Non Laserable Surface

[chris.stevenson]

I am using the Glowforge to weld together 2 layers of PA/PE film, which I currently fix to a piece of cardboard with a thin layer of spray adhesive. I use very low power, fast speed, and manually de-focus. This is very effective but leads to the cardboard underneath discoloring slightly and that also discolors the film. Is there a sticky mat that would not be affected by the laser under these settings?

[dklgood]

Seklema mat available from Johnson Plastics Plus

[chris.stevenson]

@dklgood

Seklema mat

I’ve seen this but it says it’s for engraving, which implies the laser isn’t going through the material. In this application, the laser does go through or nearly through, enough to burn cardboard underneath. Anybody used this for cutting?

[Xabbess]

I’ve used it for cutting paper / cardstock. The mat gets a little marked up, but both sides of it are useable and can be cleaned up a bit using rubbing alcohol. They’re fairly expensive but really work well.

[dklgood]

I use it for paper. The laser definitely passes through and cuts the material sitting on the mat.

[dan84]

Perhaps add a layer of aluminum foil to your cardboard, and then spray the temporary adhesive on the foil. The foil won’t make any smoke, nor can the laser cut through it.

[evermorian]

I use my Seklema mats for cutting through paper. A lot.

Seklema mat laser with a laser

I am a pretty heavy Seklema mat user. I’ve done a few hundred sheets on them so far. The laser will mark the mat and leave ash stuck to it, reducing the stickiness. Optimizing power and speed as @cynd11 suggests will help slow that process. I clean mine regularly with isopropyl alcohol and paper towels. It’s more effective more quickly than soap and water. I see no signs that it is damaging the mat. A clean mat can sometimes be too sticky. You can adjust by sticking down an old T-shirt and re…

Mylar 10 Mil stencils

The Seklema mats are definitely ablative. I have one that has been used for hundreds of jobs (maybe a thousand or so, now?). I tend to err on the side of cutting all the way through the paper vs. protecting the mat. I am also often cutting the same intricate jobs in approximately the same spots over and over, Which is likely harder on it than lots of distinct jobs. It looks beat up but, still works well. I do have to clean the ash build up off of it regularly. I have a brand new one to swap…

[geek2nurse]

@dan84

nor can the laser cut through it.

Actually I discovered to my surprise that it can, if you do enough passes, but not very neatly. (I think it melts it more than cuts it, from the way it looked to me!)

[chris.stevenson]

Thanks everyone! I will try the mat and report back.