Table of Contents
CNSI Microfluidics Laser Cutting Data
Material Vendors
Acrylic sheet, optically clear, from McMaster Carr: part number 8560K239
http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/119/3558/=molz4w
Cutting Parameters
Acrylic Sheet
Cutting 1/8”, 100% power, 0.4 ipm, 2000 Hz, (Dave Bothman, 5/5/13 - clean cut)
Cutting 1/4”, 100% power, 0.15 ipm, 1000 Hz, z offset -.125, (Dave Bothman, 5/5/13 - clean cut)
PDMS
250um PDMS with mylar backing on back side and removed from front
Cutting 42% power, 2.0 1ps, 5000Hz (Peter Mage, 5/9/13 - some flash and soot - recipe needs to be refined)
Double Sticky Tape
25% power, 3 ips
Gore Teflon Foam 1/16“ 15% power, 0.5% speed, 1000 Hz (DB 7/9/15)
Silicone Rubber sheet, 1/8” 100% power, 0.1% speed, 2000 Hz - use Nitrogen gas (DB 7/9/15)
Guideline Cutting Recipes
Acrylic
- 1/8 acrylic
| Color | Power | Speed | PPI/Hz | Passes | Air Assist | Correction | Z-Offset | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engrave | Black | 25 | 20 | PPI | - | on | 0 | 0 |
| Cut | Red | 25 | 0.4 | Hz | 1 | on | 10 | 0 |
| Cut | Blue | 100 | 0.4 | PPI | 1 | on | 10 | 0 |
-1/10 acrylic
| Color | Power | Speed | PPI/Hz | Passes | Air Assist | Correction | Z-Offset | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skip | Black | - | - | - | - | on | - | - |
| Cut | Red | 2 | 0.1 | Hz | 1 | Hz | 1 | 0 |
| Cut | Blue | 15 | 0.5 | Hz | 5 | Gas 1 | 0 | 0 |
Functional Engraving Recipes
For users looking to cut acrylic at different depths, these different cut depths were tested at different power settings. Data courtesy of Ph.D. student Sanghun Jee. Thank you Sanghun!
| Engraving Cut Thickness | Engraving Settings |
|---|---|
| 0 mm | 0% power, 0% speed |
| 0.208 mm | 50% power, 30% speed |
| 0.314 mm | 60% power, 30% speed |
| 0.352 mm | 70% power, 30% speed |
| 0.413 mm | 80% power, 30% speed |
| 0.446 mm | 90% power, 30% speed |
| 0.485 mm | 100% power, 30% speed |
For users who wish to engrave at different depths than those listed above, here is a graph and equation that may help out with making estimations of what laser power to use.
Scribing microscope slides for breaking -Dave Bothman - 16 Dec. 2015
- Recipe: 100% power, 3% speed, 1000 Hz, 1 pass
- Focus on top of slide
- Place a paper towel wetted with water on glass in area to be cut
- Cut through the paper
- Break on scribed line