Die-cutting multiple layers of card stock for CD size "Record Album Covers"

[rca23]

I’m making album covers for a music project I’m involved in. The artwork will be printed on card stock, full bleed.
I will use my Record Album Cover envelope pattern to die cut the covers. I want to do more than one at a time; Probably 10 at a time. (80 lb cardstock -100 pound card stock)
Could use some tips and settings if anyone has tried multi-layer dye cutting of paper, cardstock, etc.

[evermorian]

Sounds like a fun project!

There is no need to post the same thing in multiple categories. People here will see it.

Cutting stacked paper is generally considered a recipe for having fires. Air gets between the layers as it cuts and provides channels for oxygen to feed the flames.

If you can evenly temporarily adhere the surfaces completely together, it night be workable. Generally, that ends up leaving some sort of residue on the surface.

Maybe you can come up with a way to clamp both the part to be cut out and the excess so they stay together. I’m not sure how to do that without a hole in the finished piece.

[bwente]

The laser width is going to vary based on the height of focus too.

[evansd2]

Divergence angle of the performance laser beam is about 1.4 degrees. We can figure out how much this matters.

Cardstock is kind of thick, it varies but about 0.28mm per sheet is a good guess for 100lb cardstock. That means that we’re talking about 2.8mm depth change across ten sheets. The beam radius therefore increases or decreases by about 0.0027” in that vertical travel — not much.

We don’t need to guess about this or rely on theory though, we cut ~3mm material all the time and it’s been quantified:

Kerf wider at the top? Surely everybody can't be wrong?

Yes, by cutting face down. (laser theory follows) There is no way to get a inverted kerf profile with the glowforge, focus height won’t do it, nothing will. It’s all down to the physics of the laser and the circular cross section of the light beam. It can help to think of it like a series of “dots” of light. You can model it pretty effectively with semitransparent circles in your favorite image editor: Imagine the laser is a circle of uniform light density (it is, mostly), you get this so…

Anyway. Do I think that cutting multiple layers of cardstock is a good idea? Not really, but not because of fire risk: I think you’ll get significant smoke staining between the layers. You can deal with fire risks but smoke is a much harder problem to solve for. You can mask cardstock (I’ve done it and it works well) but it’s a lot of labor. You could probably get away with masking one side of the back won’t be visible but still.

If it were me I’d probably do them one at a time. I hate smoke marks too much to fool with it.

[duey2k]

@rca23

Record Album Cover envelope pattern to die cut the covers.

I have put some time in with paper and cardstock. If you make a baseplate and a top plate it will help hold the sheets together and reduce flash back. I also have it do multiple passes on low settings to help reduce burnt edges (or fire)

I have done up to 10 sheets at a time but it’s not going to be clean or 100% the same cut for each. They will get slightly bigger or smaller.

All of my parts fold to make a box so the laser markers are hidden (but not the smell XD)

[rca23]

Thanks so much!
RC

[rca23]

Thanks for your advice! I think I’ll do one at a time but gang them up to 4 on a sheet. That should help me speed up the process with less smoke!

RC