I've been laser engraving / cutting since 1998. But there is always something new you can learn. My PRO tip. "Don't Think you know it all, even if you have been doing it for years or decades." :)
I have been dabbling with diode lasers for over a year and just purchased a CO2 that is parked in my garage and cannot wait to test drive acrylics. Your videos are beyond helpful. The production value is exceptional and it is obvious that you have invested a ton of time and energy to produce these videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and the discount codes will be useful as well! All the best for your future projects and keep the videos rolling you are providing an incredible service to the laser community! 👍💯
I would like to add a tip. I recently purchased a 10w diode laser and struggled with the acrylic engraving. Ive since found removing the peel on both sides of the clear acrylic and painting one side with rustoleum peel off paint and then placing the acrylic on a piece of 5mm glass sheet solves the issue of burn back on the rear of the acrylic and the peel off paint makes the cleaning of the piece a walk in the park. Engraving at 100% power now
Great Episod Mike! Laser Max silver and gold are truly huge money maker indeed. Red cap with white core also have a big use in Solar signage or any "Warning Labels"
Great information! I already knew quite a bit of this, but excited to hear about the Weld on 4 for gluing my acrylic... a lot of pieces we have done, we use 3m to stick them together, which seems to work well, but that's always indoor only signs. Also, I am in Canada so if anyone from Canada see's this, a good Canadian source for the metallic plastics is Trotec Canada... There is also a Canadian source for some very fancy acrylics similar to Houston Acrylic, called Lynde Creek Acrylic. Cheers!
What a great set of tips! I have a marble slab that I lay the thin pieces on that have warped…works most of the time..sometimes need to hit it with a hair dryer.
Great video. I liked the tip about the brushed steel and brushed brass name plates. I've used the Rowmark gold in 0.8mm for trophy plates, but never thought of using the thicker stuff for other things until this video. Thanks.
Oh well, now I understand while I had never reach good results with extruded pmma.. thanks. With rowmark laser max do you defocus and use lower air pressure when engraving? How do you avoid fumes to go back in just engraved areas and ruin the nice black inside it?
@LaserEngraving911 thanks for reply. Will give methanol a try. I have an out of topic question. I have I request for color engraving on glass, have you ever tried those spray like cermark for blue marking? Normally I have found that on glass I use a 4'' lenses with wet paper on it. But with spray I am worried to broke it without masking
@LaserEngraving911 yes I think so. Had tried long time ago with blue spray and diode 455nm on glass and actually works, but don't think it's suitable for making hundreds pieces. Thanks for reply, keep following you
Really valuable advice. Love the channel! I spent a couple days of disappointment learning on extruded clear acrylic when I get my d1pro. It was one of the things I was really hoping to do. I think I will try some of the coloured cast acrylic now that I’ve watched this though thank you.
Not yet... Me thinks good idea Though! Ill have to look into that! The guys over @lasereverything love to geek out on the internals of lasers, might want to check them out!
@@LaserEngraving911 Thanks for your reply. I have to say that everyone who owns a lasercutting machine has a serious problem finding an honest technician.. My laser machine has been broken for three weeks now and none of these technicians would answer his phone or stick to the time they promise to come.. So, I have started learning everything about these machines.. and you, Sir, are very much appreciated for all the info you are offering.. thank you for your time, effort, dedication and being a real gentleman. Aziz
Hi there, which thickness of the Rowmark do you usually use for signs, 1/16 or 1/8? Thank you very much for being willing to teach so much about laser engraving!
A question on warping thin sheets. Acrylic should soften at 160 C (320 F), in high school we shaped acrylic with heat gun and a form. With care (avoid focusing the heat on one point for too long) you should be able to heat any warped pieces and press between flat surface until cool. The Vevor heat press you used earlier is also capable of softening acrylic. Other than prevention being superior to remedy are there any pitfalls to softening and reforming that you have encountered?
Thanks Michael! Great video and very timely too. I have a custom layered acrylic trophy project coming up and I have chosen to use oracal adhesive to stick some pieces of the acrylic together. I have WeldOn4, but I haven't practiced with it enough to make clean welds like you show. Would you advise against using oracal to stick layers of acrylic together?
Glad it was helpful! If you want to use 3M double sided tap on the back, or oracle to stick the parts together, I know that totally works, and you should be just fine, alot of folks do this, but like I said in the video Weld On #4 is the industry standard because it literally welds the acrylic together, creating a super strong lifetime bond. Just get yourself some scrap acrylic and start practicing with the weld on, once you get the hang of it, you will see how easy it is :)
Great video! I'm ready to begin my acrylic project, so the timing is perfect! Question... once the project is complete, how do you protect the acrylic surface to help prevent scratches?
