Stinky products

[Keith Upton]

For those of you that cut acrylic or other smelly materials, do you have any suggestions about how to deal with the odor left on the products after you cut them? I've got several files that I cut out of 1/8 acrylic that yield 50 plus products out of a 12"x24" sheet. I would like to cut several sheets in one sitting and stack the finished products so that my daughter can bag them for me later. But right now they stick so much just sitting there that it's becoming a problem.

The nature of my products do not require any post laser leaning and I leave the paper film on as it serves as a mask for the customer to use. Is anyone placing their products into a container with baking soda or charcoal to remove the smell until they sell the items?

[Joe Hillmann]

After cutting the sheet you can then put it under the table inside your laser and continue lasering the next piece. That way your exhaust will pull off any fumes that they continue to let off after they are cut. That or put them outside for a day or two. If you wanted to take the paper film off you could drop them into a bucket of water.

[Keith Upton]

Thanks for the reply Joe. Putting them outside right after cutting is not an option... I'm in the very back corner of the basement, lol Neither is the water since I need the mask to remain on them. I could store them below the cutting table, but since that would require me pulling everything out to raise it up, I'd prefer to find an easier option.

[Joe Hillmann]

You could build a box to store them in, run a pipe from that into your laser exhaust line so the exhaust is pulling air from both the laser and the box.

In the winter that may get expensive because you would have to leave it running for a while after you are done lasering and it will suck the heat out of your house.

Of course you could always get a large rubber-made container and a few boxes of baking soda and see if it helps, it won't cost you much.

[Travis Wizniuk]

I'm still a newbie... but I found that the right setting makes a huge difference in the residual stink (at least for wood). I would recommend you play with your settings and see if that makes a difference.. For me, the fastest speed combined with the lowest power I could get away with made a huge difference...

The second thing was a pin table. The pin table allowed the exhaust to pull the smoke away much more efficiently and not allow it to "stick" to the item. Again this was my experience with wood, but I can't see why it wouldn't be the same for acrylic.

[Keith Upton]

You could build a box to store them in, run a pipe from that into your laser exhaust line so the exhaust is pulling air from both the laser and the box.

In the winter that may get expensive because you would have to leave it running for a while after you are done lasering and it will suck the heat out of your house.


I'm already going that pretty much all day... waiting to see what the heating bill is for last month. The wife might be a little upset :( I was thinking about doing an "exhaust box" and could even do a scrubber type like Dan shows how to make with my old inline fan.


I'm still a newbie... but I found that the right setting makes a huge difference in the residual stink (at least for wood). I would recommend you play with your settings and see if that makes a difference.. For me, the fastest speed combined with the lowest power I could get away with made a huge difference...

The second thing was a pin table. The pin table allowed the exhaust to pull the smoke away much more efficiently and not allow it to "stick" to the item. Again this was my experience with wood, but I can't see why it wouldn't be the same for acrylic.

The settings for my acrylic are pretty much set... they give me the best edge cut. But getting more exhaust to pull the odor/smoke out faster is a good idea. I was already looking at upping my exhaust CFMs.

[Jerome Stanek]

back in the 70's we used outside air for the furnace flame so you wouldn't pull heated air for combustion. Maybe you could duct out side air directly into the laser

[Dan Hintz]

back in the 70's we used outside air for the furnace flame so you wouldn't pull heated air for combustion. Maybe you could duct out side air directly into the laser

This is generally a bad idea... you're introducing potentially high-moisture air into the machine (unless you're in the desert), not to mention all of the dirt that could be out there if you're not filtering ahead of time. Also, for the machines that use the airflow to cool the laser cartridge, that's another issue, particularly if the outside air is of a non-conditioned state (too hot and you're overheating the tube, too cool and you're inviting condensation).

[David Somers]

Keith,

Take the outside air concept a bit further. Use a few gated valves to your exhaust fan. Create two air flow routes. One to deal with your engravers exhaust needs. The second to take outside air in through a closed box, over your products, and back outside. The second route would not involve exchanging your heated garage air at all. For that matter, for what you are describing, you would likely not need anything as powerful as your current exhaust fan for this. A seperate, small to modest size cage fan would probably be enough air flow to do what you want, take a lot less electricity to run, and allows you to have a seperate and smaller hose system from outside, to the box, and back out again.

[Keith Upton]

I was able to raise the acrylic up about and inch and increased my exhaust flow (bigger dust collector) and the odor left on the products is very minimum now.

Thanks as always guys.

[Mary Geitz]

I cut a lot of acrylic and I find that two things help. First, I leave the acrylic in my machine for about five minutes after cutting/engraving. I turn the machine off and turn the air assist off. I just leave the exhaust on while it's in there. Secondly, I find that the paper backing (or plastic backing) is what has the residue on it. So if you can, pull the backing off right away and most of the odor is gone. Hope this helps.

[Mark Ross]

Keith,

We cut acrylic 8-10 hours a day 5-6 days a week and we just landed a job that means a 3rd laser or a second shift. We also recently unfortunately (HAHA) had to relocate from 12k sq. ft. to 40k+ sq. ft. near a residential area. Two things come to mind. Read about Dan Hintz carbon air scrubber, it rocks. Wait make that three things, second if this is in a newer house, make sure you are not exhausting fumes that are coming back into the house. Third thing is only use the amount of power it takes to cut through the acrylic. I can't tell you power settings, on our Epilog 35 EXT 75W it is almost 1/2 of our 45. You want to cut, not melt. We set our frequency to 5KHz, and cut with just enough power to either cleanly cut, or the part pops out with a little push. Anything more and you are vaporizing things.

