swsummers about edge lit signs

[swsummers]

I need someone to answer some questions about clear acrylic edge lit signs.

When I do center line carve it does not do a clean and neat carve! When I carve it lithopane style, even though I use a solid black background
for my import, the carving bit still drags across the piece in places which ruins an edge lit sign. HELP!!!!

[Digitalwoodshop]

A picture would be great to see exactly what you are talking about...

Centerline Text is designed with a feed rate for WOOD... Cutting Centerline Text in Plastic could give you serious problems as the feed rate is too high...

Another thought for text on a Litho is to type the text in a font called MODERN that is a Single Stroke Font and IF you selected OUTLINE Mode and depending on the size of your text.... Selected the Carving Bit for small text less than 1/2 inch high it might work....

I use the Modern Font for my Wood Signs and the text is 2.25 inches high and I use a 3/8 inch Plunge bit and it works great.... For 4 inch text you would need a 1/2 inch bit.. For 1 inch text a 1/4 inch bit.... And Like I said above, the Carving Bit for smaller text.... You would need to play with it to see what works... IF you use the 1/8 inch Cutting Bit and PLASTIC.... IT could SNAP the $40.00 bit in PLASTIC... That is why I say try it with the 1/16th carving bit...


Good Luck,


AL

[gwhiz]

If the carving bit is touching in areas where you don't expect it to carve, you can raise up by using masking tape or taping a playing card or two on top of the acrylic where the CW measures the thickness. I've had the machine carve off a layer of paint if the stock wasn't completely flat--it doesn't raise the bit up any more than it thinks that it needs to when travel to a new section of the carve.