Wow, fantastic video with a TON of useful information. New to the hobby of lasers, learned so much here. Really appreciate the time you put into this. Keep up the great work! Subscribed.
Great video. On the brushed gold and silver acrylic do you do the NoMark coating!? Have you tried the brushed aluminum? A Co2 laser can easily cut through the top coating?
I have the Boss Laser HP5598 CO2 table for cutting large jobs or high volume production runs on things like Keychains... My cast acrylic comes with a clear liner on both sides. After removing the liners, I'd like to know a trick to keep acrylic from hazing without having to wash dishsoap off of hundreds of keychain blanks as we also second surface print on them with a flatbed printer. Thanks for the tip!
Hey There, your best bet without using the dishsoap is to mask both sides of the acrylic with wide format masking paper. I know that is not ideal, and creates extra clean up, and work but it really is the only way to avoided hazing and get ultra clean cuts, wish I had another solution for you.
This is a great video! I’ve been using the Rowmark two ply acrylic sheets with a 40W Epilog CO2 laser cutter. I’m struggling with getting sharp lines when engraving and marking relatively small size font. Am I trying to get too much detail in there? Any tips? The stuff you show in this video looks really nice and sharp.
Glad it was helpful! if you are getting rounded edges or blurred engraving you might want to check your focus, and also your scan gap setting, your laser might need to be tuned up to get crisper edges. what is your model and are you using light burn?
We recently purchased a 100 watt C02 laser, enclosed cabinet with a 24” x 48” bed (our first laser). I’ve learned more from your channel than all the rest put together. What area are you from? Would you consider a couple hour tutoring session (with pay)?
That is awesome! of course I offer 1 on 1 consultations and would be happy to sit down with you and your team! You can book that here sonomalaserengraving.com/collections/all/products/1-hour-personalized-consultation-with-laser-engraving-911
This is amazing. I am about to pull the trigger on the f1 ultra. It has two lasers a diode and fiber. Will it cut clear acrylics? Again thank you for your knowledge.
Hi There Thanks!! The F1 ultra is a very very nice unit however it will not cut clear acrylic sadly, as it is a diode laser. If you want a laser that can cut all the types of acyclic I would recommend you get the xTool P2 Co2 laser shrsl.com/4iif3
Great Video, question on the Rowmark product. Which thickness do you use most (1/32", 1/16", or 1/8"? I assume 1/16"). Also, you mentioned to get it with the "3M" backing already on it. They have 4 different "Applied Adhesive" options (T467MP, T347, T330, and T468; which one are you using most or would recommend?)
@LaserEngraving911 much appreciated I ordered some samples. But will def order a bunch, it's exactly what I've been looking for (mostly family and friends, jist hobby level)
Well, I would stick to dark colors and shy away from the light colors like white, clear, pastel, light yellow, and blue, check out this guys video on cutting colors and engraving colors. ruclips.net/video/O1-4wORy0Rw/видео.html
Hello, thank you for your great work! Can I ask if you would recommend xtool smoke purifier machine to use with a xtool P2 co2 laser, specially wile using plexiglass? Thank you!
Hi There, I would recommend you not cut plexiglass, that is not acrylic. and regarding the fume extractor from xtool, I honestly cannot say if its good or not as I have no experience with it. But I can say it better be really good, because acrylic vapor is super smelly, and most cheap fume extractors cannot mitigate that smell. For good fume extractors I would look at BOFA and or FiltraBox!
Would you please do a full video on Rowmark Lasermax material? I can't get it to engrave correctly no matter what I do, can't figure out the correct settings.
great video i have a co2 80 watt and have cut and engrave Acrytic but i like a long ways from being good at it but i try. my question can i engrave signs with romark on a fiber laser
You can do it! I have successfully laser engraved the Romark laser max series using my fiber, however you cannot cut laser max with your fiber, just engraving, and you will be limited to the size of engraving you can do, depending on your fiber laser lens size. The cool thing about the fiber is your can get cool surface colors, like white, gray on the laser max that you cannot get with the co2. With the right fiber laser settings.
About the Johnson plastic plus silver with black. Is a C02 laser necessary to cut and engrave? I just recently purchased a 40 watt diode and I'm curious. I checked your link and I didn't see anything descriptive on the type of laser required. I've cut dark acrylic with another diode I have. Thank you for your time,I love your videos as well!!!😊😊😊
you can totally work with the silver and the gold from Johnson plastic plus the Romark laser max that I mentioned with your day of Laser it’ll work great with it
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. I am new to this great adventure of creating objects with the laser, little by little I have been learning to engrave and cut wood, finding the best settings for engraving and cutting. But I have only tried a single cut and engraving in acrylic and it was terrible (following the instructions and settings on the group's website where I share the use of the laser.) The engraving looks very ugly and to cut the 4 mm acrylic required almost 5 passes. It is a CO2 Laser, 80W (Mod. Redsail CM1080 Laser Cutter). Could you please give me some advice (settings) to improve it, since I was surprised when you mentioned that in a single pass it could cut. Thanks in advance
You should have no problem cutting all kinds of acrylic with an 80 W CO2 laser. I suspect that it Hass to do with your assist not being correct or you’re not in focus. I would definitely check the focus when you’re using your laser and make sure that you are focusing to the material properly. See if that helps.
