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The term "LASER" is an acronym for Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of Radiation
Quality, speed and precision
are the focal points behind every part we cut. Laser cutting does not
stress or distort materials, allowing your components to maintain their
strength and durability. Call us anytime for advice on laser cutting for
the signage industry. WE CAN CUT EXPERT SHAPES AND LETTERS.
TIP: Apply an application or
protective covering tape over your sign materials. We commonly use
typical sign application tape to protect our laser cut face, rear and
any abutting panel joins.
LASER CUTTING HELP & Tutorial
 More
Signage Magazines & tips, tricks and help |
www.australiasigns.com.au
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When cutting acrylic for
signs, display systems or other advertising and marketing
display stands, you can improve your immediate quality with the
following tips. |
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The laser
output needed depends on the thickness of the acrylic sheet and
the productivity required. The higher the laser output
available, the faster the acrylic can be cut
In principle it is very easy to cut acrylic. Generally speaking,
the maximum laser output is set and the speed is adjusted so
that the material is cut through. High-quality cutting results,
however, can only be achieved with carefully selected
parameters. At slow speeds, the cut edges achieved are rather
more polished. However, if cutting is too slow, the resulting
cut is wide and extends outwards towards the bottom. However,
this also depends on the point of focus and the focal length
used. Use a focal length of 2.5 inch for thicknesses between 3
and 8 mm, for thicker materials the focal length set should be 5
inch. The focus should not lie on the surface but approximately
a third of the way inside the material. Striation increases with
speeds that are too high. The gas flow should be set as low as
possible to achieve the best possible quality. However, a higher
gas flow allows faster cutting speeds.
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Tips for cutting acrylic.
The acrylic used is also very important. Acrylic may be
cast or extruded. Cast acrylic is excellently suited to
laser cutting. With extruded acrylic, the cut edges
become milky after cutting due to the stresses released.
It is also important to achieve clean adjustment of the
beam since the cut edges are not vertical if there is
any astigmatism and exhibit different angles depending
on the direction of displacement. Therefore, the
selection of a laser source with good beam quality is
particularly crucial.
Also, it is particularly important to prevent
reflections of the laser beam as far as possible since
they cause visible unevenness in the cut edges. For this
reason, the material may not lie completely flat on the
processing surface. Use a special cutting table for this
purpose. As a result the beam will barely be reflected
and you will get clean-cut edges.
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Removing Dust:
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Some jobs where a lot of
cap material is being removed become coated with dust
and residue. This can happen on pieces that contain
large open areas of text or graphics, or on jobs where a
lot of detail is being removed all across the surface,
particularly as seen in photo laser engraving. These
dust particles can smear into the substrate and ruin the
job if they are wiped with a dry or, even worse, a wet
cloth. This dust contains colorants and is so fine that
when mixed with any fluid almost immediately turns into
a kind of paint. The best way to eliminate the dust
without ruining the background is to place transfer or
masking tape over the entire surface. Press it down and
squeegee it in place several times. Peel it off, and the
dust particles will adhere to the masking. Usually after
one application of the masking, the sign can be cleaned
using a spray cleaner and cloth. On some jobs,
especially photos, two or three applications of masking
may be necessary.
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Laser Cutting Colored Acrylic
or Colored Panels
Your choice of color
can also affect laser settings. Some colors (such as
blue or red) contain more pigment. Depending on the size
of your graphic, WE may have to adjust your path
directions and cutting speed setting to achieve the
cleanest marking possible. Call our sign designers
anytime for advice.
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1800 815
166 |
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| Computer aided laser cutting systems
will cut out sharp corners and micro details, which are impossible to
produce with other machines |
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1800 815
166
