Just a friendly reminder- polycarbonate (Lexan) is a clear plastic that looks like acrylic, but cannot be laser cut. It’s not a matter of getting through it- it yellows, chars, and cracks, but it’s technically possible to get through a thin piece. But it’ll massively soot the machine and lens in seconds
That’s what killed Blue’s lens. There’s polycarbonate web soot all over, so that case is closed. No biggie I mounted a new lens that’s why we have spares.
Hey Jon. I would suggest making a template with the laser machine and then cutting it with a combination of a jigsaw to get close to the right shape and then the router. of course if the piece is small or you need a lot of them the cnc may be a better option, but most plastics are light and cnc machines are a little tricky to get to a setting that will not just throw your plastic or break your tabs in my experience. Also you will still have to finish the piece with either a router, a blade or sand paper. Good Luck!
If you use bluetape and ca glue as hold down. It works great for the cnc router for smaller lighter cuts. I would rather tape and glue than sand tabs. It is also a more even cut on thinner material which has a tendency to lift.
yes. the setup is tape - glue - tape. so you place tape on your material. you then place the glue on the tape on you material which should be the outer side of the tape. you then back tape on top of that glue. So place the tape with sticky side up then place material on the cnc bed. Or you could place tape on bed, then glue and place tape on it sticky side up. Then place material on top of the tape.
So you are making two sided tape but painters tape is easily removeable as opposed to commercially available double sided tape.
My thoughts on the old discussion about machining/routering polycarbonate (aka Lexan): the best way to machine polycarbonate is to throw it away and buy some acrylic (or another machinable plastic). Polycarbonate is brittle to start with and will both work and heat harden, making it a nightmare to cut, drill holes in, or otherwise machine. The best way to make straight cuts in thin polycarbonate is actually to score and snap it, using its brittleness to your advantage.
Given how hard it is to machine, I’m not surprised someone might try to laser it instead. But that’s obviously a disaster too.
Polycarbonate is much stronger than acrylic overall. It is not quite as stiff, which allows it to absorb more impact and bend further without breaking. Its surface is not as hard, it scratches easier than acrylic. Safety glasses and bullet-resistant glass is polycarbonate.
It’s just a different material. Whether it’s “better” is entirely up to the application.
Unfortunately polycarbonate doesn’t laser, but it’s not hard to saw or CNC. Polycarbonate can be 3D printed but it’s one of the most difficult materials to 3D print, mostly due to the high temp needed.
I had an idea- I added Polycarbonate/Lexan,PVC, fiberglass, and carbon fiber to the Library, with zero power and DO NOT CUT next to the title and what specifically will go wrong if you were to do it in the description
So, if you didn’t recall that rule, when you go looking for the settings for a piece of polycarbonate, you’ll find this message!
You are right about the properties of course, but I find so many people confuse acrylic and polycarbonate (or their name brands even more) without realizing how different they are and how much easier acrylic is to work with in general.
Making those library settings sounds like a very good idea!
