Carving in high density polyethylene

[Doogie]

I have recently for the first time tried carving a Litho in plastic. It was high density polyethylene the she was 15" X 10" X 1/2" thick. My carving only went down maybe 1/4" deep at the max. The machien seemed to carve it with no problems, except when it was all said and done, the piece of plastic was warped. Can someone tell me if the plastic I used was a bad choice, machine pressure to high, or the plastic to thick? Thanks in advance for any info!!!

[Sallen1215]

The cut in the litho was probably too deep, Most lithopanes are done with 1/4 in stock on a sled and the carve is 80% of the total depth, also if you don't use a "cast" acrylic that is designed to withstand the high heat and speed of the spindle. The soft plastics that are made by "extruding" the melted plastic in a form much like play dough are far too soft and wont carve well. Also beware of plastic spirals clogging up the gears and belts. Sorry your having bad luck but we all have to learn somewhere. I just finished my first lithos on cast lexan opaque acrylic and im really enjoying it. Please don't give up you just need to use stronger material designed for the machine speed and heat buildup.

Stephen