Etching & Cutting 0.375" Acrylic On A K40 Laser Engraver

Job settings and specs are displayed in the video. Watch til the end!
This was with an M2 Nano board, k40whisperer, and inkscape.
Raster: 3ma@400 in/min
Vector: 10ma@4 in/min
For more info on K40 Lasers please visit lasergods.com
Video shot with a Canon c100 with Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cinema Prime. The 1080/24p uncompressed signal was recorded on an Atomos Ninja in ProRes422. Grading done in Resolve. Post done in Vegas Pro. Be sure to visit lasergods.com

[@MadLabZ]

Bill and Stevie get pulled over.... "no officer those are not our brass / acrylic knuckles" I swear we are holding them for a friend lol.

[@Lovenpain]

I like that the video is sped up. Otherwise this would be a way longer video! Nice vid.

[@BravoTechnologiesLaserGods]

thanks :)

[@beansandwiched]

I don't have an amp guage. Do you know what power setting that might be? TIA

[@martymcfly4038]

That was satisfying to watch.

[@wayfairing_soul]

Also, how do you adjust that bed up and down for different jobs?

[@squirralien1863]

Loved watching this video. I would like to know what power rating the laser is, I would like to buy a K40 but so many sizes to accommodate different laser power and also what modifications have been done to your K40 The website at the end doesn't seem to work,

[@crckdns]

Erm.. is your k40 on speed? How did you manage to engrave that fast? If I let it engrave such "small" distances, the k40 shakes like crazy. Your acrylic isn't even mounted to stay in place and yet doesn't move a bit, engraving perfect without shaking distortion 😲

[@john_t_england]

Great video. I prefer to-the-point demonstrations, so thanks for that. Main thing I didn't see covered was how you focused your work. Are you shooting for about the middle of the work piece on the vector cuts?

[@kaylaaviles7206]

What does 10ma mean 😅

[@rickmccaskill7888]

What spacing are you using for the grid of spikes. Thanks for the great video’s.

[@BravoTechnologiesLaserGods]

thank you! i just laid a metal ruler down and used it to draw the lines. they are about an inch but i'm finding when i do smaller stuff things fall out of place so if i made another one i think id go 1/2 inch spacing

[@rodeneilbachoco351]

good day. may i know what kind of laser are you using?

[@prototypeeight9503]

my k40 won't cut through much thinner lexan? WTF am I doing wrong?

[@RandomAudioGuys]

I also cannot get through 1/8th Acrylic very well let alone this, I do know that Lexan tends to burn and Acyrlic cuts, But no where am I able to do what hes doing with his machine and Ive upgraded to a Coheasion 3d board , air assist and 20 MM lens.

[@john_t_england]

@@RandomAudioGuys Yep, that's what I was going to say, which is that Lexan really isn't suited for CO2 lasers in this power range. I've heard you can do it with super powerful industrial lasers though, but even then the finish can be garbage.

[@davidross3551]

Wow, using technology to make weapons! What a great use of knowledge.

[@vb2995]

You obviously haven't gone to see what 3D printers can make

[@davidross3551]

Well, I have and I think nuckle dusters made out of a non detectable plastic is the most gutless and stupid violent form of weapon, and you personalise them? How are you going to create anything with a weapon designed to hurt someone more by punching them.

[@vb2995]

@@davidross3551 You need to experience more

[@BlakRusky]

Hi, I got a k40, brand new...stepper keeps slipping..I've tried adjusting the belts without success..please help I'm ready to throw mine out!!!

[@johnwracher]

Check you're cog pulley, my guess is that it is slipping on the shaft. I had that problem with a cnc mill once. Had to pull the pulley off, clean all grease and oil off of mating surfaces and then remount it. Worked great after that. John

[@euphoria58]

Hello, how can I make the cutting surface you use. thanks

[@noneNone-mw1px]

Sir what is the logical laser cutter and engraver for business. ? Not to expensive just be able to cut acrylics

[@DraveS21]

where can i buy this pins bed?

[@brianfoster1504]

What is your bed made out of? What is the focus point? Is it top, bottom, middle of the acrylic? I have recently purchased and started using a K40. I'm finding it cuts wood, but not plywood, though it burns it. I can cut 1/8th inch acrylic, but the kerf is horrible. BTW, 404 on the k40-knowledgebase link.