That is for sure an option that you can try. I have some risers I have used for that in the past, but I have found over the years that masking is cleaner. The risers I use are actually these spikes amzn.to/3voeH8L
Hey Great video and tips. I’m thinking of taking advantage of the Omtech sale that ends in 2 days to get a Omtech polar. I dnt have a workshop outside. Its in my office. From a safety point of view, will sticking the hose out of a window be sufficient? I definitely want to be safe for myself and my family. Also what are your thoughts on the polar? I see your recommendationed co2 list is more expensive than my budget. 😢Thanks a lot. New Sub!
Hey Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and sub! Your not the only one who has to exhaust this way, sometime you have to start simple, I would try to get a longer exhaust hose to get it through the window, and out and away, and get a strong inline fan, Ill list some links below to some fans I recommend. As to omtech.. I would not get that unit, or any unit from them, I feel the build quality, and overall performance is sub par, and the customer support is just as bad I hear. I've seen a few of the units from them and I was NOT impressed at all. My first recommendation is that you spec a bit more, and get the Xtool P2 (link) Co2shrsl.com/4grfc Laser as your first unit. You want to have a solid Co2 laser so you can engrave and cut all the types of material and colors. The software is very user friendly and there is a ton of support from xtool and FB groups on this unit, and over all its a reliable machine for the price point. If the Xtool P2 is still outside your budget then I would highly recommend you look at the Xtool S1 diode based laser. You can see my full review on this unit and rating on my channel, while it is a bit slower than I like to see , it is overall very nice entry level unit with easy features that I love. Because its a diode laser you will not be able to cut every single color material, like clear acrylic, and whites , you can pretty much engrave and cut anything else. Here is the link for the Xtool S1 shrsl.com/4d8q2.. and here is a link to a strong inline fan I recommend and window adapter that may help. amzn.to/3POLif1 and window adapter. amzn.to/3TLVYMt hope this helps.
yes, you can backfill in the engraving on acrylic. I have two videos on my channel one is using Powdercoat to backfill engraving on acrylic with color and the other one is just general color filling using a mask in acrylic paint.
Hi There, The F1 Ultra can engrave and cut some thin acrylic yes, but you wont be able to cut Clear acrylic or light colored acrylic.. if you want to be able to work with all the acrylic types, you going to want to get the xTool P2 Co2 Laser #1 xTool P2 Co2 Laser: shrsl.com/4iif3
Hey these are great tips man thanks for sharing.. I'm using an Epilog FusionPro 32, downside of it is that I have no control over the air assist pressure (or the ability to turn it off for that matter).. really bugs me. I do have those striation lines along the edges of my acrylic cuts.
Unfortunately no, the air assist pump and assembly are all enclosed within the machine and automatically controlled during every run. @@LaserEngraving911
@@LaserEngraving911 I’m brand new to the awesome world of laser (GF Pro). I just made my first cut with acrylic and sadly made the mistake of using e6000. My cut was all of 2”w x 1”h. Im curious, how well does Weld On 4 work on small pieces such as the dot for a lower case “i”? I hope that makes sense. Should I use something different on something so small?
For sure check out the Xtool S1 and Or P2 for your first venture in to laser engraving and cutting. P2 shrsl.com/4fnxt S1 shrsl.com/4d8q2 these machines are new user friendly and are priced affordably
Hi Proffesor! im a very entusiastic follower since i decided to star a little shop of laser cutting and engaving, unfortunatelly i have a very short budget to start so after a fair research i concluded i can afford a diode creality falcon 10 pro of 10w laser machine, i know, thats for hobbies, but here in argentina the economy is going bad so start slowly its a need, sellers are not super clear about what can expect from that kind of cheap machine, my primary goal would be thin wood and thin mdf, i know about coloring whit different tipes of paint and technics and my aproach its combine those whit a laser cut or engraving as a bottom start and see what happens ang go from there, did u believe its still an option or in this case is a "just dont start at all" situation? thanks a lot for ur videos!
if you are going to go Diode would look at this one algolaser.com/products/algolaser-delta-22w-diode-laser-engraver?variant=47824089776435 you can still make stuff with diode laser of course, they are just slow, but they will get the job done, 10watts is not much,
Another one regarding welding. Where I live, its hard (and expensive) to get Weld-On products. So we found another chemical that actually does just as well. Chloroform. Yes it is extremely dangerous, but provided you use an organic respirator you're good.
