Hi guys, would love your advice on what lens to use when cutting cardstock.

Lasers
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1

Hi guys, would love your advice on what lens to use when cutting cardstock.

Got the K40 up and running with Don’s help fixing the y-axis sensor (thanks again!) - I’ve been cutting somewhat simple designs into 100lb cover cardstock - I uploaded a stock picture for a rough idea of the type of design I’m cutting.

Currently, I’m using:

  • stock 50mm lens
  • upgraded dust collector exhaust
  • air assist
  • Settings: 12ma at 40mm/second speed

It is cutting through well, but does leave a fair amount of charring on the backside - increasing speed and power result in the cut getting a little too wide and sloppy.

Would a different focal length lens help when cutting paper to more tightly focus the power? Thanks!

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2

What kind of bed do you have?

3

I built a makeshift “nail” bed using 2.5" screws, so there isn’t any flashback from that - sorry, I should have clarified, it is more charring from the top side (laser side) of the paper.

4

Not sure if there a preferred focal length. Have you tried going faster and multiple passes?

5

I cut cardstock at 50mm/s using 5mA, but that is on a 60W machine. But I think you should be able to lower the mA setting quite a bit. I would try slowly lowering it by 1mA at a time to see if that helps. Also try going a little faster.