Exploring the Advantages of Laser Engraving
Acrylic Materials
Acrylic Materials for Laser Engraving: Numerous Advantages
Acrylic materials offer numerous advantages for laser engraving projects. Not only are they affordable, but they also have excellent laser absorption properties. With features like water resistance, moisture protection, and UV resistance, acrylic is a versatile material widely used in advertising gifts, lighting fixtures, home decor, and medical devices.
Acrylic Sheets: Divided by Types
1. Transparent Acrylic Sheets
When it comes to laser engraving acrylic, transparent acrylic sheets are the popular choice. These sheets are typically engraved using CO2 lasers, taking advantage of the laser's wavelength range of 9.2-10.8μm. This range is well-suited for acrylic engraving and is often referred to as molecular laser engraving.
2. Cast Acrylic Sheets
One category of acrylic sheets is cast acrylic, known for its outstanding rigidity. Cast acrylic offers excellent chemical resistance and comes in a wide range of specifications. It boasts high transparency, allowing the engraved designs to stand out. Moreover, it provides unparalleled flexibility in terms of colors and surface textures, allowing for creative and customized engravings.
However, there are a few drawbacks to cast acrylic. Due to the casting process, the thickness of the sheets may have slight variations, resulting in potential measurement discrepancies. Additionally, the casting process requires significant amounts of water for cooling, which can lead to industrial wastewater and environmental pollution concerns. Furthermore, the fixed dimensions of the sheets limit flexibility in producing different sizes, potentially resulting in waste and higher product costs.
3. Extruded Acrylic Sheets
In contrast, extruded acrylic sheets offer advantages in terms of thickness tolerances. They are suitable for single variety, high-volume production. With adjustable sheet lengths, it is possible to produce longer and wider acrylic sheets. The ease of bending and thermal forming makes them ideal for processing larger-sized sheets, facilitating rapid vacuum forming. The cost-effective nature of large-scale production and the inherent advantages in size and dimensions make extruded acrylic sheets a favorable choice for many projects.
However, it's important to note that extruded acrylic sheets have slightly lower molecular weight, resulting in relatively weaker mechanical properties. Additionally, the automated production process limits color adjustments, imposing certain limitations on product color variations.
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Acrylic Sheets: Optimizing Laser Engraving Parameters
When laser engraving acrylic, optimal results are achieved with low power and high-speed settings. If your acrylic material has coatings or additives, it's advisable to increase the power by 10% while maintaining the speed used for uncoated acrylic. This provides the laser with additional energy for cutting through painted surfaces.
Different acrylic materials require specific laser frequencies. For cast acrylic, high-frequency engraving in the range of 10,000-20,000Hz is recommended. On the other hand, extruded acrylic may benefit from lower frequencies of 2,000-5,000Hz. Lower frequencies result in lower pulses, allowing for increased pulse energy or reduced constant energy in the acrylic. This phenomenon leads to less boiling, reduced flames, and slower cutting speeds.
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Our rich experience of laser solutions for metal and non-metal material processing is deeply rooted in worldwide advertisement, automotive & aviation, metalware, dye sublimation applications, fabric and textiles industry.
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Post time: Jul-01-2023