You need to use internal ply, that is either E1 (euro regs) or CARB2 compliant ply or MDF. This has low VOC formaldehyde, usually softer and easier to cut because the glue they use is different to standard ply.
So Happy to see you back ! Thanks for this vidéo. i've try unsuccefully too sorts of plywood. I'll try yours next time. I'm on another project by the way : a CNC (Topscnc). Again happy to see ya 😃
Just got my k40 up and running, I was disappointed that it wouldn't cut 3mm ply. This has really helped, I've just ordered some poplar ply. Thank you so much.
Keep me updated how it works for you. Some meantioned that there can be also issues with the glue used to make the ply depending on what brand even though poplar always worked for me.
I’m using 3mm baltic birch wood and I’ve found two passes good enough for cutting. Except when there is a piece of harder wood hidden in the middle layer then I have to cut the wood with a craft knife. I will have to look for poplar wood. Another use is for cutting felt. I had a older chess set were the felt bottoms were pealing off. I measured and cut out new circles and now the set is like new.
Slowly learning more and more about (ply)wood. I am struggling with my 20-24W diode laser to single pass plywood as seen in other videos using an identical machine. Only to realise that those users most likely use poplar plywood while I am trying to match them with oak/walnut/mahogany plywood. Found a nearby supplier of 4mm poplar plywood, fingers crossed for an improvement in cutting speed.
pull out insides of laser, and make a table adjustable, or set parts to be 3 inches away, the laser has a fine adjustment of +/- 2mm, so height of cut is important.
I agree with the other comments about the glue used to manufacture the plywood.Even birch plywood will cut beautifully if its the right stuff. Same goes with MDF. Some varieties of MDF generate a lot of smoke and char badly, while the next piece will cut beautifully. Further to the smell when cutting plastic ... beware!!! the gas emitted is probably chlorine like that used in the trenches to kill or maim. Further, the chlorine can mix with moisture to create hydrochloric acid ... not the best thing to be having inside your machine!!
Align the laser mirrors & lens, it will easily cut through the 3mm Baltic Birch Plywood in 3 passes. You will need purchase a lens centered & glued into the mounting system. The only practical way to align the mirror above the lens correctly is use the laser alignment system that screws on the lens mount. The mirror directly in front of the laser tube also burnt out on my machine. The gantry belt drive mounting system also needed some improvements to improve cutting & cutting accuracy. If everything is optimized, the kerf ( area cut out by the laser) should be about ( six thousands) 0.006 of an inch. There is also benefit in increasing airflow across the cutting table in the machine. I increased air speed form 1/2 mph to over 6mph on a K40. This keeps the mirrors cleaner. The mirrors still need to be cleaned often to maintain performance. The airflow speed over the cutting surface & laser light shielding upgrades are are safety issues in my mind, time consuming but necessary in my opinion. I am willing to share & explain more if anyone is curious, contact me. Daniel Bottner - USA
This is alot more difficult. There are something some (x - factor) . You can use 100 square meters of ply and everything is perfect but than sudenly 4 square meters is just not cutting even with 3mm ply .... fighting with this problem for years .... For metal etching hmmmm i use "cermark" black laser pasta it is like 1eur=1gram but its working good when you get right speeds and power.
Huh.. i use the same Amazon wood and I cut it easily with one pass.. well not every sheet but 9/10🙂 speed 7 and power 18%... but I really think it's hard to cut cause I cut 5.5mm "hard wood" at 15% at 7mm speed, not "hard" wood but wood planks you often make boxes for vine bottles and such with.. It's tough and looks great but I can only get it in 100-120mm X 5.5mm🤷♂️
Oo ... its not the wood that is the problem. If u do a research for this problem u would got the answer. What u did: it doesn´t work - ok the wood is the cause. Bad idea to give an solution without background infos. The real problem is the glue between the playwood. For Laser cutting u need glue which does not produce soot or a lot of smoke. The laser can´t pass the smoke easyly and lose a lot of energy. The beam that hits the wood isn´t strong enought to sublimate the woold to gas. Burning produce a lot of smoke, but the laser should sublimate the wood and produce less smoke in relation to the removed wood (the gab). Mach dir doch bitte vorher gedanken worum es geht und hol Informationen ein und rate nicht drauf los. Das hilft niemandem. Leider machen das viele und daher wird es mit der Zeit immer schwerer wirklich hilfreiche Informationen im Internet zu finden, weil man den Aussagen kaum trauen kann.
You need to use internal ply, that is either E1 (euro regs) or CARB2 compliant ply or MDF. This has low VOC formaldehyde, usually softer and easier to cut because the glue they use is different to standard ply.
Ich habe gerade genau das gleiche probiert mit dem guten Hornbach BASTEL SPERRHOLZ! Hat mir weitergeholfen, danke 👍🏻
Dachte ich mir doch das du aus der Heimat kommst. Machst super K40 Videos, vielen dank dafür!
