Large Scale Central

Cutting a square hole (with a LASER!)

Modeling Technical Modeling
#41

Yes these machines will cut the 2 layered acrylic, the top surface is usually from .001 to .010 thick. Most is around .003. One way to explain

a laser, is a printer applys ink to a surface, and a laser removes from the surface.

The layered acrylic usually comes around .062-1/16" thick with the cap being around .003. The laser removes the surface exposing the color underneath.

JDS Industries is a nice place to purchase the needed acrylic, and they have outlets across the USA.

I use their solid color acrylic, it lasers very nicely, comes in 1/32-1/16& 1/8, it is under their ADA acrylic.

for doors and windows it works great, more flexible than standard acrylic, so when lasering leaving .035 for window mullions

being flexible allows you much better luck.

Yes it is more costly than styrene but lasers smoother…

12"x24" for 11-13 bucks will cut out 100 bucks worth of windows. Making windows with your size and design can be fun.

Multiple layers can create some very unique windows.

There is metal that has a coating on the surface for lasering off, leaving bare aluminum, removing a white color leaving a few colors

like black, brass, copper, and others.

Co2 laser cutting metal, is ALMOST an absolute no. Kern lasers makes one 100,000.00 plus. works very well, and Epilog makes one that will engrave metal.

40,000 plus.

There are chineeeese ones that will cut some too, not familiar.

Most all metal cutting lasers are what is known as YAG lasers, completely different than Co2.

One of the many Doors I have made for myself

These machines can be so much fun,

Dennis

#42

So would anyone with access to these machines be interested in making me the rear lower intakes on the SD70ACes???

(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/ae/b3/01/1b0fc_6713.jpg?c=9ad1)

Then I can make many more of these things that I need!!!

#43

Gary Buchanan said:

While 1/8" may be plenty good enough I have a fairly large quantity of 1/4" material I could use if the machine is up to it. My biggest issue is I’m not sure exactly what exactly it is whether it’s plex, acrylic, lexan or ?

Gary: you should be able to cut 1/4 Plexi with this machine. We have an epliog 30watt machine at work and it cut 1/4" plexi just fine. So since this machine is 40watt, I do not see why it coul dnot handle 1/4" plexi. Now for your question on lexan. No it will not cut Lexan as it is polycarboniate. we tried to cut it on our 30watt machine and it did not work. It melts and smokes badly. Plexi is usually Acrylic. You can tell the difference fairly easily. Lexan does not break easily , but it scratches easily. Plexi or Acrylic on the other hand breaks easy, but does not scratch easy. Most good plexi or Arylic comes with a paper backing you have to remove, but some come with a plastic film covering. All the Lexan I have ever encountered always came with a plastic covering. Another way to tell if it is lexan is to take a sample piece and cut it with a jig saw or table saw and it it chips easily, then it is lexan.

One other thing about Plexi, there are two types. Extruded and Cast. Cast is the best kind to use as it has a higher working temperature, which means that when you cut it with a jig saw, it wont melt back together as your cutting. Extrude Plexi will melt back together.

Just a few of my observations from using plexi and lexan for the past 14 years.

Dan S.

#44

Dennis: what kind of Styrene are you using and what thickness. I can tell from your photo that it looks like you are gluing layers together to get your 3D effect. I would like to use HIPS ( High Impact Poly Styrene ) as I have a source that is fairly cheap and I can get it in thickness fro .005 up to 1/4’

Dan S.

#45

Dan

I use an acrylic, from JDS industries, be careful with poly styrene, it contains different amounts of PVC which when lasered produces

a very toxic Gas, some more than others. I have lasered a plastic that has a PVC in it, and I have a very strong suction fan, and blows it outside, having no neighbors, it was, wow, very nasty outside. I sure leave the fan running for a few minutes before opening the laser.

I don’t laser that anymore.

Dennis

#46

I know that Polystyrene, should be able to be lazer cut as I have had a number of styrene parts cut for my Star wars Droid. What did you cut your windows and doors out of then?

Dan

#47

Ref David’s idea of LEDs and acrylic

In Air Traffic Control (years ago!) we used what was called an edge lit display board.

This consisted of a sheet of acrylic with a ply backing and with an aluminium tube with a long slot cut into it clamped on the top edge of the acrylic sheet. The ally tube had a fluro tube inside it which shone down the middle of the acrylic. Anything written on the board with coloured chinagraph showed up quite clearly. Should work on model form using a couple of 3mm high intensity cold white LEDs.

Just a thought.

#48

Dan Stuettgen said:

Dave: I have been looking at this with much interest. I have one question. Have you tried cutting HIPS Hi Impact Poly Styrene with it? . I have read the information about the things it can and can not cut and it soes not mention Poly Styrene. I know that your can not cut anything with Vinyl in it like PVC or Sintra, and have my doubts about ABS plastic as well. I do have a need for cutting both wood and Plexi, but also would like to be able to cut out windows and doors out od .040 styrene. I am close to hitting that Buy Now button, but want your input.

