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View Full Version : New to Sawmill creek and new to laser engraving. Trotec speedy 300



adrian lee
05-10-2013, 1:29 PM
Hey guys. this is my 1st time to forums so I am really unsure about how it all works. but the main reason me being on this site is because I am looking for a little help with my new job. I have recently just took over from a previous employee who used this machine for 3 years prior to me taking over. I had a few days training and now its my machine to control every day. I've searched the internet for tips and tricks and feel like I've also learned my self a lot in the last couple of weeks. i feel the machine could cut and engrave beta then it does. the quality could just be a little better on certain materials i know the person before me has changed all the settings for power speed and pulses for each material and i have done tests to try and change a few things. but for some reason i cant seem to cut white acrylic without it burning the inside of the shapes i cut. Im told to cut all acrylic on a sacrificial bed. The sacrificial bed is also clear acrylic and to cover both sides of my material in application tape before i cut it. but all videos i watch seem to show perfect cutting on the honeycomb bed with no appy tape.


thanks in advance guys any little hints and tips are welcome maybe im using the wrong power speed or pulses.

Mike Null
05-10-2013, 5:56 PM
Welcome Adrian,

Please provide a little more info, such as the power of the machine and your location.

You should be able to cut on the grid but you'll probably get some flashback on the bottom of the material. That's where the transfer paper will help. Be sure to use air assist. I just cut an order of 1/4 white acrylic with good edges. My machine is 45 watts.

Paul Phillips
05-10-2013, 6:47 PM
Adrian, welcome to the Creek, sounds like your'e on the right track, be sure to spend as much time as possible reading through the threads here, there is a wealth of information, if you have a question try doing a search for it first and if you don't find what you're looking for then post a question as what often happens is someone asks a simple question that's already been answered a hundred times so it makes it easier for everyone. There are plenty of Trotec users on here that can help you with specific settings for your machine, (nice machine to inherit BTW!) I'm not sure what the problem is with the white acrylic is but like Mike said, try cutting it on just the honeycomb and see if that give acceptable results, I would recommend getting a notebook to keep handy if you don't already have one, so you can keep a log of materials and settings and what works best for your machine. Settings vary from machine to machine, even if they're the same make and model, the settings for your machine are unique to your machine, we can give you some general ideas of where to start though.
Hope this helps.
Paul

adrian lee
05-11-2013, 5:45 AM
thanks for the replies guys. much appreciated. ok i have tried a few tests trying to cut white acrylic using a sacrificial bed or the honeycomb bed. also tried fiddling with power speed and pulses. im getting there but these test are a slow process while trying to do my days work. basically i hardly have any time to play with the machine due to my workload. im not at work today but will be on Monday when i post what wattage my machine is. my location is Lincolnshire. and yes its a very nice machine to inherit. im also due to inherit a Tekcel router in the next couple of weeks also. :-D. i am new to working with computers. i mean ive used pc`s before for gaming and emails but that's about it. im a scaffolder by trade but now i enjoy being in the sign business and using computers and my laser machine. i am a little perfectionist at times and just want to see a better quality finish. basically ive been trained up by an employee and i seem to want to send beta quality products out then they used to. also its like my bosses have picked up on this and they also want me to send out better finished jobs. i will keep running tests while i have the time. i wasn't aware that the same model machines cut differently. my machine is always using air assist while cutting every material. i do seems to have a few little fires while cutting materials. ive been told to cut every material with appy tape on and its this that seems to catch alight. if i dont use appy paper its like the edges melt. right guys thanks for reading and helping and ill be in touch again soon

Mike Null
05-11-2013, 8:27 AM
Adrian

I believe you'll find that your settings need tweaking. You shouldn't be getting a flame although it does happen. I would first try increasing the speed. You may find that you'll improve your results by making more than one pass.

Martin Boekers
05-11-2013, 3:28 PM
One thing which I am sure you have heard is NEVER cut or engrave products that contain Clorides, such as PVC as it creates a dangerous gas.
I am reconfirming this as many of us when new to lasers try most anything available.

Cast acrylic "etches" extruded makes a "channel" Lexan and polycarbonites just make a mess.... :)


Welcome aboard, I first learned the laser from the generous folks here at the Creek about 7 years ago.

adrian lee
05-11-2013, 6:38 PM
mike

thanks for the advice. ill give that ago when i get to work. faster speed, less power ?? and two passes. also is there a way to put a margin between jobs in job control. i mean i send some jobs over from coral draw minimized to job size but when it goes on the plate it puts the jobs too close if i try to position multiple jobs on the plate..

hey martin thanks for the welcome.
thanks for advice about cutting products like pvc but i did already know this due to my trainer :-)

?????????????? Cast acrylic "etches" extruded makes a "channel" Lexan and polycarbonites just make a mess ??????????????????? please explain as this baffled me haha.

