Project: Switching Beds for a Better Cut

Dilan Tuff-Overes
August 9, 2018

We laser lots of wood and acrylic... like seriously, it's hundreds if not thousands of sheets per year. This volume of throughput tends to cause the lasers to build up a lot of gunk and debris that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. Besides being safer, it reduces the "flash" marks which are little black marks on the bottom of the material where the laser has burned through the material and reflected off the support table back to the underside of what was being cut.

Selecting the best surface used to support your lasered material comes down to a few options to which you need to ask:

  1. Is my project super heavy, or do I not care about table damage, scorching and just want a flat worksurface surface? (Use a flat metal tabletop)
  2. Are my parts small or risk being lost after being cut? (Use honeycomb)
  3. Do I want to minimize flash marks on my part? (Use slat)
  4. Am I doing the same thing over and over again and want best performance? (Use custom pin-table)

We've used all four methods at Solarbotics (five, if you include the rotary attachment for engraving ...pop bottles), with the honeycomb being the often used solution, but after our last laser cleanup, we've revisited the slat system.

Our latest designs are larger and better tabbed so they stay together. The slat system is ideal for these jobs, with its better managing of debris build-up, and vastly reduced flashing. Less support material below the cut means there's less to get in the way. For comparison, this is what a traditional honeycomb table looks like after a few months of cutting MDF (ug!). Look at that old and crufty thing... and the honeycomb too.

Now take a look at our new cleaned and re-slatted table! It's almost too clean...

As nice as it is, this bed of slats has no indexable edge for us to register our material against. Finding a common origin point on the bed crucial in production, so we used the laser to create our own registration edge!

Using the laser to laser parts for the laser... for better lasering...

Here are the results:

With this in place, we're ready for even higher quality laser cutting.

MORE POSTS

September 13, 2013
Phone Support Unavailable

Due to a shortage of staff and the Calgary Mini Maker Faire this weekend, we will unfortunately be unable to take your calls at this time. Sales & support can still be reached at sales@solarbotics.com & support@solarbotics.com, however responses may be a bit delayed.

March 23, 2016
Wednesday Links: New Materials, Music Ma...

Liquid Metal to Make Stretchable Electronics The elastic tech has huge potential for wearable tech, mobile devices, and even electronic "smart clothing." New Material Inspired by Geometric Patterns Inspired by the intricate geometries and repetitive patterns found in Islamic art, researchers at McGill University developed a material with new properties. (Via ZME Science) Kinematic Petals […]

January 7, 2009
Bread(boarding) is fun!

Mmm, bread. Sandwiches, french toast, garlic bread... Around here, many of us are partial towards sourdough. But being an electronics company, we also have a soft spot for breadboards, of the prototyping/circuit variety. Don't get us wrong - normal breadboards are great too (the inability to cut our bread would surely lead to the collapse […]

June 25, 2013
Back on Track

Hey everyone, while parts of Calgary are still in recovery, things are now back to normal on our end. We're processing and shipping out on schedule, and unless you're in a flood-affected area you'll be receiving your order on time. Thanks for your patience!

Solarbotics Ltd Logo
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!

Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.

Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.

cart