So Happy to see you back ! Thanks for this vidéo. i've try unsuccefully too sorts of plywood. I'll try yours next time. I'm on another project by the way : a CNC (Topscnc). Again happy to see ya 😃
Just got my k40 up and running, I was disappointed that it wouldn't cut 3mm ply. This has really helped, I've just ordered some poplar ply. Thank you so much.
Keep me updated how it works for you. Some meantioned that there can be also issues with the glue used to make the ply depending on what brand even though poplar always worked for me.
@@MancaveEffects I will do, I've subscribed, thanks for the advice!
I’m using 3mm baltic birch wood and I’ve found two passes good enough for cutting. Except when there is a piece of harder wood hidden in the middle layer then I have to cut the wood with a craft knife. I will have to look for poplar wood. Another use is for cutting felt. I had a older chess set were the felt bottoms were pealing off. I measured and cut out new circles and now the set is like new.
So much information, thank you. Subscribed.
Thanks for the Video. Do you also have the speed and the different current for the Cuts?
Slowly learning more and more about (ply)wood. I am struggling with my 20-24W diode laser to single pass plywood as seen in other videos using an identical machine. Only to realise that those users most likely use poplar plywood while I am trying to match them with oak/walnut/mahogany plywood. Found a nearby supplier of 4mm poplar plywood, fingers crossed for an improvement in cutting speed.
Thank you for the video!
There are 2 kinds of Acrylic. Cast (the one you want that don't melt) and Extruded (the chitty version that melts). Cast = Good / Extruded = Bad
Thanks for sharing
When i added a 50L air assist to my k40 laser i switch on ,it turns on and off quickly by itself, she is no longer working, SOLUTION PLEASE 🥺
Use a seperate power supply
pull out insides of laser, and make a table adjustable, or set parts to be 3 inches away, the laser has a fine adjustment of +/- 2mm, so height of cut is important.
I agree with the other comments about the glue used to manufacture the plywood.Even birch plywood will cut beautifully if its the right stuff. Same goes with MDF. Some varieties of MDF generate a lot of smoke and char badly, while the next piece will cut beautifully. Further to the smell when cutting plastic ... beware!!! the gas emitted is probably chlorine like that used in the trenches to kill or maim. Further, the chlorine can mix with moisture to create hydrochloric acid ... not the best thing to be having inside your machine!!
Align the laser mirrors & lens, it will easily cut through the 3mm Baltic Birch Plywood in 3 passes. You will need purchase a lens centered & glued into the mounting system. The only practical way to align the mirror above the lens correctly is use the laser alignment system that screws on the lens mount. The mirror directly in front of the laser tube also burnt out on my machine. The gantry belt drive mounting system also needed some improvements to improve cutting & cutting accuracy. If everything is optimized, the kerf ( area cut out by the laser) should be about ( six thousands) 0.006 of an inch. There is also benefit in increasing airflow across the cutting table in the machine. I increased air speed form 1/2 mph to over 6mph on a K40. This keeps the mirrors cleaner. The mirrors still need to be cleaned often to maintain performance. The airflow speed over the cutting surface & laser light shielding upgrades are are safety issues in my mind, time consuming but necessary in my opinion. I am willing to share & explain more if anyone is curious, contact me. Daniel Bottner - USA
This is alot more difficult. There are something some (x - factor) . You can use 100 square meters of ply and everything is perfect but than sudenly 4 square meters is just not cutting even with 3mm ply .... fighting with this problem for years ....
For metal etching hmmmm i use "cermark" black laser pasta it is like 1eur=1gram but its working good when you get right speeds and power.
Huh.. i use the same Amazon wood and I cut it easily with one pass.. well not every sheet but 9/10🙂 speed 7 and power 18%... but I really think it's hard to cut cause I cut 5.5mm "hard wood" at 15% at 7mm speed, not "hard" wood but wood planks you often make boxes for vine bottles and such with.. It's tough and looks great but I can only get it in 100-120mm X 5.5mm🤷♂️
Oo ... its not the wood that is the problem. If u do a research for this problem u would got the answer. What u did: it doesn´t work - ok the wood is the cause. Bad idea to give an solution without background infos. The real problem is the glue between the playwood. For Laser cutting u need glue which does not produce soot or a lot of smoke. The laser can´t pass the smoke easyly and lose a lot of energy. The beam that hits the wood isn´t strong enought to sublimate the woold to gas. Burning produce a lot of smoke, but the laser should sublimate the wood and produce less smoke in relation to the removed wood (the gab).
Mach dir doch bitte vorher gedanken worum es geht und hol Informationen ein und rate nicht drauf los. Das hilft niemandem. Leider machen das viele und daher wird es mit der Zeit immer schwerer wirklich hilfreiche Informationen im Internet zu finden, weil man den Aussagen kaum trauen kann.
Lots of misinformation here poor laser setup not material
@@jimbauer6822I have a K40 ..... i know the diffeculty between power ... speed ... fan and the glue!
Man you are babling, get to the point.