[echojdlaser]

Hello everyone,

We have tested leather laser engraving cutting, for processing area are black.

Who have any idea on dealing with black part?

Echo

[Litografa]

As I understand right you want DO NOT HAVE BURNED EDGES during cuttng?

[echojdlaser]

Dear friend,

How to avoid buring the edge? How to deal with?

It is the point.

Echo

As I understand right you want DO NOT HAVE BURNED EDGES during cuttng?

[bpoulin]

I'm not sure you can cut leather without burning it, that is how the laser removes material, possibly multiple low power passes???

[Litografa]

We did a lot of test with main question HOW WE CAN AVOID BURNED EDGES AT ALL or at least lower level of burning. Best results were achived with argon instead pressed air in air assist. But it was most expensive solution. Second place belong to nytrogen, and third to CO2 (cheapest one). So replace air in air assist with some gas which do not support burning.

[echojdlaser]

Dear litografa,

How to change the air as CO2, Nitrogen, argon?

Thanks

We did a lot of test with main question HOW WE CAN AVOID BURNED EDGES AT ALL or at least lower level of burning. Best results were achived with argon instead pressed air in air assist. But it was most expensive solution. Second place belong to nytrogen, and third to CO2 (cheapest one). So replace air in air assist with some gas which do not support burning.

[bpoulin]

My guess would be a welding supply store. You can get Argon and possibly nitrogen there. And usually they are a gas supplyer so CO2 would probably be something they carry. If not find a vendor for soda on tap, like resturants use. Those systems use very big tanks of CO2. Then it's just a matter of getting a regulator, and hooking it up where you air goes into the machine. Replace compressed air with the gas of your choice.

And on a more dangerous note I just read about a guy who uses compressed oxygen with a 250w laser to cut metal, the oxygen and laser vaporize the metal. Very intersting build. DIY CNC CO2 Laser Site

[Litografa]

Fully agree with previous post, will try to find pictures from customer's laser who have replaced air with nitrogen - will post here.

[brasil]

I have already seen (years ago) in shoe factories the use of simple spounge and water to make the leather "humid" (?) before engraving/cutting.

After the laser engraving/cutting use the spounge again to clear the dirty that the smoke generated.

The cutting borders will still be burned, but with a more clean detail.

[echojdlaser]

Hello everyone,

Many thanks for your replying.

There are so many interesting ways to deal with burned part on leather. We'll try them.

Thanks for your share with your rich experience.

Miss Echo

[echojdlaser]

Hello all friends,

What do you do?

You are all familiar with laser machine and learther processing state. We wander you are also manufacture, seller for laser machine? or you are using these machine?

Awaitting for your discussing.

Miss Echo

[gsm]

Hello,

I read that text weeks ago. I was trying cut leather by co2 laser, with CO2 and nitrogen blowing (I replaced the pressed air).

My results are not successful. There is soot on the edges and surfaces. It is not acceptable for me - every cut shape is dirt. I'm thinkig about argon, because welders use it in processing. Disadvatange of the argon is that it is expensive and can be dangerous (processing in closed place).

Besides,

I'm not sure you can cut leather without burning it, that is how the laser removes material, possibly multiple low power passes???

I wonder isn't it true. Nitrogen blowed on material does not protect before burning on black dirt(soot) material.

Maybe it always will be dirty after laser cutting and it is recomended to clean leather after processing? But how to clean it properly?

What do You think?

[bpoulin]

You're going to end up with some charring no matter what, the process of cutting with the laser is vaporizing the material. Which will cause heat in the material near the vaporized material. This will turn the leather black. Even if you polish the edges you'll still have at minimum a dark brown edge. If you want a perfect clean edge, then you need to die cut the leather. That's the only way to get a clean edge, is to cut it.

Factory Made: Cutting Leather for Boots : Video : Discovery Channel
:cheers:

[Rodney Gold]

Agreed , no amount of inert gas will stop charring , you cannot stop what is called a HAZ (Heat affected zone) from developing with an inert gas . The laser vaporises the material it processes and the lowish powers of the lasers we are talking about here are not enough to allow instant vaporisation to take place , The way to minimise "burnt" edges is to increase power so a blast of enery is so powerful and quick that it has no time to transfer any heat into material adjacent to the cut. Think of burning a hole in paper with either a small butane gas torch or a lighter , both will burn the hole but the torches hole will be neat , the lighters will have bad edges,
If you want to stop surface staining and damage with leather , apply a low tack self adhesive paper before engraving and cut and engrave thru it (sign shops wiull stock what is called low tack application tape (paper based))

[gsm]

Thanks for reply,

I know that cutting with using press will be the best solution for leather. The problem is what to do, if there are many kind shapes to cut and there are many little details on one form(like 1mm circles).

I understand that the laser processing makes that material vaporizes in the hole where the beam hits. I was thinking about solution how to get clean surfaces on leather - egdes can be dark or brown, but it can not hmm soil human's body when for example somebody wear it (when we sweat).

I was trying to cut with putting wet paper on the both surfaces - I thought that it can help to decrease dirt on material. It did not help.

What is a "low tack self adhesive paper"? How it can help protect the surface staining?

[bpoulin]

Something like this would probably help you out. New Bench Buffer Polisher Grinder Buffing Polishing Machine

Use it to buff the cut edges, and if you need something for smaller detail, look into a dremel with a polishing wheel on it. This will remove the charred part and buff it back down to leather. You should end up with a nice darkened edge but nothing that will rub off after you polish it.

[gsm]

Something like this would probably help you out. New Bench Buffer Polisher Grinder Buffing Polishing Machine

Use it to buff the cut edges, and if you need something for smaller detail, look into a dremel with a polishing wheel on it. This will remove the charred part and buff it back down to leather. You should end up with a nice darkened edge but nothing that will rub off after you polish it.

Maybe You are right - now I should think about how to clean leather after cutting, not how to protest charring, because it is impossible.

Polishing, I will check the results. All I think more about is how low tack self adhesive paper could helps?

[bpoulin]

The paper tape will help the overall finish of the leather. Because when you cut, you are creating ash particles, and the air assist on the laser is blowing that ash out of the kerf. That ash settles a lot on the top edge of the kerf, but it also becomes a fine dust that will settle all over your work piece. The tape will let that dust settle on the tape instead of the leather, then you peel back the tape and you'll have a much cleaner surface.

NOW here's the catch to that. If you do a lot of fine cuts that are too close together. The glue from the tape will pretty much melt together and make a nasty mess to clean off the leather. If you aren't making cuts that are less than about .5mm apart you shouldn't have a problem.

[gsm]

I will check it. Experience is priceless Thanks a lot. I'll write someting after testing.

[gsm]

Hi,

I see that cutting leather with laser causes burned edges and I see no possibility to protect leather before charring.

Cleaning the leather surfaces after cutting is the only way to get "good" and clean surface. But, cleaning - I mean polishing - needs a long time to completely remove soot from leather surfaces.

Well, I'm afraid that laser is not a good idea to cut leather (especially small objects). I heard that the effect depends on type of leather but we can not cheat physics.

Thanks for help.