I cut some of this a few months ago using 130 / Full pro and it was no fun. I had to cut multiple times (3 I think) and it made a stinky sooty mess. After several cleanings with goo gone it was fine though.
I couldn’t find those settings again (I now have a lovely craft room, but not everything is in it yet) so I looked up settings in the Glowforge google sheet which gave me 170 / 100 pro, which I had to run 3 times and then break some of the edges to get my pieces loose.
Looking through these forums it seems that some people have fantastic cuts with these settings, but a few don’t.
My Glowforge cuts proofgrade wood and acrylic just fine.
So, is this stuff just a pain to cut, or is my laser starting to go? or something else?
Thanks!
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Did you pin it down?
I would just test out small shapes until you find the right settings. That way you don’t waste as much time/material/effort. I like to use a star shape, maybe like half an inch or an inch in size. I would start with settings for proofgrade draftboard of a similar thickness. Then adjust the speed slower if it doesn’t cut all the way through, or faster if it’s too charred.
I almost never use multiple passes.
Good luck!
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If proofgrade cuts well it is pretty definite that the problem is the other material.
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I have had a similar experience with Home Depot whiteboard/chalkboard: a stinky sooty mess. It also sparks a lot. After hours of experimentation to find any settings that even remotely worked, I gave up.
I believe that Home Depot has various suppliers for this material, and some apparently cut better on the Glowforge than others.
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It’s an inconsistent material, you will need to test to see what works for the one you have.
Same with MDF from big-box stores. Every sheet can be different despite having the same bar-code.
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I think it’s just the material. I bought some whiteboard from Lowe’s, thinking I’d use it for things like letters and stuff. I did a “test” cut that did just fine using regular draftboard settings, but when I went to cut out multiple squares for tic-tac-toe boards, only half of them cut through, and none of my letters did. I’ve tried all kinds of settings and none seem to work consistently. I’ve just given up on it and now just paint draftboard before I cut (making sure it is completely dry first, of course).
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My Glowforge Pro cuts like a champ and always has. But the white/black board settings on my machine are 140/Full for a Pro. Anything faster or lower power doesn’t get through and as it is just barely does.
As shown in the video above 135/Full will be about right.
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I use eucalyptus white board from home depot and never had a problem cutting it in one pass. Probably had settings around 130/full. Looks like since the last time I bought it their eucalyptus white board is now brown… which isn’t good for a whiteboard type of thing. But they have “eucatile” which is likely the same thing.
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I have two saved settings for cutting B&W board, one is 150/full (Pro) and the other 130. I bought it more than once and that was the amount of discrepancy between them.
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Thank you all so much for your information
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