Question on Acrylic cutting

Hi there!

I purchased some acrylic sheets and it is the first time cutting acrylic but it wasn’t successful! I used the acrylic setting and the edges were messed up. Not sure what I am doing wrong or what else to try.

Attached is the picture of the final result.

I appreciate your help !!


Classic case of “flashback.” Heaps of good info available via search:

https://community.glowforge.com/search?context=topic&context_id=108622&q=Flashback&skip_context=true

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If this is mirror acrylic, it is extruded rather than cast acrylic and can be finicky. Search the forum for mirror acrylic for suggestions regarding masking, speed/power and flashback avoidance.

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I have much better results cutting the mirrored acrylic from the back and masked on both sides.

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Ditto. My theory (and it’s just that) is that it takes more heat to get thru the mirrored side, and if you go in from the front, the beam is melting the acrylic while it cuts thru the mirrored side. If you go from them back, then the amount of time in contact with the plain acrylic is reduced.

That’s my theory. Even with the same settings, it comes out cleaner. (Ikea mirrored panels from the kids section.)

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