Cutting Delrin - Is this supposed to happen

[andrew zen]

I have a 100W Epilog 24EX. I am cutting 1/4" Delrin for a customer as they prototype various parts.
We tried ABS in small pieces but we get a lot of melting, warping, and smoke. The pieces are small.


Like ABS without the smoke, Delrin has a flame like a torch when I cut it. Air assist (at least the one I have) does not seem to do anything about flame suppression. The dust collection system keeps the flame away from the lens.
Is the flame typical? At high power and lower speeds I get melting around the edges.
The best cuts were at 75P 25S, but we had to cut 4 times.
The freq I use is 2500.


I see others post about cutting Delrin, but doesnt' seem to work. Would lowering the freq help?

Any advice to cut faster without a flame?


Acrylic 1/4" cuts great at P100, S10.

[David Fairfield]

Sorry, confused Delrin with Lexan.

[Rich Harman]

I know of at least two people that are getting very good results cutting Delrin. Based upon their positive experiences I have ordered two sheets of 3mm Delrin.

[Duane Parcells]

Hi Andrew

I have cut a large amount of delrin gears. It's been about a year since I've cut it but my notes say for 3/16" 10 speed 100 power 500 freq. 30psi air, at standard focus. My Machine is 75 watts. For 1/4" I have 8/100/500. It looks like I started with 1000 freq and focus at +4 clicks (closer) but settled on the above settings after experimenting. It cuts just fine.
Duane

[Doug Griffith]

I've cut a ton of Delrin (acetal) and it cuts great. There is a small flame but air assist keeps it in check.

[Frank Corker]

I also only cut delrin at 1000 frequency.

[Joe Pelonio]

Will transfer tape stick to it? If so, apply some and mist with water just before cutting and see if that helps. I do that with silicone sheets and it helps a lot though the edges still char.

[andrew zen]

Thanks all, will tune down my frequency and aim my air assist a little better, it seems to be aimed 1.5 inch away straight down.

[andrew zen]

Well, turning down the frequency to 500-1000 and aiming half way into 1/4" Delrin worked like a charm. When I aimed the laser at the surface, the flames were much larger. S20 P100 for a 100W did the trick. Had huge angels in the cut, so there was a lot of diffraction in the laser beam.

Thanks for all the tips