What is your favourite way to hold down thin material when laser cutting?

[Robert Tepper]

You can purchase vector material from PLASCORE. Look them up on Google.

Robert

[John Blazy]

Hi Gene and Mohammed,

here is the original thread about my HDF grid - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...arped-material

It is still used everyday, but the only thing I don't like about the grid is that it soots up the underside of everything I cut, which happened anyway with my steel honeycomb from the material being cut. Otherwise, still no marks in acrylic edges, and the steel holds my magnets great, even through 1/4" material.


The "C" clips were bent from hanger wire with needlenose pliers - real easy, and they hold down ANYTHING (only from the edges).


The HDF is commonly known a tempered hardboard, or Masonite. Easily purchased at any big box store - 1/4" or 1/8".

[Hilton Lister]

we just lay engineer's files along the edges of the material. Our vector tables are aluminum too.

[David Somers]

Aras,

One mildly related thought for you. At least on my Chinese laser I found that nothing is lined up to the plane of the laser head, or to the X and Y axis. My table was not quite level to the plan of the laser head. The Honeycomb frame was definately not square or lined up to anything. Etc. I took time to square everything up to the laser plane and the XY axis and once that was done, my work hold options increased as did my apply to place objects on the table accurately again and again, even when I had removed the honeycomb for cleaning or to make use of the knife edge table.

This kind of repeatabilty and alignment doesnt seem to be a concern in China at all. If they need to work an 8x10 object they will throw in a significantly larger piece of material and cut from that rather than having things line up to start with so they can start with an 8x10. As a woodworker that drives me bonkers. I like repeatability and solid alignment on everything. And I am not even a production shop person. Just serious hobbiest at this point.

Just a thought for you as you ponder work hold options.

[Gene Uselman]

John- it appears your grid is about 1.25"- scaling from the 3/8" square stock? Thanks Gene