Dee Gallo
05-11-2013, 6:50 PM
Welcome to the Creek, Adrian. You will help us to help you if you include some more info in your post.
1. what kind of machine, wattage are you using?
2. if cutting acrylic, what thickness is it and is it cast or extruded?
3. what settings have you tried already and what disappointing results did you get? You need to look at speed, power and frequency.
4. if you are using air assist and exhaust fan and still getting fires there is something wrong with your settings or focus

One of the most helpful things you can do is keep a log of what you have tried and the results so you can refer to it in the future.

Cutting acrylic should be pretty easy for any laser if all things are in order. Reading the past threads on this topic will help you quite a bit, as mentioned before. There are plenty of threads and photos for you to check out relating to almost every issue you can imagine... these guys are very experienced and knowledgable!

cheers, dee

adrian lee
05-13-2013, 2:30 PM
hi there guys im just reporting back as promised with the machine im using. Its a trotec speedy 300 c60 ( 60 watt ). the machine puts air assist on for everything i cut. the exhaust thats set up is and extractor. I dont seem to have much problems cutting other stuff its just 5mm acrylic that seems to be the problem. but yes i do seem to have little fires cutting other stuff like laser lam

Scott Shepherd
05-13-2013, 3:58 PM
hi there guys im just reporting back as promised with the machine im using. Its a trotec speedy 300 c60 ( 60 watt ). the machine puts air assist on for everything i cut. the exhaust thats set up is and extractor. I dont seem to have much problems cutting other stuff its just 5mm acrylic that seems to be the problem. but yes i do seem to have little fires cutting other stuff like laser lam

Adrian, what are your settings for that 5mm acrylic?

john banks
05-14-2013, 8:51 AM
I would use some scrap material and find the power/speed that just cuts through every time, but make sure you don't have too much power or too little speed to overdo it. If you only just cut through (so dropping the power or increasing the speed just slightly would make it fail to cut through - ie you are on the threshold) and you still have flare ups then your air assist, extraction and air gaps below the piece might need upgrading/servicing. You may also benefit from changing the frequency but this is not an item we can adjust on our laser, but do get great results on 5mm acrylic and other materials without any protective tape. On our slower Chinese machine we run it at full power (well 90%) to cut anything and then just adjust the speed to get it so it always just cuts through, speed for 5mm materials is often about 15 to 25mm per second.

adrian lee
05-16-2013, 8:04 AM
hey guys sorry iv not replied back in a few days. busy work life and a busy home life at the minute moving home. but im at work now and im gonna post what settings my laser has been left on to cut 5 mm acrylic.... power is 90.00. speed is 0.22. ppi/hz is hz. passes is 1. air assist is on. correction is 10. always using application tape and a sacrificial bed......

Mike Null
05-16-2013, 10:49 AM
The last job I ran of 1/4" (6mm) was at 100P, .25S and 1000Hz. I use air assist and I ran two passes with a clean cut and no flaming. Mine is a 45 watt.

The inner curved edge is the cut edge. My camera is shot so the cell phone is my new excuse for bad photos.

262394

adrian lee
05-16-2013, 11:10 AM
[QUOTE=Mike Null;2109916]The last job I ran of 1/4" (6mm) was at 100P, .25S and 1000Hz. I use air assist and I ran two passes with a clean cut and no flaming. Mine is a 45 watt.

The inner curved edge is the cut edge. My camera is shot so the cell phone is my new excuse for bad photos.

262394 hi mike. did you use any cover sheet/appy paper to cut. also was it cut on the honeycomb bed.sounds like my speed may just be a little on the slow side which is why its possibly burning the edges. thanks ill give that i try 2morrow

Martin Boekers
05-16-2013, 11:23 AM
One more thing.... :) You Tube is loaded with videos on laser engraving and cutting, so keep that in mind.
I set up a bookmarks folder so I can refer back to them easily if needed.

Mike Null
05-16-2013, 11:43 AM
This piece was part of a restaurant sign that contained a couple dozen cut pieces. I used the aluminum grid that I have (no honeycomb) I did not use paper on the back as the customer wasn't concerned about it. They were going to paint it in several colors.

The picture is from their web site but all the elements including the text, stars, bird, etc. were part of the job.


262400

adrian lee
05-16-2013, 11:58 AM
One more thing.... :) You Tube is loaded with videos on laser engraving and cutting, so keep that in mind.
I set up a bookmarks folder so I can refer back to them easily if needed. hi martin. as i say ive watched loads of videos and read loads in the last couple of weeks. but still i feel like i have a lot more to learn. hence coming on here to speak to other trotec users that may be able to help me a little more then a video with no cut settings on them:-)

Martin Boekers
05-16-2013, 12:33 PM
hi martin. as i say ive watched loads of videos and read loads in the last couple of weeks. but still i feel like i have a lot more to learn. hence coming on here to speak to other trotec users that may be able to help me a little more then a video with no cut settings on them:-)

Believe me! I have been engraving 7 years (not much compared to some here ;) ) Not a day goes by I don't learn something new
or refine a process. Engraving is a journey not a destination. :D In no time at all you'll be sharing the wisom you have learned along the way!