Material thickness is only one aspect of parametric designing for tabs and slots. Tab widths need to be bigger and slot widths need to be smaller. It ends up with some pretty interesting formulae in the dimension box.
2 Likes
Sorry Iām new to some of these shorthands, when you say 40/60 which one is power and which one is speed?
1 Like
I was using the old numbering system from the pre-release machine I used so this is not valid anymore.
There are a lot of settings for cardboard in Beyond the Manual. Cardboard seems to be a trade-off between scorched edges that leave a little ash on your fingertips, but cuts all the way through everywhere, and a clean cut that is a little perforated. Also, different cardboard slightly different settings for the same cut effect.
2 Likes
I did my first set of prototypes on cardboard from Amazon. I put in my measurements and my settings, did 2 passes so that there wasnāt any scorching, but used 60% power, at 280 speed. I am not using the pro version.
Hereās my result of dice.
I used hard drive magnets to hold the cardboard down at the edges, in case the fans decided to make it move. Made sure the crown was down, so that the edges were always trying to lift off. Kept the material consistent.
2 Likes
Were you cutting C-Flute or something thinner? I have tons of C-flute on hand, but not really sure where to start with the settings.
I have no idea what C-flute is, sorry! This was just ordinary Amazon box cardboard of about 0.1ā or so. Do a search of the forum on ācardboard settingsāand youāll find plenty of settings suggestions.
1 Like
I believe thatās the plastic version of cardboard. You see it used for lawn signs and such. At least thatās what the folks at the sign shop up the street call it.
Although it could also be a variant of paper cardboard. Itās sometimes hard to find consistent terms for materials (take chipboard for instance).
1 Like
I learned it as a thickness of paper-based corrugated @jamesdhatch so who knows 
Thank you though! I spent a while playing around with settings yesterday and got to something Iām happy with (270 speed/ 90 power) with the same type of shipping box cardboard.
1 Like
Ah. The plastic stuff is also called Coroplast but I think thatās a brand name. It cuts with lasers but you need to be careful on the settings. It makes for a sturdy cardboard replacement though. Most anything you can make from paper cardboard you can make from the plastic stuff and itāll be waterproof and long lasting.
2 Likes