I hope this is the right place to ask for some advice regarding the Snapmaker 2.0 and cutting perspex acrylic. I am only starting to experiment with my Snapmaker after getting it recently and am struggling to cut acrylic. On the list of material settings it states the machine should have no problem cutting 2mm acrylic. Although thicker, I have been trying to work with 3mm but I cannot seem to cut all the way through or get a good finish on the sides. Is this possible with different settings? It cuts through enough to snap out the piece after but the finish is very rough. If anyone has had any successes with acrylic it’d be great if you could help me out!
You’re using an acrylic bit right? A general purpose cutter for hard material will melt its way through instead of cutting and will not properly clear chips. Maybe something like this, although others like sdj or eh9 will likely have more specific recommendations: https://www.amazon.com/Carbide-AFUNTA-Milling-Acrylic-Hardwood/dp/B07FGFHTG8/
Sorry I didn’t make it clear I am using the laser module for this. Should I just move away from the laser and use CNC instead? Its for making small bits, keyrings etc. The laser is obviously very good at precise engraving, can I get the same results and be able to cut using the CNC?
These machines have a low-power laser, and laser energy doesn’t transfer well to clear acrylic; it’s never going work really well. If you’re OK with colored acrylics, they’ll cut better with a low power laser. Not all colors will work equally well, though. You want to ensure that whatever pigment or dye is opaque to the frequency (color) of the laser. To be most conservative for an initial test, use black, and best if it’s a carbon pigment black rather than a dye that looks black to the eye but might not be optically black. If you really want to test, use the CNC to mill out a pocket-window with thickness a fraction of a millimeter; the true color will show up.