A commonly asked question I hear is “Can you laser cut paper without burning it?” With a little bit of preparation and the correct settings, it is possible to get your laser cutting paper without any burn marks. Resulting in a great, clean, scorch-free laser cut on most types of paper and even cardboard stock. So, … Read more
I was doing some samples for a job in 8mm thick clear acrylic. They needed to be laser cut with a polished finish as well as being engraved. Unfortunately, it’s not always an easy combination. I soon realised that there is a lot of confusing and sometimes conflicting information on how best to achieve the best results. So … Read more
I’ve laser cut a wide and varied number of materials over the years. However, not everything that cuts great with a laser cutter is great to cut. So what can a laser cutter cut through? Your standard CO2 laser cutter (up to 150W) is capable of cutting a wide variety of organic materials. Such as … Read more
A “SHED SCIENCE” REPORT ON THE DUAL PERSONALITY OF LENSES by Russ Sadler INTRODUCTION It was 3000 years ago that Greek philosophers toyed with the seeds of lens theory as they explored the basics of how light might work. Just 300 years later the Egyptians were exploiting those theories by polishing glass surfaces to emulate … Read more
Laser cutting and engraving is an amazing hobby or small business idea to take up, but you need to understand the running costs. The cost of running a laser cutting machine depends on a number of factors such as laser power and ancillary equipment used. based on the prolific Chinese Laser machines you can typically … Read more
By Russ Sadler Introduction These RDWorks laser cutter tutorials are technically a video diary of my mistakes and successes as I gradually come to terms with the mysteries of owning one of these little Chinese dragons {Russ’s videos are also considered to be some of the best How to use a laser cutter videos on … Read more
If you have ever laser cut a sheet of material and wondered why the edge is not perpendicular, then you have suffered from a tapered kerf in laser cutting. The usual reason for this effect is that the laser beam is not fully perpendicular to the surface of the sheet. Read on to find out … Read more
When cutting any organic material such as MDF, you need to run at the safe maximum operating current for your tube.
Then you carry out some cutting trials starting at high speeds, gradually decreasing the speed until you are consistently cutting through the material.
I normally decrease the speed by an additional couple of mm/s to take into account any variance in the thickness of the material.
There is a lot of confusion over what the maximum laser cutting power you should set your CO2 Glass laser tube in order to maximise the tubes lifespan. What Do You Need to Determine Your Max Power %? There is one item and one piece of information you need in order to accurately determine the … Read more
Laser engraving is an amazing way to personalize gifts or create custom products. But for highly detailed or photo engraving, consistent focal depth is required. This is especially important when engraving natural products where the thickness of the material can fluctuate. Having an adjustable laser engraving bed or platform, will allow you to minimise any … Read more
While browsing at a local store, I picked up a couple of cheap slate placemats in order to carry out some engraving trials. I had not engraved slate previously, so I then had to learn how to laser engrave state. How to laser engrave slate? Slate is a binary material when it comes to laser … Read more
If you own or have access to a laser cutting machine, stencils can be a quick and easy product to design and laser cut. I’ve been cutting and designing stencils for some time, with my online store containing over 100 stencil products. So, here’s my solution on how to laser cut a stencil. How to … Read more
Having recently purchased my first laser power meter, which came supplied with a handy container. I decided that the internal packing (bubble wrap) needed an upgrade and foam was the way to go. So, the first thing I had to learn, was how to laser cut foam. So, how to laser cut foam? Use dot … Read more
