PEHD sheet material cutting?

Community Laser Talk
1

Hello to everyone

Today I got my hands on some sheetstock PEHD in 1mm and 2mm thickness.
I was testing the 1mm briefly on my 80W Co2 (Chinese red&black, so who knows how much power it really has :slight_smile: )

I need to go with 60 power (roughly 23 mA on my Amp Meter, the max output I am using so far) to get through. I was expecting faster cuts with less melted edges…

The material is black and also fairly glossy, perhaps some of the power is lost with reflection?!?.
What concerns me is the whitish powdery residue on the surface.
I am running the exhaust through a 4 Stage TBH filter system, no smell, also no smell when opening the hood.

Should I be concerned about this residue? And what is the trick which such black/glossy material to cut through and still get nice edges.

Any input from someone who is/has worked with that material is very much appreciated.

2

I’ve never tried but the general concensus on google is:

HDPE/PEHD plastic Catches fire and melts It melts. It gets gooey. Don’t use it.

3

Fast as possible at highest power is the trick in cutting thin sheet HDPE for me (if I remember right). I haven’t cut it in a long time, but I will check to see if I have any scrap laying around and review my results.