Yikes! not sure if I would recommend that to anyone, but I guess as long as your following safety precautions, and that all you have, it what you gotta work with.
Hey There, if you go to my amazon store front and click on the section "Co2 Laser Accessories" you can find the right mask in there, it s good mask wide roll www.amazon.com/shop/laserengraving911
Number 8 was an especially timely tip for me as I’m preparing to reach out to photographers. Thank you!
Great!!! glad you got some value!
Starting out on my Laser cut journey. Thank you for these tips. Amazing!!
Have fun! and thanks for stopping by!
One of the best channels and tips for Laser engraving things, kudos man and thanks a bunch!
Wow, thanks!
I've been laser engraving / cutting since 1998. But there is always something new you can learn. My PRO tip. "Don't Think you know it all, even if you have been doing it for years or decades." :)
Well put!
I work with cast acrylic exclusively. This video is FANTASTIC! So much good info.Thank you!!! Weld-On 3 works well too.
You are so welcome!
I got a huge amount of value out of this video. Thank you for your time.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!!
I have been dabbling with diode lasers for over a year and just purchased a CO2 that is parked in my garage and cannot wait to test drive acrylics. Your videos are beyond helpful. The production value is exceptional and it is obvious that you have invested a ton of time and energy to produce these videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and the discount codes will be useful as well! All the best for your future projects and keep the videos rolling you are providing an incredible service to the laser community! 👍💯
Wow thank you for all that, so glad to hear your getting so much value!
I would like to add a tip. I recently purchased a 10w diode laser and struggled with the acrylic engraving. Ive since found removing the peel on both sides of the clear acrylic and painting one side with rustoleum peel off paint and then placing the acrylic on a piece of 5mm glass sheet solves the issue of burn back on the rear of the acrylic and the peel off paint makes the cleaning of the piece a walk in the park. Engraving at 100% power now
nice work around!
As a "newbie" and let's just say a senior one. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
anytime glad I could help!
Visited Houston Acrylics Houston location
today and bought several panels. They have a very large selection and were very helpful.
Nice, wish I lived close enough to just pop in!
Great tips, thank you!!! I always use a respirator with acrylic, even through I’m venting out with an inline fan.
Glad it was helpful!
Looking to get my first laser cutter and these are amazing tips! I am a one man show and appreciate videos like these. Thanks!
super cool glad I could help!
Great video.... would like to see a video example of using the dish soap as a way to prevent hazing.
Thanks! You mean and expanded video on this topic?, I did cover it in the video.
Great tips, especially the Weld On 4. I get all my acrylic at Houston Acrylic, great people, and selection!
Right on!
Went out with the gang from HA Saturday night at LBX! Great folks and yeah, great products and service!!
Wow. Great video. Your listing of the products you use and where to get them is appreciated.
Great Episod Mike! Laser Max silver and gold are truly huge money maker indeed. Red cap with white core also have a big use in Solar signage or any "Warning Labels"
ooooo nice bonus tip! That is a another great idea,, I might have to start carrying that color combo too :) folks listen to this guy! 🐱👤
@@LaserEngraving911 @oclaser can I use those materials on a diode laser, too or can they only be worked on with a co2?
Great information! I already knew quite a bit of this, but excited to hear about the Weld on 4 for gluing my acrylic... a lot of pieces we have done, we use 3m to stick them together, which seems to work well, but that's always indoor only signs. Also, I am in Canada so if anyone from Canada see's this, a good Canadian source for the metallic plastics is Trotec Canada... There is also a Canadian source for some very fancy acrylics similar to Houston Acrylic, called Lynde Creek Acrylic. Cheers!
Thank you! I think you will find that weld on 4 is pretty cool stuff once you get the hang of it, it very strong!
What a great set of tips!
I have a marble slab that I lay the thin pieces on that have warped…works most of the time..sometimes need to hit it with a hair dryer.
Thanks for the support and for the great tip!
Great video. I liked the tip about the brushed steel and brushed brass name plates. I've used the Rowmark gold in 0.8mm for trophy plates, but never thought of using the thicker stuff for other things until this video. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing! and your support!
Great vid as always. I have been using Rowmark for a few years, game changer for Co2. Thanks for the link on the Exotics👍
No problem 👍 Im stoked to make some new projects with Houstons color line, they have re-inspired me to make more cool acrylic stuff!
Love love this video. THANK YOU. You helped me make a decision on why I want a CO2
great!
