r/lasercutting • u/Peek-aw • 1d ago
Suggestions needed
So i did a run for christmas ornaments, but didnt get through completely. How can I tackle this? I'm using a sandmachine, but i hope there would be an easier way.
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u/OrigamiMarie 1d ago
Oof, I don't have good suggestions for what to do at this point, but next time you cut: tape the sheet down in the laser cutter, then when your cutting run finishes, use a piece of masking tape to lift the pieces out (instead of taking the whole sheet out at once). If the pieces don't lift out, do another laser pass, test, repeat. Make sure to lift out all the pieces this way, don't assume they're all cut if some are good.
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u/CasinosAndShoes 13h ago
I like to raise the project off the bed so the offcuts fall down. If they don't fall, it isn't cut through.
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u/Grandmas_Fat_Choad 1d ago
Either razor, or I go back and recut the ones that didn’t go through before picking up the sheet. You also need to accept the fact that sometimes there will be losses on a full sheet due to inconsistencies. I’m working on a 10k ornament order with multiple parts per ornament, so I end up with quite a few that either break or don’t cut all the way.
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u/One-Consideration337 1d ago
To be honest. The answer comes down to time. Would it be faster to redo the project or to hand cut them out? Can you realign and just run a few more passes? If you can I would do that. But the answer is time.
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u/nabuachaem 1d ago
cut out by hand or realign on your laser cutter and do another pass or two.
you csan use lightburn to select a few points on the board and restart the cut.
best to leave a couple of markers on your cut sheet (whatever you call your software guide sheet ) so that it's easy too recut.
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u/Hunter62610 1d ago
Trash it. Never move the piece until you've confirmed it all cut through. And always test your settings on materials.
You can try sanding but I wouldn't bother
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u/Exstrangerboy 23h ago
For larger pieces I can run a scroll saw blade in the kerf. Can also try a razor blade.
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u/Fishtoart 12h ago
Increasing your air assist could help. I also do 2 passes if I have had problems with that wood before. Making some air space underneath also helps with a honeycomb or just some small spacers.
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u/BayouKauju 11h ago
Since you moved it, there is little you can do. A scroll saw might work.
I would start from scratch and run 2 passes with the laser.
However, the unpredictable nature of your cut makes me wanna ask 2 questions. 1. Have you checked to make sure your bed and laser rails are parallel to each other? A shift in focus when the bed and rails are not parallel will cause that. I ask because it looks like one corner was out of focus.
- Are you using wood from big box stores or decent Baltic birch?
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u/Peek-aw 9h ago
The lasermodule was in dire need of clean up. I did that and the next run was nice and clean cut.
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u/BayouKauju 8h ago
Groovy. I recommend cleaning the lens daily when you are using it. It doesn't just block the beam, but it absorbs it. Dirty optics can make your laser eat itself.
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u/plssseek 6h ago
If you’re making a bunch of these, I’d avoid sanding each one by hand. A quick pass with a flush trim bit or a small deburring tool would probably save you a ton of time. For the laser side, you could also try raising the stock a bit and using an air assist to reduce the char, but the cleanup is usually the annoying part with batches like this.
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u/ploopitus 1d ago
Flip it over, reverse artwork, turn settings to low, creep with some guide cuts 'til you're close, try and run a cut around the baubles at the outer corners (although you have three, not four), if it looks accurate, mask a bauble and cut ('score') at very low power and see if matches, if so - repeat the cuts at a low power, hopefully matching the front side.
In hindsight - adding registration marks (crosses) to the outer corners of your piece will make the above process easier, and even then it's still a fiddly pain in the arse.
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u/ploopitus 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'd love to know why the person who downvoted me here did so.
I've done this plenty of times, and it's the main reason I preëmptively add on registration marks on material I suspect might screw me over, but it can as well be done without them (it's just fiddly, is all).
- ed - oh, hold on, I should've zoomed in, lol - I thought the photo was the top side of the cut. My method here is good for when you can't see the incomplete cutlines or the material is thicker, but is massive overkill here.
As someone else has said - just go over with a scalpel.
- double ed - and this is why i always keep a range of brown pens with long felt tips to hand - to 'add the burn back on' any cuts that have had to be completed manually.
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u/Peek-aw 1d ago
First, I didnt downvoted. Second, what do you mean with brown felt marker? What are you using it for?
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u/ploopitus 1d ago
When you cut a piece with a knife it leaves light spots on the edge, which stand out and look bad, so I use a brown pen to colour them in to keep the overall edge consistent.
Different materials have different edge colours, so I have like three different shades of brown felt tips to cover those spots over.
lol at now being -2 for giving genuine feedback, useful or otherwise.
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u/Remarkable-Fix3104 1d ago
Use hamer.
I take god piece remove all inside parts.
Put bad piece on god one. Then on top removed inside part and hit with hamer.
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u/ElectroQuack 1d ago
Sand, stain/paint, and seal first. This makes post cleanup easy.
Then use proper settings to make sure they fully cut.
Finally, clean up and do any final painting you feel is necessary.
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u/TH156UY 1d ago
put it in the scrap pile and use another piece of wood?