Acrylic / Plexiglas

LASER CUT PLEXIGLASS

Another name for acrylic is plexiglass.

Acrylics are cut predominantly on laser equipment - this is one of the main types of machines for processing plexiglass.

When cut with a laser, the end of the plexiglass is polished, glossy, almost like the front side.

Acrylic cannot be cut without a protective film.

If you cut acrylic without the film, the glossy side of the front or back will be ruined. When the laser machine cuts the plexiglass, there is smoke, and this smoke, when it settles, leaves matte traces in places where there is no film and spoils the glossiness of the material. This matte residue cannot be wiped off with a rag. A product like Cosmofen 20 doesn't help, the only thing that does is "Dimexid". "Dimexide" is sold in drugstores. This liquid is very slow to dissolve pollen, it is easier to redo the part than to scrub with this liquid. But for extreme cases, you can use this trick.

Plexiglas parts thinner than 2mm cannot be cut because the material overheats during cutting and melting, in other words it burns out. It is better to make the lines of products 3mm or more thick.

CONTOUR CUTTING PLEXIGLAS BY LASER

Contour cutting with a laser occurs at low power and high speed. The beam does not pass through the material, but leaves a thin trace on the surface of the material, the line thickness is about 0.1 mm. Contour cutting can be compared to coloring: it is lines of a certain contour, but the lines are only on the surface of the material (not through). It is an economical way to apply images compared to engraving, it allows you to put a marking, a logo or highlight a specific place.The appearance of contour cutting on plexiglas varies depending on the color of the plexiglass. After contour cutting on plexiglass is left a thin, usually light trace from the laser beam.

This service is ordered, but rather rarely, when marking in Plexiglas, for gluing or for signing details. Contour cutting, as well as conventional cutting, should be applied only to Plexiglas, protected by a film.

LASER ENGRAVING ON PLEXIGLASS

Engraving is the burning out of the top layer of the material. This process occurs because of the frequent repetitive lines that the laser draws. These lines are at a very close distance from each other, this distance is invisible to the human eye. At the same time, each line shifts one from the other. In this way a completely etched surface of the material is created. Thus, moving from left to right or from top to bottom, the engraving is obtained. In other words, it is the filling of a space by engraving. After engraving on the Plexiglas there is a matte engraved surface, which has some indentation. As a rule, the depth is from 0.1 to 1 mm.

It is difficult to engrave complex characters less than 2mm on a laser engraving machine. The thickness of the line for engraving, preferably, should not be less than 0,5mm.