We have a 6" duct that we don't reduce, and if you put a 24 X 36 inch piece of acrylic on the vector table, you can't get it back up without turning off the exhaust. Also, let me add a 4th thing, if you value your house, never EVER for even ONE SECOND, walk away from the laser when it is running. Vector tables cutting acrylic get gooey and eventually that goo catches fire. We go through, based on our volume and what we cut, about 6 grids per laser per year. There just ain't no way to clean them based on the fact we cut plastic.

Case in point, when the snow melts (yeah, thanks Al Gore, it seems later every year...lol) we take our lasers outside and clean the vents. 6 inch openings get reduced to about a 2-3 inch hole of stinky stuff, white, grey and black in nature (based on what we cut) and all the laser ever takes away is "vapors".

I wanted to look at water jets and post treatment, but the government overhead was just too much, even when I was able to show that the waste water would be cleaner than tap water. Go figure.

[Keith Upton]

I cut a lot of acrylic and I find that two things help. First, I leave the acrylic in my machine for about five minutes after cutting/engraving. I turn the machine off and turn the air assist off. I just leave the exhaust on while it's in there. Secondly, I find that the paper backing (or plastic backing) is what has the residue on it. So if you can, pull the backing off right away and most of the odor is gone. Hope this helps.

Thanks Mary. I already do the first one, but the second is not an option with my products. The customers need the paper on them so they are easier for them to color fill.


Keith,

We cut acrylic 8-10 hours a day 5-6 days a week and we just landed a job that means a 3rd laser or a second shift. We also recently unfortunately (HAHA) had to relocate from 12k sq. ft. to 40k+ sq. ft. near a residential area. Two things come to mind. Read about Dan Hintz carbon air scrubber, it rocks. Wait make that three things, second if this is in a newer house, make sure you are not exhausting fumes that are coming back into the house. Third thing is only use the amount of power it takes to cut through the acrylic. I can't tell you power settings, on our Epilog 35 EXT 75W it is almost 1/2 of our 45. You want to cut, not melt. We set our frequency to 5KHz, and cut with just enough power to either cleanly cut, or the part pops out with a little push. Anything more and you are vaporizing things.

We have a 6" duct that we don't reduce, and if you put a 24 X 36 inch piece of acrylic on the vector table, you can't get it back up without turning off the exhaust. Also, let me add a 4th thing, if you value your house, never EVER for even ONE SECOND, walk away from the laser when it is running. Vector tables cutting acrylic get gooey and eventually that goo catches fire. We go through, based on our volume and what we cut, about 6 grids per laser per year. There just ain't no way to clean them based on the fact we cut plastic.

Case in point, when the snow melts (yeah, thanks Al Gore, it seems later every year...lol) we take our lasers outside and clean the vents. 6 inch openings get reduced to about a 2-3 inch hole of stinky stuff, white, grey and black in nature (based on what we cut) and all the laser ever takes away is "vapors".

I wanted to look at water jets and post treatment, but the government overhead was just too much, even when I was able to show that the waste water would be cleaner than tap water. Go figure.

Thanks for all the info Mark. Dan's scrubber blog has been read several times ;) I might have to go to something along those lines as some point. Right now I'm only engraving/cutting 1 or 2 hours a day during the week and maybe 5-6 on Sat. I also cut about a 50/50 mix of wood and acrylic.

I did quite a bit tests to find the best settings for what I cut, but it's probably over kill. I was trying to get the smoothest "polished" edge on 1/8 acrylic, so I needed up with a 13 speed, 90 power and 5KHz on my 60w Mini 24. When I use the lego pin table I made, I almost have no leftover odor at all. When I cut directly on my vector table (lots of very small parts), the stick is much worse.

Yesterday I was cutting a bunch of 1" circles out of acrylic on the vector table and found that I was sucking stinky air back in via the basement bathroom air vent. That was the first time that has happened. I'll open a window some on the opposite side of the house from my laser and turn that bathroom fan on to see if the increased pressure in that vent and the freer flowing air from the window will keep the fumes from coming back in this afternoon. Thankfully, I don't have to cut the sheets of small parts very often since I get so many parts out of the single 12x24 sheet.

Before I bought the laser, I looked in to having my products cut on a waterjet, but the costs were way to high. I guess the overhead you speak of are part of that.

[Joe Hillmann]

If you are sucking air in through you bathroom vent that means you may also be sucking exhaust gas back in through your furnace and water heater vents. Which can be very dangerous.

[Keith Upton]

If you are sucking air in through you bathroom vent that means you may also be sucking exhaust gas back in through your furnace and water heater vents. Which can be very dangerous.

Good point, I'll be sure to check for that. I believe the basement bathroom vents outside next to the blower. That would put both the bathroom and it's vent close to the room with the laser and the exhaust exit.

[Bill Cunningham]

I find any acrylic I cut,mostly for templates, the stink is pretty well gone by just letting it sit overnight.. I wipe off the 'juice' and just leave it on the bench.. Same with laser plastic like romark etc.. The laser plastic is acrylic, and letting it sit overnight, allows the sticky stuff to dry up, and the stink goes with it..