Just throwing out my test for comparison. The edges have a slight lip after cutting, but nothing like the original pic. It’s a very different look as well. I know you did it without the masking so that’s not it, but I does look like something on top if the acrylic got hot and distorted it. So strange. :-/ Wish I had an answer for you, hopefully the GF team can figure it out.
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Thanks for the feedback and the additional troubleshooting. I’m going to look into this and I’ll get back to you on this thread with an answer.
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Thanks for taking the time to run these tests!
@angeleah - I’m really sorry, the Wiggle was in rare form last night, and by the time we got her to bed I was in no position to run any tests of my own.
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@PrintToLaser @smcgathyfay It happens with any file I use. Just to remove the question of it being my design, I just ended up using the rocket cupcake topper from the GF catalog.
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@kittski I don’t think the cut that you posted looks good either. I did mine with and without masking. Without masking is worse because it also leaves the honeycomb imprint but with masking is equally bad around the edges when I run it.
I had not checked since that was all auto set for me.
At your request, here is what I found…
It says speed 150, full power, no of passes 1, and focus height inches .125
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I’m wondering if the heat from the beam is causing the plastic to expand, creating that lip you’re seeing around the edges as it cuts. I’m curious whether or not a moist paper towel might help keep it cool (or cool it faster) after the beam has cut it, preventing that lip from swelling.
I agree, the edges on mine should look better, but it still looks better than your mess 
Mine is at least usable. Hope they get it sorted out. I cut several other colors the other day, I’ll have to check them carefully when I get home to see if the edges are the same.
The reason I asked is those are the settings I list as well. I just cut a small sample of the black using those settings and had good results with it.
If yours doesn’t do the same thing, the issue might possibly be either a bad sticker that’s loading the wrong settings on the PG, or it might be a mechanical issue, which Glowforge support is going to need to troubleshoot with you. (We won’t be able to help.)
The way that you can check to see if it’s just a bad sticker - use the settings listed above in the Manual settings instead of letting the sticker scan populate the fields, and see if it makes a difference.
(I guess conceivably it could also be bad acrylic, but that’s a bit of a stretch. Presumably it all comes from the same place.)
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I just looked at the acrylic I cut with an LED light and saw a very, very faint line that looks a little bit like what you’re showing - maybe more of a heat effect than a line, but I’m going to suggest you Speed up the settings being used as a default by about ten points. Keep the power the same. Try cutting a little test square and see if it reduces that effect…it should still cut through without any issues. (I generally just use the faster settings…I went through and determined what works for this PRU a few months back.
Your tube may be a little more juiced than mine. Speeding it up might reduce that effect.
I did do a print out manually selecting the medium black acrylic instead of letting the sticker pick automagically. Same results.
Try upping the speed to about 160 or so…Maybe drop the power to 100%. See if it’s any different looking.
Do you have a Pro or a Basic?
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Just adding my pennies to the fire. I had an opportunity to cut some black PG acrylic today, so I figured I’d check out the edges. They didn’t look noticeably bad, and I had to examine them under the microscope (literally) to see melty edges. This is on a Pro, no setting tweaks. I don’t know what to make of this, other than further evidence that the issue is not universal or not consistent.
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Could there be a lens issue that’s throwing off the focus?
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