Super tips!! The hazing really annoyed me, so I took the time for weeding the masking tape. Now I will definitely try your dish soap tip.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for taking the time to comment and watch :)
For really light scratches I use Meguiar’s PlastX. Works beautifully on acrylic, delrin, anything plastic.
you're ALWAYS an awesome teacher, so thankful
I like the way you delivered the info - very useful indeed... Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
Thank you for doing these videos. I am new to laser business and they help me a lot.
@@rhondagurley3466 Your very welcome!
Methilen Cloride is the best for welding
Sounds scary! That's probably what Weld on 4 is, they just rebranded it. 🤣🤣
Absolutely awesome! Great info for a beginner wanting to use acrylics. Keep up the great work and videos.
Thank you! Will do!
You got yourself a new subscriber. All the way from Uganda. Good stuff.
Thats Awesome Thank you!!
That’s for the tips , I’m new to answering but o love it and want to learn more.
1. What the best size to cut
That is going to depend on your laser bed size, and power of your laser, do you mean thickness?
Great advice, as always 👍 will most certainly be putting these valuable tips to use
What's up Dave! Dude thank for watching as always!! Glad you dig it!
Came to learn how to prevent hazing stayed to watch the whole video great tips and advice 👏
Nice,, glad you dig it!
awesome video! Great info on all those different plastics..woow.
Thanks for watching!
Oh well, now I understand while I had never reach good results with extruded pmma.. thanks. With rowmark laser max do you defocus and use lower air pressure when engraving? How do you avoid fumes to go back in just engraved areas and ruin the nice black inside it?
For laser max , I just keep it normal air pressure and regular focus. Its easy to work with. Clean up engraving with Methanol. Works great.
@LaserEngraving911 thanks for reply. Will give methanol a try. I have an out of topic question. I have I request for color engraving on glass, have you ever tried those spray like cermark for blue marking? Normally I have found that on glass I use a 4'' lenses with wet paper on it. But with spray I am worried to broke it without masking
@@martinotalotti8986 no haven't tired those sprays in color only the black. With those sprays, you need to use thicker glass, thin glass is s a no go.
@LaserEngraving911 yes I think so. Had tried long time ago with blue spray and diode 455nm on glass and actually works, but don't think it's suitable for making hundreds pieces. Thanks for reply, keep following you
Really valuable advice. Love the channel! I spent a couple days of disappointment learning on extruded clear acrylic when I get my d1pro. It was one of the things I was really hoping to do. I think I will try some of the coloured cast acrylic now that I’ve watched this though thank you.
Awesome! Glad you go some value, def check out some of the great colors at Houston Acrylic! houstonacrylic.com/discount/LASERENGRAVING911
Thank you for the faux metal acrylic recommendation!
You bet!!
Thank you very much. That was a great educational video.
Is there an educational book on doing maintenance and repair for laser machines?
Not yet... Me thinks good idea Though! Ill have to look into that! The guys over @lasereverything love to geek out on the internals of lasers, might want to check them out!
@@LaserEngraving911 Thanks for your reply. I have to say that everyone who owns a lasercutting machine has a serious problem finding an honest technician.. My laser machine has been broken for three weeks now and none of these technicians would answer his phone or stick to the time they promise to come.. So, I have started learning everything about these machines.. and you, Sir, are very much appreciated for all the info you are offering.. thank you for your time, effort, dedication and being a real gentleman.
Aziz
Great advice! Will definitely be checking out your list of resources.
nice! Thx
Thanks for the great tips!
You bet! glad you got some value!
Hi there, which thickness of the Rowmark do you usually use for signs, 1/16 or 1/8? Thank you very much for being willing to teach so much about laser engraving!
I use 1/16th mostly with the 3M adhesive backing option, almost always! 👍
A question on warping thin sheets. Acrylic should soften at 160 C (320 F), in high school we shaped acrylic with heat gun and a form. With care (avoid focusing the heat on one point for too long) you should be able to heat any warped pieces and press between flat surface until cool. The Vevor heat press you used earlier is also capable of softening acrylic.
Other than prevention being superior to remedy are there any pitfalls to softening and reforming that you have encountered?
your theory sounds good, I have never tried this, as I've never had a part warp so bad it needed this treatment.
Super informative video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. Cheers from Denmark 🙂
your welcome!!
Thanks Michael! Great video and very timely too. I have a custom layered acrylic trophy project coming up and I have chosen to use oracal adhesive to stick some pieces of the acrylic together. I have WeldOn4, but I haven't practiced with it enough to make clean welds like you show. Would you advise against using oracal to stick layers of acrylic together?
Glad it was helpful! If you want to use 3M double sided tap on the back, or oracle to stick the parts together, I know that totally works, and you should be just fine, alot of folks do this, but like I said in the video Weld On #4 is the industry standard because it literally welds the acrylic together, creating a super strong lifetime bond. Just get yourself some scrap acrylic and start practicing with the weld on, once you get the hang of it, you will see how easy it is :)
Great video! I'm ready to begin my acrylic project, so the timing is perfect! Question... once the project is complete, how do you protect the acrylic surface to help prevent scratches?
