I know a lot of you are making ear savers of various designs for first responders and such but having trouble finding 1/8 acrylic.
This stuff is great as it is conformal making it more comfortable and you can cut it very quickly.
On my pro, I am doing 480/full and getting great results. Without scoring I can do a full sheet in under 6 minutes.
did you use any masking? It looks like there are various options from rowmark available.
Is 0.025" thick enough to be sturdy? I like that it is flexible.
i am learning still. been using my GF not quite a week yet. i would love to make some ear savers but am confused on what material and where to get it?? thanks!
It comes with a clear laser safe masking. You want to order it without any add-ons. I order 12x24 because I can cut it down but they offer 12x20 as well.
Only long term testing will tell for sure but in my quick tests, it does great because if the mask is way too tight the wings just fold and release instead of breaking.
Good call on the size. I just noticed that the 12x20 is actually more expensive and can be slower to ship than the 12x24. Thanks for the note on the masking.
“Hobby” size. I guess that’s for us?
The 12x24 is cheaper if you have a way to cut it down, including using the pro to chop off the end. If you don’t, then yes.
I’m no pro. 
What’s the impact of alcohol or bleach disinfection processes on it?
This I do not know. Even regular acrylic tends to craze from alcohol and I believe that this is a modified acrylic. Hold on, I can do a short term test right now…
Okay, after a two minute soak and then a two minute wait, it shows no change in ductileness or other changes.
I have discovered that the space between the lid and front door (or under the front door?) may just work if the material is thin and flexible enough. I had some heavy nylon duck that I had trouble sticking through the passthrough, but did not need to.
Technically for the Dremel users as they have a partnership of some sort.
This stuff can be cut with an exacto. I literally just set up my cutting mat that has measurements marked, taped the lucent to it, and used a straight piece of cardboard as my straight edge. A few steady swipes with a sharp exacto and it’s cut down. The 4" piece that’s left can easily fit more ear savers.
what exactly is this material? It mentions Lucent… but what is that? I’m curious if it’s pure polypropylene
It’s a modified acrylic. I’m not enough of a chemist to know exactly what they’ve done to it.
Lucent is a brand name for a line of semi-flexible acrylic from Rowmark. You have probably encountered it in “plastic” rulers, stencils, etc. They market it as “laser safe”. It’s not cheap.
The MSDS sheet for the material gives some clues to the composition: https://www.jpplus.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1324/product/16929/rowmark_lucent.pdf
It’s definietly not polypropylene, but appears to be a composite of proprietary polymers including poly(ethyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate) and acrylic styrene copolymer. I like the fact that the GHS health rating for the material is 5 (in the GHS rating system, 5 is the most safe rating for health).
I think I’ll give it a try. I sent several different ear saver designs (including the GF design) made with 1/8" acrylic to my son, who is a PA with an urgent care facility. The verdict was that he and his colleagues prefer a 3D-printed ear saver made with a flexible filament. The inflexible acrylic ear savers were too uncomfortable for a 12 hour shift.
Thank you for confirming that claim! You’re the 2nd person here to confirm my original thought of they would be too stiff for comfort! I personally ordered some of this from BF
http://www.bfplasticsinc.com/pc_product_detail.asp?key=935DA254DBCC448389CA71E0EEF2AEEF
I’ve got some of that but it’s a bit thin. Not sure how it will hold up. But I just got 50 sheets of 2/16" (0.060") from them that seems like a good in compromise.
I need to trim them tonight and then I’ve got another thousand earsavers to get done before I’ve caught up.