Acrylic settings

Beyond the Manual
1

hi, I’m new to GF, just got mine recently. The Proofgrade materials got lost on the way, so I’m trying to figure out settings for the ones I can get in the UK.

I’m trying to cut thin, 2mm (0,08") black acrylic, but it seems to be melting the sheet. (I have used standard gf settings for medium acrylic.) What settings would you recommend? Should I remove the protective film before glowforging it?

2

You’ll need to reduce the power, since PG is ~3mm. Many of us remove the coating if we’re engraving the acrylic, but leave it on if just cutting.

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3

Also is your Acrylic cast or extruded? Cast is a bit easier to work with, extruded melts a bit more. Some acrylics are impregnated with other plastics, as well. Each formulation behaves slightly differently.

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4

If the protective film is not paper then you probably want to remove it.

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5

Thanks! I’m not sure whether it is cast or extracted. how do you find out?
Any hints on the Speed/power ratio?

6

@jamesdhatch did a good write up on a very thorough method to dial in cut settings.

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