Before shipping the product out I always wrap it in plastic wrap, but other than that,, just tell the customer to not scratch it 🤣
craving donuts for some reason now
Can you tell I have a thing for Doughnuts? Is it too Obvious? 🤣🤣
Thankfully I live in Winston-Salem NC where Krispy Kreme started, I grew up eating them
😂
Wow, fantastic video with a TON of useful information. New to the hobby of lasers, learned so much here. Really appreciate the time you put into this. Keep up the great work! Subscribed.
@@rkybby1 Thank You!!
Great video. On the brushed gold and silver acrylic do you do the NoMark coating!?
Have you tried the brushed aluminum? A Co2 laser can easily cut through the top coating?
Yes I have, and whether you get the no mark coating or not it cuts great.
I was unsure what the NoMark coating was. Worth it?
I have the Boss Laser HP5598 CO2 table for cutting large jobs or high volume production runs on things like Keychains...
My cast acrylic comes with a clear liner on both sides.
After removing the liners, I'd like to know a trick to keep acrylic from hazing without having to wash dishsoap off of hundreds of keychain blanks as we also second surface print on them with a flatbed printer.
Thanks for the tip!
Hey There, your best bet without using the dishsoap is to mask both sides of the acrylic with wide format masking paper. I know that is not ideal, and creates extra clean up, and work but it really is the only way to avoided hazing and get ultra clean cuts, wish I had another solution for you.
@@LaserEngraving911 thanks for the help and actually responding. Give us a follow, lots of cool stuff ahead!
Tried masking both sides of clear acrylic. It works 💪
Thank you for all your tips
You are so welcome! glad you got some value!!
This is a great video! I’ve been using the Rowmark two ply acrylic sheets with a 40W Epilog CO2 laser cutter. I’m struggling with getting sharp lines when engraving and marking relatively small size font. Am I trying to get too much detail in there? Any tips? The stuff you show in this video looks really nice and sharp.
Glad it was helpful! if you are getting rounded edges or blurred engraving you might want to check your focus, and also your scan gap setting, your laser might need to be tuned up to get crisper edges. what is your model and are you using light burn?
Great video thank you for the information
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
We recently purchased a 100 watt C02 laser, enclosed cabinet with a 24” x 48” bed (our first laser). I’ve learned more from your channel than all the rest put together. What area are you from? Would you consider a couple hour tutoring session (with pay)?
That is awesome! of course I offer 1 on 1 consultations and would be happy to sit down with you and your team! You can book that here sonomalaserengraving.com/collections/all/products/1-hour-personalized-consultation-with-laser-engraving-911
Awesome video, thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge. Greetings from Costa Rica
hey Costa Rica, thanks for popping over and taking the time to leave a comment
This is amazing. I am about to pull the trigger on the f1 ultra. It has two lasers a diode and fiber. Will it cut clear acrylics? Again thank you for your knowledge.
Hi There Thanks!! The F1 ultra is a very very nice unit however it will not cut clear acrylic sadly, as it is a diode laser. If you want a laser that can cut all the types of acyclic I would recommend you get the xTool P2 Co2 laser shrsl.com/4iif3
Love the color!
Me too!
Great tips. Thanks
You bet!
Thanks it was very informative content! I'll use the Houstonacrylic discount on the last day, 04/31 for sure :-)
🤣
Great Video, question on the Rowmark product. Which thickness do you use most (1/32", 1/16", or 1/8"? I assume 1/16"). Also, you mentioned to get it with the "3M" backing already on it. They have 4 different "Applied Adhesive" options (T467MP, T347, T330, and T468; which one are you using most or would recommend?)
def 1/16th is my favorite, and I use the standard 4mil adhesive 👍
@LaserEngraving911 much appreciated I ordered some samples. But will def order a bunch, it's exactly what I've been looking for (mostly family and friends, jist hobby level)
Out of all the Houston Acrylic options witch ones works well with the Blue light lasers (Xtool ) .
Thanks
Well, I would stick to dark colors and shy away from the light colors like white, clear, pastel, light yellow, and blue, check out this guys video on cutting colors and engraving colors. ruclips.net/video/O1-4wORy0Rw/видео.html
@@LaserEngraving911 thanks for the replies. They have a section for Diode Laser tested acrylic
one more great video and LOT of info, Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Hello, thank you for your great work! Can I ask if you would recommend xtool smoke purifier machine to use with a xtool P2 co2 laser, specially wile using plexiglass? Thank you!
