Hello, dear people
I’m still fairly new to all this laser stuff, but I definitely got around and learned a lot of things. My first question to you guys is, why is there such a huge difference between cutting depth using LINE and FILL modes. I’m usually cutting 0.5 - 1mm aluminium, and when using 0.04 - 0.06 line interval, I consistently get what I want using 30-35 global passes, now tho… using almost the same settings on a 1mm piece of aluminium, 50 global passes using LINE mode aren’t enough to cut it, at all, so I tried changing both global passes and number of passes, but I can’t seem to find any correlation between FILL and LINE mode consistency. Could you help me? Or at least give me some tips?
TLDR: Why is 50 pass count enough to cut through 1mm of aluminium on FILL MODE, but when I use LINE mode, 50 passes doesn’t even cut through anything…
Line is to cut objects, Fill is to etch/engrave surfaces.
Take this into account and you should understand better where and when to chose Line or Fill mode.
Exactly, that part is perfectly understandable for me, I’ve already engrave/filled everything the way I want, my issue now is, my final step, when I go to cut the shape up, the line just doesn’t cut, I use the same setting that cut around 0.03mm per pass when using fill mode, but in line mode those same settings barely scratch the surface…
If I understand correctly…
You need to understand that when you want to engrave you only need the intensity (power) necessary to heat the material just enough to mark without drilling.
When you want to cut, you have to increase the power in order to get the laser to go through the material, not just engrave.
Assuming that a power of 5% is used on a given material with a thickness of 1mm. You will only be able to carve 0.05mm of this material, i.e. only engrave the material.
If you increase the power to 25% you will be able to carve 0.5mm. It didn’t cut, but it also can’t be considered recording because it burned too much material.
If you increase the power to 50% you will be able to completely pierce the material, thus making the cut.
Keep in mind that the values are just examples and exclude the speed factor, which will be another factor to take into account when understanding how you can record and cut.
I hope I am being enlightening and not nitpicking in the explanation.
I have to find a Portuguese that Google can translate into English without distorting the meaning.
I’m sure it would be better to explain it with a picture, I did a lot of testing, and figured out that using 80% power, 0.04-0.06 line interval at a speed of 6000mm/min gives me the best results, and it cuts 0.6 mm of my material with 35 global passes, NOW when I use the same exact settings(with LINE MODE), with 80%, speed: 6000mm/min and 100 passes, the line doesnt even cut, basically anything at all, so my question is, why 100 passes in LINE mode doesn’t even cut 0.2mm, when 35 passes in FILL mode cuts almost 0.6mm
Well, it seemed to me that I was the one who wasn’t understanding the problem correctly. So I apologize for the wasted time.
One reason, but not the obvious reason, is that while in Fill mode there are constant passes and in a short period of time with only 0.04 to 0.06mm between them, this causes a more accentuated thinning of the material due to the heating that in Line mode which makes 100 Precise passes one over the other but the material will have already cooled down.
The material you are using probably dissipates heat well enough for what I have in mind to justify.
But, as I usually say, there are no arguments against facts. And if this is a new situation, that is, it already worked and now there are problems, something has changed and it has nothing to do with the power and speed settings.
