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View Full Version : Making Hinges or Folding Edges



Joseph Shawa
11-11-2016, 9:38 AM
I cut mostly copolyester. (PETG) mainly because I bought 10 4X8 sheets when I first got my machine.

I love to make folding boxes with a specific purpose and hopefully moving toward marketing one soon.

With copolyester I have found that, especially when it is cold, the material will crack instead of bend. I tried score lines which did bend better but also might tear or just cut all the way through. So after MUCH experimentation I have found a way to make very reliable hinges and am sharing here.

In LaserCut I set in "...." the more settings section, I set "Dash Line" to Cut= .02mm and Space=.2 and check Start Space to leave the end un-cut.
On my machine I set speed to 100 Power and Corner Power also to 100. It doesn't cut at 100 because of the small moves.

What this seems to do is leave small flexible sections that are slightly separate from each other but it doesn't cut all the way through so there is a continuous thin uncut back which makes a great folding line or a hinge if one were to need a movable part.

I can bend the material back and for 30 times if I am trying to break it or wave it back an forth maybe a hunded times or more before it breaks on its own.

One thing I have noticed is that the parts will easily tear with shear force so I will often leave maybe 2mm on the ends completely UNCUT. Same result mostly except parts don't tear apart.

Just thought I'd share and see if anyone else had some input into hinges.

Next I'll try acrylic.