i was trying to get some laser cut polycarb for my rebuild, our school doesnt have a laser cutter. Where should i go to get the polycarb cut? should i go to an online place where they send it to me or should i go somewhere locallay?
DO NOT laser cut polycarbonate, they release toxic fumes. Use a CNC machine instead if you want precise cuts, or use some kind of heavy duty scissors to cut it.
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Our team has used a jig saw and a band saw to much success. Bandsaw for straight, fast cuts, jigsaw for curvys. They aren’t always precise but they are plenty good for our purposes.
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Polycarbonate is one of the few plastics that will catch fire while laser cutting. If laser cutting is your only option, I’d recommend using a different plastic like low density polyethylene (LDPE).
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Wait, by polycarbonate you mean the stuff that Robosource sells? I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to lasercut that, it’s always cut fine on out CO2 laser with the right settings.
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I think if you have the right tools its fine, like you need a vent and a good laser cutter, not the hobby ones that are sold on Amazon.
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Good to know. I use a Universal Laser Systems (CO2) machine, and it claims that you shouldn’t cut PC but I might experiment a bit.
If the manufacturer says you shouldn’t… you probably shouldn’t
(They did after all design and test the entire machine, and probably know it better than us)
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oh shoot. I have been laser cutting it all this time…