Least Favorite Material to cut or engrave and Why

[Ron Philman]

Since we have a Favorite material I think its only fair to have a least favorite and why. I think I'll learn more from this.
So far on all the materials I've worked with and there's not to many Acyclic is my least Favorite. For one it stinks really bad Another I find it very hard to get good results on. I'm sure its just me and my settings but I don't have the time or money to buy it and experiment with it.
I'm sure there's a lot of other things that are harder to work with and that's why I started the thread to find out what to stay away from.

I second that. cutting extruded acrylic even with a fume extraction system doesnt really filter the smell. After a job you can open the lid hours later and still get a slap in the face.

[Keith Winter]

I second that. cutting extruded acrylic even with a fume extraction system doesnt really filter the smell. After a job you can open the lid hours later and still get a slap in the face.

Maybe the difference between an extraction system and a outside venting system? I don't cut acrylic often, but I have no lingering smell after I do. The only lingering part is the tiny bit that gets trapped between the arylic and the honeycomb and engraving bed if you cut a full length piece. Even that is very minor. What extraction system are you using and what laser Ron?

[Glen Monaghan]

Not sure why you'd be getting the smell hours later unless you left cutouts in the machine or cut directly on the bed and so had acrylic residue stuck there. You might try running your exhaust a bit longer once done cutting to ensure all the fumes are removed. I find even a little acrylic fume makes my eyes water and irritates my nose, but my filtration system (with 16x20x8 inches of activated charcoal between a 16x20x4" prefilter and a 16x20x4" HEPA final filter) does an excellent job of handling that problem, and I don't get noticeable smell from inside the machine hours later...

[Chuck Stone]

I don't have a fume problem with extruded, but the people up the street mention the smell.
oops

My least favorite is stencils for sandblasting stone (heavy use) I use 1/32" delrin with a
1/32" polyurethane rubber and FastEdge Speed Tape (double sided) in between. It makes
a good, heavy duty stencil for blasting stone and holds up for hundreds of cycles. But it's
a nasty gooey sticky mess when you first cut it. Weeding your cut parts is like trying to
pull a melted Tootsie Roll.

[Kev Williams]

Been lasering leather and bone and acrylic for years, no neighbor complaints--

Fortunately (for me) there's an asphalt plant about a mile from here- the smell from that place trumps anything I put out!

[Keith Colson]

A couple of reason acrylic will smell are. 1) You are cutting high impact acrylic. You can tell as the edge is sticky after a cut. 2) If your machine is out of focus you will burn way more kerf causing way more smell.

Cheers
Keith

[Glen Monaghan]

Any acrylic will smell when heated/cut, but a good filter should remove that odor from your exhaust. And neither cutting HI acrylic nor running out of focus should result in odor lingering inside the machine for hours...

[Michael Kowalczyk]

antlers. peee yeww!!!!! did some for knife handles