Hi All. Have just purchased the Falcon 2 20/40W laser. Having trouble stopping the edges of 3mm laserply burn. Have done the grid test on lightburn air assist on. If anyone has any advice it will be greatly appreciated. Photos attached
HI Gareth
You could try reducing power and increase the number of passes.
Use a fan to move the air/smoke away from the cut as work progresses.
After cutting, give the surface a wipe or very light sanding..This could be done while the pieces are still on the cutting deck or individually in hand so you can also tidy the edges at the same time.
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I’ve found a product called LA Awesome which does a pretty well at cleaning away “laser soot” residue from wood and other materials.
I get better results when spraying it on a paper towel first rather than spraying it directly on the wood. This product is widely available and affordable. I found LA Awesome both at Amazon and at Dollar General stores.
When I get a lot of soot like that, it can be due to the sap in the wood. My solution is to use 90% isopropol alcohol on a microfiber cloth. Not 100% clean, but presentable.
Heavy sooting like that is often caused by a formaldehyde-based glue in the plywood glue layers. If you can find laser-rated plywood, it uses a urea-based glue that doesn’t char like the other stuff does.
And I’ll also echo other comments here - having excellent smoke extraction and an air blast helps a ton.
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I’ve had good success covering the top and bottom with painter’s/masking tape before cutting to prevent discoloration on those surfaces. But you’ll still have to deal with the cut surfaces.