Need slightly more cut through

Community Support
1

Good morning everyone.

I have been working on my issue cutting non proof grade and I think I almost have it resolved but need some advice.

I have found cutting 1/4 baltic birch on my basic is almost where I need it at:

105 speed @ Full Power laser.

I am hoping to get slightly more burn through though as a couple spots are giving me a little trouble.

The problem is, If turn speed from 105 to 100 it adds 30% to the cut time and effectively roasts my material.

Would anyone have a suggestions as to laser power % that I would need to use at speed 100 to get similar cut through as 105 @ 100?

Being the speed setting is non linear is making this tough and I want to avoid just guessing.

2

You might want to post this in ‘beyond the manual’ or another section, as the glowforge staff probably won’t assist with not-proofgrade materials.

But to answer your question, have you tried doing two cuts? Where you input the speed and power settings there is an option for ‘passes’. It automatically sets to 1, but you can change it to 2 or 3, I believe. Which just means it will cut the design once and then immediately cut it again in the exact same spot. You might be able to cut through more easily by doing two passes at a quicker speed than one pass at a slower speed.

3

Thanks for the advice Erin.

I have reposted over there, perhaps they can just delete this one.

I have tried the multiple pass but again, with the non-linear speed it become hard to get the right speed/power to not cook or alternatively undercut.

If I could slow it down literally 5%, I would be set.

4

Have you done a good cleaning? To all of the windows, lens etc.?

Not all BB is made the same but that still sounds slower than it oughta be. I have a pro so my settings will be different… but I can use 125-130/Full Power/.208” focal point (the 125 is kinda slow but more consistent).

1 Like
5

Yes, fully cleaned 20 minutes of cutting ago.

I just need to find a setting that will put about 5% more energy per inch to get the result I am looking for.

6

It’s probably not super appealing, but the results you really want might be the plus or pro model. They’re 20% … faster, I think? Or maybe it was more efficient. Not sure. But the laser tube is a higher wattage, which means more potential power. Their full power is stronger and more cut-y than the basic full power. If you plan to regularly cut 1/4 BB ply, maybe selling and upgrading would be worth the time and additional cost.

7

The other alternative is to lower those a tad and make two passes.

8

Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, like @erin mentioned, I don’t have any advice about settings for materials from other sources.

If you are considering printing on materials from another source, you’ll need to determine if the material is laser compatible. This can be tricky: for example, many plastics look alike, and some plywood is made with glue that isn’t laser-compatible. You need to contact the manufacturer, inspect their safety data sheet (SDS), and/or consult an expert to determine if each material is compatible with the CO2 laser inside the Glowforge unit.

Since you’ve already created a new topic in the “Beyond the Manual” section of the community, I’m going to close this topic. Please post a new one if you have any other questions!