Hi There, I would recommend you not cut plexiglass, that is not acrylic. and regarding the fume extractor from xtool, I honestly cannot say if its good or not as I have no experience with it. But I can say it better be really good, because acrylic vapor is super smelly, and most cheap fume extractors cannot mitigate that smell. For good fume extractors I would look at BOFA and or FiltraBox!
Would you please do a full video on Rowmark Lasermax material? I can't get it to engrave correctly no matter what I do, can't figure out the correct settings.
Another fantastic video. So much great information. Thank you
Thanks!
Such great tips! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
You are so welcome!
great video i have a co2 80 watt and have cut and engrave Acrytic but i like a long ways from being good at it but i try. my question can i engrave signs with romark on a fiber laser
You can do it! I have successfully laser engraved the Romark laser max series using my fiber, however you cannot cut laser max with your fiber, just engraving, and you will be limited to the size of engraving you can do, depending on your fiber laser lens size. The cool thing about the fiber is your can get cool surface colors, like white, gray on the laser max that you cannot get with the co2. With the right fiber laser settings.
Excellent video. Thanks
You are welcome!
About the Johnson plastic plus silver with black. Is a C02 laser necessary to cut and engrave? I just recently purchased a 40 watt diode and I'm curious. I checked your link and I didn't see anything descriptive on the type of laser required. I've cut dark acrylic with another diode I have. Thank you for your time,I love your videos as well!!!😊😊😊
you can totally work with the silver and the gold from Johnson plastic plus the Romark laser max that I mentioned with your day of Laser it’ll work great with it
Great tips. I’m just starting out. Thank you. You mentioned the LBX show. What is the name of that?
It was the LightBurn Expo, they will have another this year I’m sure
@@LaserEngraving911 thank you.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.
I am new to this great adventure of creating objects with the laser, little by little I have been learning to engrave and cut wood, finding the best settings for engraving and cutting. But I have only tried a single cut and engraving in acrylic and it was terrible (following the instructions and settings on the group's website where I share the use of the laser.) The engraving looks very ugly and to cut the 4 mm acrylic required almost 5 passes.
It is a CO2 Laser, 80W (Mod. Redsail CM1080 Laser Cutter).
Could you please give me some advice (settings) to improve it, since I was surprised when you mentioned that in a single pass it could cut.
Thanks in advance
You should have no problem cutting all kinds of acrylic with an 80 W CO2 laser. I suspect that it Hass to do with your assist not being correct or you’re not in focus. I would definitely check the focus when you’re using your laser and make sure that you are focusing to the material properly. See if that helps.
Omg this was so helpful, thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks!
Excellent video, very interesting, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great tips learned a lot !
Awesome!
Do you recommend elevating acrylic or wood off the honeycomb to keep the backside clear?
That is for sure an option that you can try. I have some risers I have used for that in the past, but I have found over the years that masking is cleaner. The risers I use are actually these spikes amzn.to/3voeH8L
hey!!! Please, Can you teach me how to make that krispy kreme ad you showed? please!!
Hey! I just released this short on how to make the Krispy Kreme sign! Thanks for your support!
ruclips.net/user/shortsCXoo0RmiOOo?feature=share
@@LaserEngraving911 super!!! thx so much!!
Great info! Thank you!
your welcome!!!
Hey Great video and tips. I’m thinking of taking advantage of the Omtech sale that ends in 2 days to get a Omtech polar. I dnt have a workshop outside. Its in my office. From a safety point of view, will sticking the hose out of a window be sufficient? I definitely want to be safe for myself and my family. Also what are your thoughts on the polar? I see your recommendationed co2 list is more expensive than my budget. 😢Thanks a lot. New Sub!
Hey Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and sub! Your not the only one who has to exhaust this way, sometime you have to start simple, I would try to get a longer exhaust hose to get it through the window, and out and away, and get a strong inline fan, Ill list some links below to some fans I recommend. As to omtech.. I would not get that unit, or any unit from them, I feel the build quality, and overall performance is sub par, and the customer support is just as bad I hear. I've seen a few of the units from them and I was NOT impressed at all. My first recommendation is that you spec a bit more, and get the Xtool P2 (link) Co2shrsl.com/4grfc Laser as your first unit. You want to have a solid Co2 laser so you can engrave and cut all the types of material and colors. The software is very user friendly and there is a ton of support from xtool and FB groups on this unit, and over all its a reliable machine for the price point. If the Xtool P2 is still outside your budget then I would highly recommend you look at the Xtool S1 diode based laser. You can see my full review on this unit and rating on my channel, while it is a bit slower than I like to see , it is overall very nice entry level unit with easy features that I love. Because its a diode laser you will not be able to cut every single color material, like clear acrylic, and whites , you can pretty much engrave and cut anything else. Here is the link for the Xtool S1 shrsl.com/4d8q2.. and here is a link to a strong inline fan I recommend and window adapter that may help. amzn.to/3POLif1 and window adapter. amzn.to/3TLVYMt hope this helps.
