Hello All,
I wonder if anyone can help me. I am fairly new to this hobby so still working out and understanding the fundamentals of laser cutting.
I have recently purchased an AtomStack A5 M50 Pro with the hope of being able to effectively cut 3mm acrylic sheets (ideally Grey) but i am having some issues. I have ensured that my ‘S-max value’ is the same as my $30 value of 1000 so i am confident that my laser is operating at its maximum output but i am still struggling to do a successful cut through of acrylic yet as my laser only seems to be only engraving the surface. i have looked online for optimal speeds and feeds for this 5w laser cutter but seems there is a lot of conflicting information. Furthermore, i have tried many combinations but what seems to have the best effect (but still not what im looking for) is 150mm/m and 100% power. As i have exhausted all evident options in software, i have resorted to the material, therefore shot blasting the surface of the material (i hope this is unnecessary) to remove the ‘shine’ on the surface of the material and during this process i have noticed that my light grey material is some what transparent, are these factors in my lack of success?
Thank you in advance 
I’ve seen some photos of M50 cut acrylic, but it’s all dark colors. I have a fiber but I don’t think it will cut acrylic very well, like glass, beam passes through it…
If you purchased this with cutting acrylic in mind, I’d contact who I purchased it from… get their opinion.
I noticed the advertisements only say engrave, but the examples of cuts in the pictures are pretty much black acrylic…
Good luck
I bought this machine off Amazon but the advertisement on AtomStacks suggests that it is able to cut acrylic sheet with a maximum thickness of 20mm. Therefore, i am concerned if there is a small setting which i have missed which is effecting my results. This machine seems to cut through 2mm wooden fiber board well but i think there might be something i am missing. Have you any ideas?
Many thanks
Seems about right. This is a 5W laser and cutting through 20mm of anything will take multiple passes. Jack has likely hit the nail on the head. The advert shows black acrylic and you mention the grey material is somewhat transparent. You might need to paint the surface to make it opaque and leverage multiple passes.
Perfect, thanks Jack and Will for your help.
I will give it a go painting the surfaces, but i dont know if this sounds like stupid question but as soon as the laser passes through the paint wont i be running into the same issue where the laser just passes through the acrylic and therefore having to reapply paint in between each pass? do you recommend painting both sides or just one?
I will definitely order some darker sheets in hope that this solves my issue
Thank you once again
I think you will have to invest in some darker material…
There is no such thing… and yes… if the laser goes through the paint layer you’re back to square one.
I believe that machine is UV, but it like fiber has some issues when you can see through it… Mine won’t do glass that I can tell…
We’re here if you have issues you think you need assistance with…
Good luck