I wanted to engrave a hat that has cork material. My thought was to smash the hat flat in an embroidery hoop to fit within the glowforge height requirements. I’m not quite sure what the thickness is of the cork material so my question is what settings should I try to use?
Here is the link to the hat on Amazon.
Material Thickness is only used to adjust the lid camera view for design placement.
You can find settings for cork in this forum section by using the search function, above.
Welcome to the forum.
The thickness of the cork is not what is important, it is the distance from the lens that matters. You are providing information to the Glowforge regarding where to focus the laser. Use the set focus tool before aligning your artwork. Make sure the red beam hits the material where you want the design. There are cork settings available, but cork is a natural, variable material so results will vary.
Also don’t overpower it. I’d be really careful here and try very hard to find out what the hat is made of. If it’s pvc you really don’t want to laser anything but the cork.
Hmm just read the link and it says:
100% Polyurethane Front 100%Polyester Back 100% Cotton Visor
You should be fine if that’s true.
I can’t imagine how you will flatten a hat like that small enough to fit into the GF. If you manage you should post a before and after pic. Good luck.
I’d be very curious to see how you keep the bill out of the way of laser head and arm. Please post pics when you attempt.
Those cheap hats with plastic mesh are often shipped with the crown virtually flat (folded in on itself) so you can cram as many as possible into a small box. Dealt with them as giveaways at conferences/trade shows.
Shouldn’t be hard to get it flat.
You could stick the bill thru a passthru slot, if you have one! 
I think it will be a challenge to get much detail on cork like that. You might be better off engraving on leather or similar and attaching it to the cork.
We’re you successful on the hats?
had to attend a funeral so I didn’t get around to trying it yet. when things get back to normal around the house I will try and share pictures.
I might have an easier time with making cork patches than attaching them to the hat. I can’t seem to cut 3mm cork. any suggestions? iv tried 350sp/Full power and it only cuts about halfway through. I don’t think I can find a thinner cork nor would I want to use thinner material.
Just run two passes. Those are the same settings I’ve used successfully.