Polystyrene

[Gene Uselman]

We buy styrene in several thicknesses- .060, .125 primarily. It is very durable and flexible, which makes it great for making paint stencils. Most construction companies like to have their name/logo on a lot of equipment for advertising and to discourage theft. There are a lot of stencil fonts available online so sometimes you can use them but often you have to make a logo into a stencil and often the bridges that keep parts of the letters from falling out need to be made heavier [depending upon the size of the stencil].
So much for the background... I have been in mortal combat with a large scale cabinet laser since late 2020 and it is winning- I was semi tough 20 years ago but not so much nowdays [ ]. I still have my old [bought late 2015] 1300x900 130w with the original EFR tube which still produces almost 100w at the head... I have that set up alongside the 1800x900 laser and am experimenting with why to smaller laser cuts so much better than the larger one.
I was making some 8x10 inch paint masks on the small machine and noticed that it produces these spiderwebs of styrene as it cuts. I am not sure what these are but the larger machine does not produce them- there is often a flame under the piece being cut which I suppose is the spiderwebs burning away. Not sure what I am saying/asking yet but I hope to figure this out before I pass on.

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Styrene web.JPG

[Jeffrey Aley]

Hi Gene,

Unlike acrylic, styrene melts (and then vaporizes) under the heat of the laser. I'm just guessing, but I think the spiderwebs are simply melted styrene that has re-solidified after being blown around by the air assist. You could experiment with a little less air assist to see if there are fewer "webs".

Regards,

-Jeff

[Gene Uselman]

I am pretty sure you are right- I have a flow meter now on the larger machine and switching it to the old machine is on my list for this weekend. The cobwebs is not that large a problem- the larger machine starts fires underneath the material and makes nasty scorch marks. The larger machine has a very shallow space under the blades and I suspect that may have a bearing on the problem too. I don't use the little pulse air pumps, I like a good strong air assist flow for cutting but it is hard to gauge how much flow there really is. I have one bad ear and the other is worse. Gene

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flow meter.jpg

[Jeffrey Aley]

Here's one way to check the airflow:

Clipboard01.jpg

[Pete Cyr]

But he would need protective goggles after you mashed him inside!

[Doug Fisher]

I switched to multiple passes at lower power and higher speed to avoid the melting situation. You still get that nasty dust though.

[Gene Uselman]

I found that the smaller laser had much more air pressure- that may solve the webbing problem. The Polystyrene fumes seem to make my sinuses pour too- I have never had any allergies but I certainly do now. Getting old is exciting, something new around every bend.