Thanks, Dan

Sorry, Dan, but I have no experience with the HIPS material you want to cut - I’ll keep an eye out for it and give it a try if I can lay my hands on some.

dave

#49

Found this on a forum devoted to laser cutting…

http://www.laserscript.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=590

Styrene", “ABS” etc. are very generic names for “families” of plastics - it is very rare that they describe exactly what you are getting, and many plastics suppliers seem to go very quiet all of a sudden if you ask for proper safety documentation. You do remember to ask for those, don’t you? - you are legally obliged to hold this information if you are trading your products or have a duty of care to employees/students etc.! Ignorance is no defence if you are caught selling products containing anything “dodgy”, or an employee gets ill and decides to sue for negligence. If your supplier cannot tell you precisely what you are getting, ask them why not, and consider going somewhere else.

All of these plastics are available with flame retardants, reinforcing fibres, dye batches, and any number of other additives designed to adjust their physical properties. So it is very difficult to generalise that “ABS”/“HIPS” etc. fit into simple “safe”/“not safe” categories, it just isn’t that black-and-white. There is an element of risk attached to all of these materials - the important thing is to assess that risk and then manage it (and you may be required by law to show that you did so).

#50

HIPS will laser quite well, styrene in most cases will cut also, With styrene, melting may occur, speed and heat (power)will have to be

experimented with. For best results, on 1/16" is to go slower with less heat. When speeding up, and increasing the heat, may result

in melted edges. Some people believe, I will speed up and increase the heat, will equal out. Not true. When lasering experiment with the

heat and speed to see what works best.

I use 4 - 3/4" square cut outs, each one set with different heat and speeds to see which one produces the best edges.

Watch all plastics that includes the word POLY , not saying they are all dangerous, I use it to make myself do the second step to

look for the ingredients, to be sure , google lasering "__________ ". that will provide you the safe answer.

Poly Vinyl Styrene (PVC) produces chlorine gas. Can be deadly, and may cause problems with the lenses, and other machine parts.

I have never had issues with acrylic, but they vary alot, depending on what you desire.

Experiment and have fun.

Dennis

#51

Yesterday I worked on a small G-scale shed. I designed it using both CorelDraw and a free on-line program called BoxMaker. Details are here:

http://trainelectronics.com/LaserEngraver/#G-Scale_Shed

dave

#52

David

I can see you are having so much fun, your mind is scambling to figure out the next thing you can do, or want to do.

I bet you are having trouble finishing your project, because your mind is leading you into another thing you want

to try. From my years of experience, one thing opens the door into another area into another project.

Your inspiring ability with this new toy/tool, will provide you so many hours of fun, creating some fantastic

projects, so please keeps us posted on your projects.

You do post your results in such a way that is easy to follow and a way that is informative, that could give a person the desire

to try them a new tool/toy.

Please keep us posted, on your projects. Your little tool shed, can be turned into many other little structures.

You can make some wonderful cedar type shingles on a laser too, and quite easily.

Dennis

#53

Ok Dave its your Fault, you have me hooked. Just placed an order for the machine. This going to force me to clean up my workshop and get the 3D printer out of the box and set it up.

Did you etch the stone work after the building was painted?

Dan S.

#54

Dennis Rayon said:

David

I can see you are having so much fun, your mind is scambling to figure out the next thing you can do, or want to do.

I bet you are having trouble finishing your project, because your mind is leading you into another thing you want

to try. From my years of experience, one thing opens the door into another area into another project.

Your inspiring ability with this new toy/tool, will provide you so many hours of fun, creating some fantastic

projects, so please keeps us posted on your projects.

You do post your results in such a way that is easy to follow and a way that is informative, that could give a person the desire

to try them a new tool/toy.

Please keep us posted, on your projects. Your little tool shed, can be turned into many other little structures.

You can make some wonderful cedar type shingles on a laser too, and quite easily.

Dennis

Dennis - this project has been great fun and surely has inspired me to experiment. I will endeavor to keep the web page up to date with my experiences and observations

thanks!

dave

#55

Dan Stuettgen said:

Ok Dave its your Fault, you have me hooked. Just placed an order for the machine. This going to force me to clean up my workshop and get the 3D printer out of the box and set it up.

Did you etch the stone work after the building was painted?

Dan S.

Dan - good deal on the order! Please let me know if I can help.

I did paint both sides before etching - my notes are here:

http://trainelectronics.com/LaserEngraver/#G-Scale_Shed

dave

#56

Yea, Im having a real hard time not ordering one myself…

#57

Do it, Bob.

Just do it!

#58

They now have uprated types. Cost a bit more tho’

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CO2-40W-Laser-Engraving-Cutting-Machine-W-Laser-Pointer-Laser-DRW-Engraver-New/161510136777?_trksid=p2046732.c100040.m2060&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140107095009%26meid%3D9ea66b4c1fa54479ae913514436e16d8%26pid%3D100040%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D161570032641

Don’t bother trying to watch the video…

I have nearly convinced myself about buying one(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

#59

Ross - looks more like the one from MicroMark as it has the air compressor with it - not sure if it is worth the price difference.

thanks!

dave

#60

Saw the MicroMark one…and the price! (besides, if you have a paintspray compressor…job done! and a red spot indicator is cheap enough to buy.)

The question still remains…Can I justify it.?..NO! (according to the Memsahib)!!(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)