[@markjones6085]

Does it's have the assist gas on it?

[@Alberto-gi8fb]

How did you do that can cut that acrylic so easily? Do you sell something to upgrade the laser power?

[@karlnotyourbusiness4429]

Hi, Can you give some indication of the laser power you have and the settings you used? I have a Redsail M3050 with 50W tube but need 4 passes on nearly full power at 5mm/s to cut through 10mm Acrylic. Suspect I am doing something wrong if your machine cutting through it like butter when mine isn't. Thanks in advance.

[@karlnotyourbusiness4429]

Thanks for that. I've never experimented going that slowly but I'm going to give it a whirl. Looked faster in the video. I'm just upgrading my Nano M2 to a Cohesion3D with Lightburn so that should give me really fine control. This info is much appreciated. Keep up the excellent work.

[@wayfairing_soul]

My K40 only has percentage on it, not ma. Do you know if there is a conversion for this?

[@mikesimms5750]

Max output in mA × % = your current setting.

[@JamsterJules]

Mine has a digital display, but i also added a ammeter. 10 percent on mine came out at 3ma , but I understand each machine is different . It etched well for me though.

[@FBI43]

Hi, i need help!!! I can cut and engrave wood and similar materials, but I can not cut methacrylate in any way. I tried all the possible settings like speed and power, but the processing is never as clear as in your video. what can it depend on?

[@MixTonic]

is your focal point set right?

[@jaceksoltys]

I tried to cut with 30mA and it cuts only like 0.5 mm deep :( any ideas what could be wrong

[@erwinslootweg7938]

not sure if it's the source of your problem but most 35-40ish watt co2 lasers have about a max of 18-20 miliamps. higher then that and you are actualy breaking down/destroying the co2 and making the laser much weaker realy quickly

[@hunterpruett5455]

30mA is definately too high, you wioll want maybe 15-16 mA Max. But, 400 in/min is way too fast, he might have meant mm/min, but even that is a bit quick

[@john_t_england]

@@hunterpruett5455 The 400 in/min. was for the raster engraving pass, and makes sense. Same as 169 mm/sec. That's close to what I use although I generally engrave at 10ma for a deeper cut, especially when painting prior to removing the protective paper. For the vector cut, he said he was using 4 in/min., or 1.69 mm/sec. Slow and low to divide and conquer. To the original comment (although old), check your alignment, that your mirrors are clean and that your work piece is at the correct focal plane. Sometimes de-focusing can also help.

[@paradisearcade8386]

Inches per minute? or millimeter per second?

[@MixTonic]

400in/min = 170mm/sec... so i think he's using 400in/min

[@richardking7996]

Thank you for making these videos, I do like the standoff bed you use to place the work peces on, did you make it yourself or did buy it.

[@richardking7996]

@@BravoTechnologiesLaserGods Thanks for that. I will look in to doing the same for my machine.

[@BravoTechnologiesLaserGods]

Thanks :) I made it. i need the spacing of the studs closer for smaller things. sometimes stuff falls through and messes up LOL

[@paulgoesmagnetfishing6099]

Just for a min I thought someone was actualy going to explain how to do this but never mind bored watching it withno speaking

[@BravoTechnologiesLaserGods]

sorry :) my new videos (most of them) are full length and have much more dialog :)

[@turbopalmer01]

How did you cut with only 1 pass? What is your power rating and speed please? When cutting 3mm acrylic I usually need to cut 2 X the thickness so 6 passes.

[@BravoTechnologiesLaserGods]

the settings are in the video and the description :)

[@turbopalmer01]

Sorry where do I change it to 10mA?

[@Graeme758]

the irony of 'bringing high tech' using archaic measurements. WTF sort of hybrid is .375''?

[@gibtsnocheinenfreien]

You really made something very useful for the whole mankind... 🤦‍♂️

[@vossie666]

Where did you get that pin bed ?

[@patrickmaartense7772]

I have used similar for my bed, looks very nice indeed.

[@JimNichols]

Music thumbs down.

[@dickhorner]

7 minutes WASTED!

[@BravoTechnologiesLaserGods]

you could have stopped any time LOL :)