Awesome video!!
Glad you enjoyed it
Hi! Greay video! Do you know how to paint the engraving? Like a qr code ?
yes, you can backfill in the engraving on acrylic. I have two videos on my channel one is using Powdercoat to backfill engraving on acrylic with color and the other one is just general color filling using a mask in acrylic paint.
You just got a new subscriber..many thanks
Awesome, thank you!
Great video. What was the thickness of the LaserMax that you used? Cheers.
1/16th all day everyday! and 1/8th on occasion.
I've been using acrylic in one form or another for 20+ years and from dozens of sellers and mine always came with paper mask unless it was calendared.
Thanks for sharing!
do you recommend "no mark plus" coating for the Johnson plastics products?
I have never seen a reason to get that coating in all my years.
Thanks for the tips
No problem!
In your opinion, will the f1 ultra do a good job on acrylic?
Hi There, The F1 Ultra can engrave and cut some thin acrylic yes, but you wont be able to cut Clear acrylic or light colored acrylic.. if you want to be able to work with all the acrylic types, you going to want to get the xTool P2 Co2 Laser #1 xTool P2 Co2 Laser: shrsl.com/4iif3
Hey these are great tips man thanks for sharing.. I'm using an Epilog FusionPro 32, downside of it is that I have no control over the air assist pressure (or the ability to turn it off for that matter).. really bugs me. I do have those striation lines along the edges of my acrylic cuts.
Does that unit not have an external air compressor?
Unfortunately no, the air assist pump and assembly are all enclosed within the machine and automatically controlled during every run.
@@LaserEngraving911
Thanks bro very useful information
Anytime glad it helped!
Great video! Very informative.
Thank You!
@@LaserEngraving911 I’m brand new to the awesome world of laser (GF Pro). I just made my first cut with acrylic and sadly made the mistake of using e6000. My cut was all of 2”w x 1”h. Im curious, how well does Weld On 4 work on small pieces such as the dot for a lower case “i”? I hope that makes sense. Should I use something different on something so small?
Great tips
Thank You!
Can you use the xTool S1 to engrave on 1/16th Brushed Silver/Black acrylic with double sided tape?
100%
Hi. I'm interested in starting laser cutting which you recommend for a newbie?
For sure check out the Xtool S1 and Or P2 for your first venture in to laser engraving and cutting. P2 shrsl.com/4fnxt S1 shrsl.com/4d8q2 these machines are new user friendly and are priced affordably
Hi Proffesor! im a very entusiastic follower since i decided to star a little shop of laser cutting and engaving, unfortunatelly i have a very short budget to start so after a fair research i concluded i can afford a diode creality falcon 10 pro of 10w laser machine, i know, thats for hobbies, but here in argentina the economy is going bad so start slowly its a need, sellers are not super clear about what can expect from that kind of cheap machine, my primary goal would be thin wood and thin mdf, i know about coloring whit different tipes of paint and technics and my aproach its combine those whit a laser cut or engraving as a bottom start and see what happens ang go from there, did u believe its still an option or in this case is a "just dont start at all" situation? thanks a lot for ur videos!
if you are going to go Diode would look at this one algolaser.com/products/algolaser-delta-22w-diode-laser-engraver?variant=47824089776435 you can still make stuff with diode laser of course, they are just slow, but they will get the job done, 10watts is not much,
Another one regarding welding. Where I live, its hard (and expensive) to get Weld-On products. So we found another chemical that actually does just as well. Chloroform. Yes it is extremely dangerous, but provided you use an organic respirator you're good.
Yikes! not sure if I would recommend that to anyone, but I guess as long as your following safety precautions, and that all you have, it what you gotta work with.
Your Oracle masking paper links to tape blue man transfer tape. Is that what you suggest ? Transfer tape ?
Hey There, if you go to my amazon store front and click on the section "Co2 Laser Accessories" you can find the right mask in there, it s good mask wide roll www.amazon.com/shop/laserengraving911
Thank you.
You're very welcome and thanks for watching :)
did you use 2 thickness? 1.6mm for the decals and 3mm for the cards or key holder types?
I always use 1/16th but sometime 1/8
Is there any kind of protective clear coat that can be applied to the finished product?
I dont see why not! I've never had a need to do this with acrylic, but if I did I would pick something that bonds all to plastic and is UV stable.
Will the Xtool D1 (diode) cut the johnson brushed acrylic?
Yes, 100%
Great info, Thank you :)
I work at rowmark!
Awesome! Lets Talk! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@LaserEngraving911 if you need anything feel free to reach out!