Laser cutter for 190 Mil Mylar

[April Fregd]

Thank you for the information. In the end I have kept cutting with my Graphtec plotter. There is person in Germany whom I have bought stencils from years ago. I hope to go visit him to see what machine he has. I did write but of course he never responded, as expected.

I don't want to make a 10K mistake.

[John Blazy]

April,
You need to post photos of the type of detail that your plotter can make as a comparison. I would believe that a laser can easily match the detail you need (can easily cut detailed letters like what you are reading here), yet still be easier to weed out that a plotter cut stencil. All this talk about the rolled edge of laser cut edges is likely not going to be an issue, and can actually be helpful in stencils, as the tiny (I mean barely discernable) lip might actually help prevent "bleed under" of paints.

The tiny melt lip of laser cut mylar is bad for gaskets, but I can't imagine bad for application on human skin. Nice thing too is that you can apply a low tack adhesive to the mylar for sticking it down. Can your plotter cut through mylar with PSA adhesive on back? Likely clog your knife.

[Matt McCoy]

Good luck with your search.

A laser will work great for mylar stencils, especially with an airbrush. While an adhesive-backed stencil sounds like a good idea, they get pretty dirty with heavy use (hair, etc.)

[Michael Hunter]

If you ring the laser manufacturer or their agents they and explain what you are trying to do, they should be happy to send you a sample or even cut a piece to your own design.
(if they are not helpful, you won't be buying from them will you?)
Trotec in the UK seems to have a big department providing demos and samples to support their sales efforts - I'm sure it will be the same in Europe.

I have made stencils and masks with very fine details with my laser. Yes - the material thickens right by the cuts because of melted material, but this is microscopic and for nearly all purposes the results are perfectly acceptable.