Can i use a Fireproof Mate (2000°F) or is a Honeycomb better ?
As i would need a big size one for the X40 MAX from Atomstack and
the Fireproof Mate would be cheaber or fireclay/stone maybe ?
I’m afraid I don’t know what this is…
You need something flat and 2k deg may be exceeded by some lasers…
I have a co2 and I don’t like honeycomb, mainly because it doesn’t work the way we think it should. It disrupts air flow.
Lots of people use them, but I’ve yet had anyone explain an advantage. I use a steel plate.
…and even if you choose honeycomb anyway, you must have a steel or ceramic plate(s) underneath. It also works with thick mdf or similar, but the risk of fire will be greater there.
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@bernd.dk is correct, but ensure you don’t block the honeycomb cells or potentially flammable/explosive gasses can build up in these areas.
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…I forgot that 
, plus the honeycomb doesn’t work without a “certain” gap from the underground.
Hi.
Honeycomb (steel) is IMO/IME by far the best option for cutting through a material if You have to choose just one and are on a tight budget.
Works in some applications to a point even as-is, but when used correctly, produces superior results when compared with any other surface material/structure available.
Fireproof material as a marketing term doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t deform, scorch, release toxic fumes, etc. it just means that it won’t catch fire within predetermined time period when exposed to a certain temperature.
As a matter of a fact, most pliable fireproof materials -like the fireproof mats for barbecue pits- rely on foaming, the insulating and fire retarding or endotermic properties of gasses in the bubbles is what makes the material firerproof within the loose marketing claims.
That local increase in volume automatically means that the surface deforms, something we want to avoid at all cost when choosing the base material/structure in our lasers.
If money wouldn’t need to be considered as badly as it always will be, a pin-bed with replaceable pins like the big boys use with their kW scale commercial lasers would be the best solution.
But, in order to offer the same support for the pieces and the same surface accuracy as a cheap honeycomb provides, the cost will skyrocket.
On a hobby or small business scale, it is also unnecessarily hard to fasten material onto a pin-bed unless using jigs.
And very easy onto a steel honeycomb with magnets, hook-fasteners or even vacuum.
Just as with any other piece of equipment and/or a tool, inability to understand (and to find out or to learn) how it’s intended to be used, doesn’t mean the concept itself is somehow flawed.
Quite the opposite.
In order to work as intended and designed, a hobby laser honeycomb bed will require:
To be made out of steel for rigidity and for ability to be used with magnets.
To be fastened onto a surface with a work area size cutout.
To have good ventilation from below the honeycomb and preferably an ample volume exhaust chamber.
A surface on the bottom of the chamber to absorb the laser energy safely rather than to reflect it.
Larger honeycombs will also need some kind of a support structure and to be handled carefully, otherwise they’ll droop sooner or later and the focus will vary across the bed.
Those things in check, the results will be rewarding.
Failure to consider those same things will make laser cutting unnecessarily disappointing experience.
Regards,
Sam
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I always suggest people watch these two videos. One is about 3 minutes the other about 15 minutes.
Well worth the watch no matter which you choose or prefer to use.
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It’s that buddy that believes himself to be inflammable after a few wobbly pops around a bonfire.
sorry, meant a welding mat 
The welding mats I know will be very qualified for the task. If they can be tightened evenly over a wasteboard which has certain distance from honeycomb. There is no heat through the mat, in normal weld and laser work.
just wanted to be sure that nothing burns or makes a little explosion because of the gas when cutting wood/plastic so im currenlty think of a setup with:
- fireclay stone
- steal plate (like in the second video from jkwilborn)
- welding mate
for some material like fireclay stone you would not need more, but with a
steal plate or welding mate you would need enough space for the air ventilation
or a second material below/above it to be sure.
so some fireclay stone or maybe a slab of slate would be the best in my eyes,
but i dont know how much it will reflect the laser or harm it with such a option.
I thought this was a flat stone type material?
If this is the case, why would it not require raising the material compared to the other suggestions?
I have a couple of welding mats, they are far from flat.
Andreas, relax a bit;-)
The best thing from Russ’s video (the second one) is the last 2 sentences. “Never leave the machine alone and have fire extinguishing material nearby…” The Video is 4 years old but still relevant.
Everything else is up for discussion and those who know Russ Sadler well, also know that he changes his mind once in a while and admits it! That’s the lovely thing about this gracious man.
If you also follow Russ, you will have noticed that he has quite a few machines in his videos over time, try to see what he still uses as his favorite substrate for its machine bed in most newer videos 
Airflow in mine and many others’ laser machines is different than in the machine Russ did his demonstration with, completely different.
With correct operation and under the right conditions, vapors do not collect much in the honycom.
I have produced quite a few orders in acrylic and have gathered some experience in this.
If you want to be 110% safe, you can fit a steel plate under the honeycomb. But in order not to spoil the air flow, there must be a large distance between the 2 surfaces.
My honeycomb lies on the knife bed and approx. 200 mm below that I have an MDF plate which catches the very small parts and the dirt. There are a few laser marks visible but nothing that worries me.
The theoretically most dangerous thing is if the machine stops while the laser is active.
I’ve never had that problem but read it from diodes people.
Now get started and enjoy your laser machine and don’t be scared, be sensible and stick to the normal safety rules when using a laser.
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