Ditch The Glue: Laser Weld Your Acrylic Like A Pro!

[@blueskyjax]

Fantastic share!

[@daniita4570]

Thanks Sarah for showing and teaching us your experiments and new creations. You are so creative and original 🌺🌸🪷👏🙌

[@LabcraftStudio]

Thanks so much 😊

[@belindamason8286]

Very cool! Thanks for doing all the tests

[@kathybarbieri2345]

Very helpful!

[@blazegbs]

Nice information. Thank you. Something I’ll give a try to in the future

[@derrickpierce4440]

I have to make this work; it is so useful to me if I can. Thank you for the great content!

[@Stinkerbelle62]

Amazing info. LOVE the dog standing on the desk behind you 😂😂😂

[@chitowntexan]

That's really cool

[@TJandSavannahsMom]

Very cool! Thank you!!! I have to say that your pup is the real video star!

[@LabcraftStudio]

You are so kind. That’s our mini golden doodle River. I also did a follow up video recently where I make shakers using this technique and go into a little more detail on the technique if you are looking for more information.

[@kimmiesrhythms]

Wow!! This is so cool and looking forward to joining your discord!!

[@megananderson8833]

Subscribed! Great informative video.

[@J3rs3yM1k3]

Vinyl stickers are probably too thick to allow the acrylic edges to touch. If you engrave a shallow pocket for the sticker to set into, you may have better luck. I think that may be the issue with the paint and resin as well. If either of those is even a fraction above the surface of the acrylic, edge contact will suffer. Another thought... if you are going to have any scoring or engraving on the inside, make sure the melted edges of the score/engrave are not protruding past the surface. If so, knock the high spots down with a small file.

[@Serkunny]

Oh I wonder if you can make shaker charms with this technique!Ive seen acrylic shaker charms before.

[@LabcraftStudio]

Funny you mentioned that… My husband actually suggested the same thing when I showed him that tiny square in the beginning. I’m guessing you would have to do a super deep engraving or potentially a set of layers with say 1.5 mm acrylic. My only concern would be the fluid trying to leak out.

[@Serkunny]

​@@LabcraftStudioI believe I saw that they were 3 layers of acrylic

[@daniita4570]

Like @Serkunny said, maybe it could work with 3 layers of acrylic, the one un the middle will be an outline/silhouette wall, creating a hollow in the middle. Perhaps without liquids, but just glitter and tiny cute charms inside. It would be interesting to explore the possibilities with different thickness, the one in front could be thinner than the others, or whatever.

[@LabcraftStudio]

Yes, I feel like KZbin was telling me I need to do this in the near future because I just saw a short from Glowforge that did something very similar. I also have 1.5 mm acrylic coming tomorrow so… 🥽🔥

[@jeffcooper2464]

Great technique. What machine were you using?

[@CLASSICALSNature]

Thank you for this. We're curious to know what laser printer/cutter you are using to cut all these out? We do not see it in the description. Thanks again.

[@LabcraftStudio]

I keep forgetting to add it. I use a Gwieke Cloud Pro 55W CO2

[@thatonesnowboarde]

You did the test but i couldn't find where you actually explain how you infuse together?

[@LabcraftStudio]

They fuse together but cutting the acrylic layers on top of each other at the same time. The heat from the laser welds them together.

[@rollnrollnroll]

Thank you for the video. What kind of laser cutter did you use for this?

[@LabcraftStudio]

Gweike Cloud II Pro 55W CO2 laser

[@Serkunny]

I also had another question. I was wondering if you could do the same technique with a diode laser. I know you cant cut clear acrylic. But what if you place the coloured acrylic on top and the clear acrylic on the bottom.

[@LabcraftStudio]

The laser wouldn’t cut through the bottom layer. Once the laser hits the clear it would essentially scatter and not cut. You could try with two diode compatible colors and set your settings to the thickness of the 2 materials combined (ie 6 mm for 2 pieces of 3 mm)

[@jasonhancox1622]

What happens if you use higher power or slower speed to give the weld more heat either way.

[@LabcraftStudio]

You get a nice edge. I mentioned in my latest video going slow and hot will give you a better weld.

[@rychei5393]

Waterproof? Can you fire the edges that didn't seal with a torch?

[@LabcraftStudio]

That’s a good question. I have an upcoming live planned this week. (Plan to schedule it tomorrow) where I’m playing around with using this technique to make shakers. I’m playing around with them this week to see if they can be waterproof. I’ll give the torch idea a try.

[@mikeledee8786]

I see that you are using a diode laser and I know that a diode can't cut clear so you must be using other than clear, correct? So how does one know what colors my diode laser can cut? Thanks.

[@LabcraftStudio]

Actually no, it’s a CO2 laser so I can cut all colors but no, a diode can’t cut all colors. Usually a quick google search of “acrylic colors diode compatible” will bring up your answer.

[@letypreciado6272]

I’m sorry I just didn’t understand how you welded them together!

[@LabcraftStudio]

By cutting two pieces of acrylic laid on top of each other. The heat from the laser as it cuts fuses them together.

[@vanessaturner4333]

Ok, so welding happens when 2 pieces of acrylic are aligned and secured together with tape before laser cutting so the laser fuses the edges as it cuts? Thanks for sharing all your ideas and for doing all the work for testing.

[@LabcraftStudio]

Yep, the hard work is all done by the laser!

[@waltersowers]

I don't understand that if you were trying to test something, why change multiple variables in your experiments? If you are trying to validate the technique and want to change something, you were doing different fills and such already....why not use the exact same materials to eliminate the possibility that it was a material difference instead of the process itself? Seems like a bad process for doing the testing is all.

[@LabcraftStudio]

The material used in every experiment was the same, all of it was cast acrylic one being a layer of holographic acrylic. The only difference was the color of the acrylic.