multiple tests.
For reference I have attached a PDF of the tests I have ran with applicable notes. Also attached is a sample of one of the tests...obviously some had too much power as it completely melted the top surface.
Is someone out there with a similar laser that can tell me exactly what speed to power and what height to successfully cut 3mm acrylic?
Second question is should these settings change for cutting clear, white, red, blue, etc?
All settings have a 250 m/s through hole on the opening to ensure piercing of the material occurs.
Thank you in advance.
Cutting 3mm acrylic with 80W CO2 laser
Moderator: baker
Cutting 3mm acrylic with 80W CO2 laser
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- IMG_20190914_083918.jpg (154.02 KiB) Viewed 2512 times
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- Acrylic Cutting Power to Speed Curve - Sheet1.pdf
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Re: Cutting 3mm acrylic with 80W CO2 laser
hello!After reading your question, I went to find the parameters about the cutting of acrylic.You can look at this page:aser acrylic cutting – image cutting
It is also 3mm acrylic, but his power is 100w, which is bigger than your power.and Max power: 50% ,Min power: 50%,Also, the height of the laser head to the material is 6mm, which is different from your 20mm. Since your laser head is farther away from the material, do I think you need to increase the power or lower the height of the laser head?Finally, I hope you can succeed.
It is also 3mm acrylic, but his power is 100w, which is bigger than your power.and Max power: 50% ,Min power: 50%,Also, the height of the laser head to the material is 6mm, which is different from your 20mm. Since your laser head is farther away from the material, do I think you need to increase the power or lower the height of the laser head?Finally, I hope you can succeed.
I hope everyone can work happily every day.