I have a CamFive Co2 laser with a 130 watt glass tube. I am having the hardest time trying to cut 1/2" thick cast acrylic and achieve a polished edge without vertical lines. If anyone is familiar with the CamFive lasers, please let me know if you have had success and what I may be doing wrong.
First of all, I want to make it clear that I have never worked with the CO2 system.
However, I believe that the problem may not be with the machine itself, but rather with the technique or adjustments.
There are some topics here on the forum about how to cut acrylic perfectly. I get the impression that it’s not very easy and that certain criteria need to be taken into account. 
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Thank you Kuth Luis. I will take a look at the topics.
Hi @Signman62
I’ve never heard of Cam5 before, but a quick search shows me they’re pretty solidly built, standard-looking CO2 Ruida-based laser cutters. Nothing about them strikes me as different from most other Ruida-based CO2 machines, so any advice you find generally for a CO2 laser cutter will apply.
Those vertical lines you are seeing are normal for a CO2 laser and are showing you a sort of behind-the-scenes, if you like, of how a CO2 laser works with rapid on/off pulsing.
Choosing cast over extruded is the right move for the polished edge.
Anyway, here are my tips for what it’s worth -
- Slow it all down; going slower will create a more even melt. But not so slow that the plastic absorbs too much heat and closes your gap!
- What focal length lens do you have? If you’re using 2”, try a 2.5” instead.
- If you have air assistance and the ability to reduce it a bit with a throttle, then choke it so less air falls onto the cut.
- Once you’ve set the focal height, try nudging the focus slightly below the workpiece surface.
- …and finally the big one. Is your machine well aligned? Are the mirrors and lenses clean? I’ve seen a lot of CO2 lasers, and they’re almost never properly aligned and rarely have truly clean optics.
Show us some pics and let us know how you get on.