User:Ssstephen/lasercutting-paper

From XPUB & Lens-Based wiki

This is a table of laser cutting tests with paper in the WDKA digital lab. Paper is really temperamental so the power and speed settings really need to be fine tuned. Also its generally better to cut one sheet at a time or else you will go on fire.

Best starting point:

If you have never used the laser cutter at all read this page first: https://static.mywdka.nl/materialstation/lasercutter/

When you're ready to test your paper, copy the settings from LS025 below for cutting and etching paper around 150gms. Then tweak it to suit your paper better, the aim is to get a good cut/etch but not take too long. It you are looking for a more specific paper maybe it is somewhere else in the table. And if you like add your tests here to make it easier for the next person :)

Test ID Machine Material Settings Cut Etch Runtime
Thickness Power Speed PPI Z-axis Flow Power Speed PPI Z-axis Flow
LS025 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Cream paper from college (final bookmarks) 0.5mm 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% 20% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% 00:08:49


All the tests

Test ID Date Machine Material File Settings Cut Kisscut Etch Runtime
Thickness Used Power Speed PPI Z-axis Flow Result Used Power Speed PPI Z-axis Flow Result Used Power Speed PPI Z-axis Flow Result
LS001 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Red perforation1.svg 0.5mm y 35% 80% 500 0.5mm 100% Didnt cut through. Alignment on printer is not in the corner, but right and down a little y 20% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% Quite faint but consistent, no gaps n 45% 100% 500 0.5mm 100%
LS002 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Red perforation1.svg 1mm y 35% 80% 500 1mm 100% Still didnt cut through, not much noticable difference from LS001 y 20% 50% 500 1mm 100% Quite faint but consistent, no gaps, not noticably different from ls001 n 45% 100% 500 1mm 100%
LS003 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Red perforation2.svg 3mm y 35% 80% 500 3mm 100% Same as LS001 and LS0002, thickness is not the answer. Better svg file though y 20% 50% 500 3mm 100% Same as LS001 and LS0002, thickness is not the answer. Better svg file though n 45% 100% 500 3mm 100%
LS004 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Red perforation4.svg 0.5mm y 70% 80% 500 0.5mm 100% These cuts were soooo much better than LS001 to LS003. Much better file too as it is way faster, with less perforation marks. Some small areas not cut the whole way through y 70% 80% 500 0.5mm 100% A little too heavy, some cut through in parts of the bed n 45% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% 00:05:39
LS005 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Green perforation3.svg 0.5mm y 70% 80% 500 0.5mm 100% Aligned flush left and 2mm from top, that was not compensated enough. maybe 4mm down and 2mm to the right next time. This file is fast in the cutting part and very pretty/efficient y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% Pretty good, dark contrast no cut through y 45% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Really consistent, no cut through, but a bit light it would be nicer if it burned for contrast 00:04:04
LS006 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Green perforation3a.svg 0.5mm y 90% 80% 500 0.5mm 100% Alignment still wrong, 4mm and 2mm. Next time will try 3mm 1.5 and if that doesnt work switch to file 4. Cut was good but a lot of burning on the back y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% Same as LS005 y 60% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Like LS005 quite light but nice quality 00:03:03
LS007 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Green perforation3a.svg 0.5mm y 70% 60% 500 0.5mm 100% Alignment good I thing thats 3mm from the top and -1mm from the left (according to the rulers). Cut better than LS006 but still a small bit of burning y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% Same as LS006 y 80% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Heavier than LS006 and darker, better 00:03:03
LS008 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Yellow perforation3a.svg 0.5mm y 60% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% Alignment could have been 0.2mm to the right. Try -0.3mm. Cut was very similar to LS007, still burned through y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% Same as before. Looks good on the yellow paper y 100% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Etch was too heavy lots of show through. Also starts to get a little blurry 00:03:03
LS009 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Yellow perforation3a.svg 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% Good alignment, -0.5mm from the left, 3mm from the top, using rulers y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% y 90% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Still some cut through 00:03:03
LS010 20221115 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Paperpicks A3 160gsm Coloured Card Orange perforation4.svg 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% Same settings as LS009 but with a different file, only etch changed y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% n 80% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% 00:05:39
LS011 20221116 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Windsor Newton Tints Pastel grained surface 160gsm Brown, striped side up perforation3a.svg 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% Maybe the best cut so far, very little burning. Like everything previously, there is a lot more burning in the bottom right corner, maybe this is to do with focus? Maybe the print bed is dirty? y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% Looks lovely on this paper which browns well, but a little too strong as it came through in a few places (very few! much closer than the etching for example) y 80% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Like the kisscut, looks great on this paper. Cut through in quite a few places though so needs to be gentler 00:03:03
