Good morning,
I have a GlowForge Plus and I am trying to cut Sublimation Hardboard MDF Wood Sheets 12" x 12",(3 mm) but have not been able to get completely thru the board. On the “Thick Draftboard” setting I get a faint line on the white side, but not enough to seperate the cut piece. I’ve used manual mode on full power with a less deep cut (no faint line) even with three passes.
Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can cut these blanks?
Thanks!
Welcome to the forum!
When asking about settings it’s necessary to tell us which machine you have.
In general though all settings questions can be answered here in #6:
One caveat: you mention 12x12 material, which may imply that you have an aura/spark. If you do, mdf is not a recommended material due to both how tough it is and how much residue it leaves inside your machine.
Hello and thanks! I have the Plus.
I’ve made many projects over the last year or so with various bass hardwood blanks but this is my first time working with MDF. I am working with another crafter to make wooden puzzles and these blanks are proving quite difficult to cut thru.
Some formulations of mdf are more difficult than others. What settings are you using now? Are your other materials cutting normally? (trying to rule out a larger problem)
If other materials are acting up take a look at #5 for cut troubleshooting. It may not have anything you don’t know already but it never hurts to review.
Welcome to the forum
If the thick draftboard settings (which are probably around 134/full) aren’t cutting through, you can slow down more or add passes.
Some materials are not laser friendly because of the glues or filler used. Make sure that your fans and optics are clean and do some testing.
The tests with the MDF going thru a series of settings including full power/203/3 passes didn’t even show thru on the back. The only time I got a ghost line on the back was with the default Thick Draftboard setting. Pics attached.
Again check #6. It tells you how to test.
It looks like the proofgrade is close. I’ll bet you can find a 2 pass combo that works well at full power. You just need to dial in the speed.
Try 130/full power and possibly 2 passes.
I suspect that will be far too much. Proofgrade thick proofgrade is likely135/full/1x ish. You’d be doubling that up, it will probably torch the back.
A two pass test ranging from 130-180/full 2x is probably going to cover it.
I’ll just echo what was said about MDF, it’s an awful material to work with and can be very inconsistent. That said - I’ve used my share of it, as it’s cheap and I’m willing to accept the limitations. I’ve made many larger pieces from painted MDF, I just hit it with rattle-can paint then engrave over it.
So the solution is to just keep plugging away until you find settings that you’re satisfied with. Don’t commit to a full piece, just make small designs to test with. I have a few designs with many different elements that I can assign different settings to - usually either side of the speed used by a similar product.
