could an experienced user post the absolute limits for thickness of materials when cutting and/or engraving with or without crumb tray ?
A bit less than 0.5" with the tray, and a bit less than 2" without it. The determining factor is the shroud on the air assist fan behind the head; if you crouch down and look in with the bottom of the head at eye level, you can get a visual on how much room you have.
great tip! thanks!
As stated above, but the cutting limit is probably a little less than .5" You can engrave on material up to nearly 2" but you canât cut that thick.
I think itâs highly dependent on what youâre cutting. The laser will cut some materials even with poor focus. If it doesnât need a lot of power and you can go fast, more power and a lower speed will cut deeper. Iâve done 1" thick foam, easy. While itâd char some, I bet I could get through the same thickness of Balsa or Cork. And harder materials just require multiple passes. And if youâre wiling to do multiple passes, you can âstep downâ the focus on each pass to reach deeper in to the cut.
@geek2nurse nailed the physical limitations, as far as the material limitations it absolutely depends on material and the time youâre willing to spend. I cut through 1" thick acrylic, but it tookâŚ8-12 passes - with cooling time in between each one and the kerf gets wider each time.
How did you cut 1" material when the focus range is 0.5"?
Front and back cuts.
Wow! Youâd think of that!
I did it all from one side - I was just ok with the wider and wider kerf of a defocused cut. I did lower the focus as low as I could get it, and when it got too deep that I got an error on Set Focus I just focused slightly higher up.
Wow, just WOW
You could also ask how you cut .25â material with a beam that is only at its tightest focus for about a tenth of an inch (in which the beam size changes about 40% over that tenth of an inch).
Youâre right. Everyone needs to know thereâs no limit to the depth of cut for the machineâŚ
No. What Iâm saying is that there are additional physics and material properties at play beyond just focal range and lens diameter. Just like acrylic edge lights so well, itâs one of the reasons that it cuts exceptionally well.
Iâm not a newbie. The person asking the question is. Telling them they can cut 1" material is not really appropriate, in my opinion.
Didnât say that you were.
Thatâs the original post I read in beyond the manual. Then, I saw an experienced user say that they cut one inch acrylic.
Whether you feel itâs appropriate or inappropriate doesnât seem to really matter here? It is beyond the manual, and itâs answering the question that was asked.