Pre-Release | Flashdance

proofgrade
pre-release
acrylic
anti-flashback
#1

Supplies: Proofgrade 1/8" Black & Clear Acrylic - Op Time <2mins

As Team Glowforge finalize their proofgrade settings, I’ve noticed a bit of flashback on a couple of the clear acrylic pieces in the last couple days. Sometimes I get it- Sometimes I don’t. Par of the course of being a canary in the mine so to speak. But I’d like to be able to not have it while they figure things out. Especially since the next couple projects I am planning to use the clear acrylic as an accent piece. And also without having to remove the bed to use the other method I was using.

Fired up F360 with measurements in tow and came up with this gem.

ZZ2FBE8BAB.jpg1780x1564 469 KB

I know. It does not look like much…

cutout_standoffs.gif1184x666 4.24 MB

(Sorry about the end of the gif, I accidently hit my mount with my shoulder.)

IMG_3340.jpg3264x2448 1.66 MB

IMG_3341.jpg3264x2448 2.21 MB

but they work like a champ.

test_cut.gif1184x666 5.81 MB

(I would like to have tested this out on clear acrylic, but my supply is a bit low and I still have a couple projects left.)

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#2

What a crafty quick fix. Great Idea, and I wouldn’t have to change out the bed type.

#3

Very nice. Do you think a modification of this idea would be applicable to making edge stops for repeat jobs?

#4

yes, and you wouldn’t have to spend a lot of money on this system. Just make your own.
http://www.rackstarlasersystem.com/

#5

I found that some dowel pins or even wood dowels that fit snugly in the grid are another easy solution.
They also make great jig pins for quick alignment.

#6

awesome idea! I had been using magnets with half of a chicago screw, but this seems like it would be sturdier, and you can have them everywhere lol

#7

Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this. Very cool!

#8

So who needs a pin bed!!! Great solution.

#9

Cool. Definitely would remind me to engrave and score before final cut.

#10

This is absolutely an insta-bookmark for me! Great idea!!

#11

Ad hoc fully configurable pin bed I love it

#12

Love it. I’ll have to keep a bag of these next to the GF at all times.

#13

This is absolutely brilliant! Will definitely be using this trick in the future – I have to sand flashback off my plywood lamps all the time, and haven’t used prop-ups under the material because they’re usually large enough it’s a pain to have to arrange my cuts around. Making them tiny and easily reconfigurable solves SO many problems, thank you :smiley:

#14

Or you could also just use hairpins to clip onto the bed’s aluminum fins, with the bonus that they’re cheaper than the cost of the acrylic material.

#15

Right. But the point was something that was in uniform height. And as for the cost, these are small enough to cut on any scrap piece of 1/8" acrylic.

#16

those look a bit tall. I like @karaelena 's solution, as it doesnt have metal in it either, so if i happen to hit one by accident it wont melt the rubber and bounce off the metal. Also, acrylic is cheap =). and those things are so small you can make them out of your leftover scrap pieces

#17

Uniform height is easy enough with a hairpin… just pinch a washer in the loop before you slip it onto the fins. :slight_smile:

@takitus - They come in various lengths. And they don’t typically contain rubber, they’re wire. Their profile is literally 1-2 mm wide, compared to 1/8-inch.

Not saying the acrylic isn’t a good idea, just offering a cheaper alternative in time and effort.

#18

And it seems like efficient use of scrap is a nice thing about having cameras to align things. Just toss the scrap in the bed and drag and drop the little majigger (do these have a name? Standoff pucks? Pin pucks?) anywhere that it fits and away you go. How would you use up scrap on the k40? Measure out distances to useable scrap locations and then use numeric offset to get to the spot?

#19

The aren’t just wire though. They are usually coated in something, with those ball ends. Rubber, silicone, I don’t really know what it is, but it is something.

#20

yeah exactly. this is definitely a place where the gfs optical capability will shine. using scrap on the k40 or anything without a camera is a lot harder. You definitely have to measure stuff out. Its a bit of a pain for that purpose.