Kelsey, Paper cuts perfectly fine in a CO2 laser cutter. Polycarbonate won't cut well and will catch fire. ABS and PVC release potentially lethal gases.
This document has material safety notes on pp. 2-4: https://engineering.tamu.edu/media/1949485/laser-cutting-fact-sheet-pki.pdf Each laser cutter has its own safety notes to check, but these are broadly applicable for CO2 lasers.(There are also fiber laser cutters, but I haven't used one. They use a different wavelength to cut, mainly for sheet metal.) I used to cut a lot of paper, cardboard, and clear acrylic in school. If I got the settings wrong sometimes the paper charred along the cut, and sometimes the air pockets in cardboard would make these little flame bursts around the laser. No big deal, you have to keep an eye on it and test for each material. I cut in two different labs, each with different recommendations and workflows balanced between speed & power. If I cut paper that needed extra care (like with a drawing on it, or that was extra thick) I would do a run-through on low power so as not to burn it and then run the same sequence again to cut all the way through. But because of fumes, burn danger, and how much of a pain it is to ventilate and maintain them, I recommend not getting a home model and instead finding a makerspace with a laser. If they have one, they'll have someone who can walk you through using it and save you a lot of time. There are also little fab shops on the outskirts of a lot of cities that do small-scale jobs. Best, WR On Sat, Sep 21, 2019 at 9:44 PM Kelsey Velez <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello listserv, > > I’m looking for recommendations for affordable, compact laser cutters. > I’ll be cutting through poster board. I know ya’ll use ‘em for burning off > emulsion. Also any advice about using a laser cutter is welcome. > > Thanks, > Kelsey > _______________________________________________ > FrameWorks mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks >
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