LS012 20221116 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Windsor Newton Tints Pastel grained surface 160gsm Cream, hammered side up perforation3a.svg 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% This light paper burns really dark and looks great, even on the edges. Again burn marks bottom right like LS011 and previous y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% A few holes, so slightly too strong. Also the colour of the cut varies on the front, as this paper goes black when exposed to the laser for longer (or multiple times?) y 80% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% The etch is visible from the back, but no holes. I think this was quite successful 00:03:03
LS013 20221116 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Acetate and brown waxed paper (two sheets, i think the brown was the back of the acetate pad) perforation3a.svg 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% The acetate melted rather than burnt, looks really cool. The paper is so light that I needed to pause the cutter and put some weights along the edges (offcuts from the bin). Watch the heights of the weights, as the laser comes down close to the page. The brown page underneath didnt cut through very consistently, but I wonder if it helped the acetate to cut well somehow. y 40% 50% 500 0.5mm 100% Looks great, but mostly because it actually cut the whole way through in most places. y 80% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Doesnt look nice, but this is mostly because this corner of the page lifted off the print bed and I think the laser was out of focus. Although maybe interesting because the paper bubbled in weird ways. 00:03:03
LS014 20221116 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Found card: corrugated shoe box from www.sacha.shoes, white on one side black on the other. Approx 1.5mm deep. White side up. perforation5-20mm-squares.svg 3mm (used digilab corrugated card preset, need to check details of this) y Quite close to correct, maybe needs to be slightly stronger because some cuts didnt quite make it through the bottom layer (paper printed black) n n 00:10:00
LS015 20221123 VLS 6.6 (big cutter) Found paper: jazz festival poster, printed side down perforation5-20mm-squares.svg 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% Smells really bad after I took it out. Problem with found paper you dont know what's in it. n n 00:17:04
LS016 20221123 VLS 6.6 (big cutter) Found paper: jazz festival poster, printed side down perforation5-20mm-squares.svg 0.5mm y 50% 60% 500 0.5mm 100% Still a bit stinky but not as bad n 00:17:04
LS017 20221123 VLS 6.6 (big cutter) Found paper: jazz festival poster, printed side up perforation5-20mm-squares.svg 0.5mm y 50% 100% 250 0.5mm 100% Why is the speed the same for all of these? n 00:17:04
LS018 20221123 VLS 6.6 (big cutter) Found paper: jazz festival poster, printed side down perforation5-20mm-squares.svg 0.5mm (throughput +3) y 50% 100% 250 0.5mm 100% n 00:17:04
LS019 20221123 VLS 6.6 (big cutter) Windsor Newton Tints Pastel grained surface 160gsm brown, hammered side up perforation6- bookmarks.svg various y various various 500 0.5mm 100% n disaster. unfinished
LS020 20221123 VLS 6.6 (big cutter) Windsor Newton Tints Pastel grained surface 160gsm white, hammered side up perforation6- bookmarks.svg various y 40% 80% 500 0.1mm poifecto nearly, very few burn marks n y 30% 100% 500 0.1mm Really nice on all text except the bold titles, not clear enough font for this
LS021 20221123 VLS 6.6 (big cutter) The Plague by Albert Camus moss.svg 12mm y 40% I think 60% I think 500 12mm Worked pretty well, had to lower the platten. The cover wasnt completely flat so some focus issues. Alignment a bit tricky too. A test on the back that was too strong went through a lot of pages which was interesting
LS022 20221205 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Blue and green a4 copier paper perforation7-bookmarks.svg 0.5mm y 30% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Cool, needs to be so gentle for such thin paper n y 5% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% I think anything would cut this paper. Very little burning especially on the blue unfinished
LS023 20221205 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Cream paper from college (final bookmarks) perforation7-bookmarks.svg 0.5mm y 75% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% too strong lots of burn marks. Did need to be a lot stronger than above n y 20% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% Nice, needed to be stronger than above unfinished
LS024 20221205 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Cream paper from college (final bookmarks) perforation7-bookmarks.svg 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% n y 20% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% 00:18:03
LS025 20221205 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Cream paper from college (final bookmarks) perforation8-bookmarks.svg 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% This is hopefully a faster cut because it has less raster n y 20% 100% 500 0.5mm 100% 00:08:49
LS026 20221205 PLS 4.75 (small cutter) Cream paper from college (final bookmarks) perforation8-bookmarks.svg (kiss only) 0.5mm y 50% 40% 500 0.5mm 100% Just kiss cut for speed n n 00:08:49
LS027 202303 (publication station cutter) Sulphate paper 250gsm laser22.svg 0.5mm 100% 20% great stuff