★GLOWFORGE CUT & ENGRAVE SETTINGS ★
These are just suggestions- we ALWAYS recommend test cuts to find the perfect setting for your machine and personal preferences
1/8" Opaque, Semi-Opaque, & Transparent Colors: PG Medium and coordinating color. For example, red colors would be PG Medium Red
1/4" Solids: PG Thick & Coordinating color
1/8" Mirror: All of our mirrored acrylic can be cut on PG Medium, selecting either Red (warmer colors) or Blue (cooler colors) to match the color you are cutting. Generally mirrored acrylic is engraved mirror side down with a mirrored image.
1/8" Specialty: Most of our specialty acrylic sheets can be cut using PG Medium White or Black. For glitters and darker colors we recommend black. For lighter colors and lines like our marble pearl, we recommend starting with PG Medium White. Again- Test cut! For iridescent we recommend PG Medium clear, black, or white depending on the base.
5/32" Chunky Party Line: PG medium black with 2 passes. These are not suited for super detailed cuts.
1/8" Pattern Sheets & Printed Two Tone: Cut on PG Medium selecting either Clear, Black, or White to match the base you are cutting. Engrave on 1000 Speed and 40 Power.
★THUNDER 35/80 CUT & ENGRAVE SETTINGS ★
On my 35/80 I cut almost all of my 1/8" acrylic at 25 speed and 75 power.
Mirror acrylic 27 speed and 70 power (if you are doing intricate cuts lower the power to around 50)
We use low air.
Engraving regular acrylic sheets: 500/30
Engraving Mirror acrylic sheets: 400/40
We always raise it off the bed of the laser with scrap material to eliminate any flashback.
★Tips & Tricks ★
-Always run a test cut! One thing we find often is that despite similar setups and machines, cut settings can vary drastically. While we have done plenty of testing and work with best practices, all of our suggestions are starting points.
-Our Acrylic comes masked with paper or plastic, and varies by manufacturer. We recommend removing the masking on those with plastic masking and replacing with your own favorite masking.
-If you're doing printed patterns with the pattern on both sides, the side facing the honeycomb tray usually needs special care. You can try a light tack masking, or raising the product off the bed of the honeycomb tray with some pieces of scrap.
-If you're having cutting issues the FIRST thing to do is clean all your fans and lenses. 99.9% of the time this will solve the problem!
