Cutting Paper Advice?

[evermorian]

@steven_l_garinger

If you use a Seklema mat to secure the paper, does the laser cutting through the paper degrade the surface of the mat?

Yes but, not as quickly as a lot of people fear.

Mylar 10 Mil stencils

The Seklema mats are definitely ablative. I have one that has been used for hundreds of jobs (maybe a thousand or so, now?). I tend to err on the side of cutting all the way through the paper vs. protecting the mat. I am also often cutting the same intricate jobs in approximately the same spots over and over, Which is likely harder on it than lots of distinct jobs. It looks beat up but, still works well. I do have to clean the ash build up off of it regularly. I have a brand new one to swap…