Laser Cutting Plastic

Custom Jewelry made at home help...?

Plastic Laser cutting for jewelry?
Well I know laser cutters take lots of power to operate but is there one that cuts plastic?
I would love to make jewelry because I have many designs I would like to get laser cut.
It would cost too much to mail all them to Lovebites and Bruises. It wouldn't take as long either if I made them at home.

In order to cut plastic you need a good laser (high power as anything low-powered will just melt the plastic instead of cutting it).

The cheapest and smallest at-home small-scale use lasers are Epilog: http://www.epiloglaser.com/ - they sell lasers that only cut plastic and wood too for between $10, 000 and $50, 000.

I considered buying my own laser last year too! - because LoveBites and Bruises were on haitus and weren't taking orders (and I really needed to get my jewelry made), but unless you're running a popular laser-cutting business like theirs, then it may not be worth spending 10k on a laser!

Also my apartment doesn't have enough room to have large industrial equipment lying around. The lasers need loads of extras like fans + water coolers that need to be connected to air con and running water pipes. We use them on my course sometimes and they make a lot of mess, smell and noise and you really need to know what you're doing because one wrong move and you burn the laser out. Also the laser head has a life-span of something like 5000 hours (like a plasma TV), so needs replacing a lot.

It's a lot of work - but if you're planning on making a career out of selling jewelry then it may be better than relying on a third party to cut your jewelry for you.

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Cutting Board with Handle, 11.5 Plastic(Pack of 48) $3.99 cutting board with 3 piece small medium and large.

Professional Wire Cutter Pliers Plastic Cutting Nippers $9.49 Description: The Plastic Cutting Nippers feature forged steel construction for durability. A rust-resistant finish protects the Plastic Nippers Pliers from the elements and keeps them looking fresh after a hard day's work. The jaws are machined to give you a slip-resistant grip, and the tool with soft plastic wrapped hand grips which give you extra comfort. Spring action mechanism makes the Plastic Cutting Pliers easier to control. It is ideal for garage workshop, toolbox, metal workers, electrician, network engineers, etc. Dimension: ~5.3"(L) x 2"(W) x 0.4"(H) Weight: 101g Package Included: 1 x Plastic Cutter Nippers

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Acrylic Paddle Cutting Board - by Acrylic Plastic Products $18.98 This acrylic cutting board is compact in size, so it's great for tackling small tasks in the kitchen, or for toting along in a picnic basket!  The small cutting board has a paddle style handle with hole cutout so you can hang it on the wall.  The kitchen cutting board is also easy to clean, with a non-porous surface, and sits flush on the countertop while choping and dicing. Note: These cutting boards are NOT heat resistant. We do not advise placing hot pots, or pans, on the surface. Type: Specialty Cutting Tools Color: Clear

FACT Turbo Accelerator for Epilog Mini 18/24 & Helix 24 Laser - Cutting 1/4 inch Plywood

Acrylic Question: What are the ingredient to make Acrylic Clear Plastic and the best place to buy them?

Im looking for Acrylic ingredient and the place to buy them. Since I do not have laser to cut them perhaps I can just pore acrylic liquid to my mold. Custom Acrylic cutter are too damn expensive for me and some do not reply to my Acrylic request and Im tired of it.

Cutting through sheets of acrylic "plexiglass" is pretty hard to do except for straight lines.

You can use other things to simulate sheets (or shapes) of clear acrylic though... for example, epoxy resin, polyester resin, acrylic/polyurethane resin (usually a bit too dangerous for most hobbyists though), clear acrylic sealers like polyurethanes/acrylic mediums/floor polishes like Future/Mop'NGlo, clear embossing powders, clear fingernail polishes, etc.
Some of those will be less scratchable than others though, or not be UV protected so they'll eventually yellow with too much direct exposure to sunlight/etc, or won't harden quite as smooth as others, etc.

If you want to "cast" one of those materials in a removable mold, there are things you'll need to know about what kinds of molds will work, if releases are necessary and which kinds if so, which resins or other materials will work best, etc.

Generally, crafters and artists use *polyester resins* when casting in removable molds because they can be poured deeper than 1/2". However, the surface of a polyester resin that cures *next to the air* may not be perfect, so the "front" of the cast item will be the area which contacted the mold while curing.

Epoxy resins will also produce a clear object (in a removable mold or in a permanent "cell" of some kind) or a clear thick coating, but it's not usually used to make things that will be deeper than 1/2".
On the other hand, epoxy resins are better for lungs than polyesters, and they don't have the problem of the surface next to the air curing imperfectly.

Once those resins cure though, the can be carved and cut but with difficulty (then need to be buffed).

For much more info about using resins, and the differences between them, check out the 3 LINKS in this recent answer I wrote about resins:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnwqxvJQ6_3H.LP00CwPM57sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090102021349AArHDfL&show=7#profile-info-Rh8WwfbIaa

HTH,

Diane B.