We have been wanting to try out some new materials with the upgrade kit in the lab lately to test how thick of materials can the 1.7W laser cut. So we went to our local hobby shop and stocked up on material.
The first test we did was trying it on balsa wood. Now this seems like an easy test, so we will be putting more materials on the work surface soon, but we were impressed by the results. We found that we can cut all the way up to 1/8″ balsa wood without any problems, and with very good cut lines and speed.
- 1/32″ Balsa: Cuts very good at 250-300mm/m with one pass. Cuts even better with two passes.
- 1/16″ Balsa: Cuts very good at ~200mm/m with two passes.
- 1/8″ Balsa: Cuts very good at ~150mm/m with three passes.
We are going to mess around with this some more and come up with a conclusive cut speed and power for best results, but we were excited to see up to 1/8″ cut very good with a decent speed. So for all of the hobbyists who want to cut their own material for custom RC planes and other kits, sky is the limit. Next up is Basswood and Birch Plywood!
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