@PearceDunlap @lukeiamyourfather
Hello guys,
I asked about lasing silicone rubber last night and it can be done.
However. please see excerpt below from the manual.
Looks like a higher level of cleaning and maint is required to laser rubber due to the dust, and not sure if terrible gas means toxic.
Wanted to get your input on if testing would be possible or if its something that we should just stray away from altogether.
I’ve seen neoprene rubber cut on a laser before and it was really nasty. Let off all kinds of smoke, and the rubber was charred and sticky. Maybe this material is different, but I don’t reccomend it…
After checking with Luke, then looking at the MSDS, I used the laser to engrave a linoleum block. Research showed a number of people using lasers to engrave these, and my test worked quite well. This is the traditional material used for ‘rubber’ stamps and appears to be a better match to the laser then the more modern synthetics that are getting used.
here is a link to some ‘low’ odor laserable rubber. they also call a ‘no’ odor rubber but I’m sure there is still some type of smell.
http://www.laserbits.com/stamp-products/low-odor-laser-rubber.html
http://www.laserbits.com/stamp-products/no-odor-laser-rubber.html
I’ve got a customer sending me some to try so I should have a pretty good idea of how well this stuff works soon. 50 watt ULS laser to work with. the recommended settings from ULS for rubber is
100% power (of 50watt) and 27% speed. Speed will be relative since I’m sure the Thunder is much faster. cheers!
What power and speed settings did you use?
I bought a Hackerspace Passport https://www.adafruit.com/products/769 in the last AdaFruit order on the outside chance I get to travel again. Before I make one, does DMS currently have a rubber stamp featuring the logo and name?
Just a heads up for anyone reading this. Most modern linoleum contains chlorine and can’t be cut with a laser (it will ruin the machine and your lungs).
Some higher quality linoleum and older linoleum are made with organic materials that can be laser cut. Check the MSDS for the specific product to know for sure.
I’m curious to try it but if the mess is as bad as they make it sound then it might not be worthwhile to do lots of it.
Ok i’ll coordinate a controlled group test once i check the MSDS for the material.
I just didnt want to do it on the brand new machine without some input and committee blessings first.
Material properties
A smooth black rubber sheet (on both sides). Silicone rubber has excellent resistance to heat. It also withstands weathering.
Typical applications
Artistic, electronics, furniture, jewellery, mechanical, model making, stamp making, robotics & engineering.
Laser cutting
Laser cutting silicon rubber gets very messy! The heat from the laser causes black dust & residues to build up on the both surfaces. These will need to be wiped away once you receive your job.
Cut width and Kerf
The Kerf (the amount the laser takes away when cutting) is quite this at + / – 0.5mm intricate shapes on silicon rubber. As a benchmark, we recommend that the minimum cut widths be no smaller than the corresponding thickness of the material.
Laser engraving
Laser engraves with an ok clarity. Engraving tends to be dark in colour with little contrast to the already black surface. When your engraving covers a large surface area the engraver is more likely to produce lines within the engraved surface. This is caused by the pulsing of the laser. While it appears that the laser actually is firing constantly, when processing a job it actually quickly turns on and turns off which is known as pulsing. It is this pulsing which creates a slightly textured appearance in the engraving. For large surface areas we tend to engrave a bit slower to keep this to a minimum but for some applications it is unavoidable.
Thanks Luke, I did not know that. I know the MSDS for the linoleum block I used, was nearly blank, and referenced another msds sheet for a generic product name. That said it was the traditional flax seed based lineolium.
Raster etch, 100% power, 30% speed
Anbody know if we are using the parameter library?
Wondering why we don’t use this instead of the loose leaf paper documentation.
Any estimate on when we might have some more laser classes?
I currently can’t use any of them - Lasersaur was still being built when I took the class on the HSL and John’s classes all booked up super fast. I’ve been watching videos on the Zing and am really excited about trying that little guy out.
I need a class too. I was trained on the old Laser, but it’s gone now and I’m left with out…
Do we need to take a new class to use the new lasers? From what I recall the previous class wasn’t really about how to operate the lasers but more about safety. How to use the software and machines was an exercise left to the student.
Yes, per the Laser Committee chairman, you need to take the class.
From a practical standpoint, neither of the new lasers operates like either of the old lasers. They each have different software, they each focus differently, and none of your old SVG files will work.
Very true. I wished the thunderlaser used SVG instead of the software that you have to use. I can’t seem to find it for Mac the last time I looked.
I seem to recall that we were able to save to PDF from Inkscape.
I only get to use the space about 4 times a year. One of those times was this evening, I arrive at the space, and the old laser is no longer here. There are also no classes on the schedule for the new lasers.
Is anyone able to tell me when the next class for any of the lasers is scheduled? I was trained on the previous laser, but this no longer is of any use to me…I would appreciate any help.
I believe the last class was on May 12th and lucky handful of folks got in during the brief interval classes were being taught. It’s my understanding a decision was made to change the curriculum and possibly require that folks test out. The rest of us are left waiting or trying to piggyback on those who got training. You’re not the only one stuck without acesss. We have yet to get an answer as to when we can expect some more classes despite multiple requests. Even if they offered separate classes for the different lasers…it would be nice to get something going. Hopefully we will hear something soon.
