Laser Processing TroGlass Mirror
TroGlass Mirror is comprised of extruded acrylic glass that has a reflective surface. Although this material is glass-like, TroGlass Mirror acrylic sheets have a higher resistance to breakage and are lightweight in comparison. Designed for cutting, engraving and reverse-engraving, this material is ideal for applications such as displays, wall decorations, signs, plaques, jewelry, and so much more.
Because TroGlass Mirror is an acrylic based product, the cutting parameters for TroGlass can be used as starting values when determining laser settings.
Processing TroGlass Mirror sheets with a fiber laser source is very simple. After engraving the acrylic sheets with a CO2 laser source, cut through the material using a flexx lens.
To determine engraving parameters, use the grayscale matrix function. The mirrored portion can be easily removed by engraving on the back of the acrylic sheets. Depending on the lens and intricacies of the graphic, a Z offset of +3mm is used.
When processing the TroGlass Mirror material with a CO2 laser source, a resolution of 500 dpi is recommended. Depending on design preference, engraving can be done on either the front or back of this material. When engraving on the back of the acrylic, be sure the graphics are mirrored in your design software. If engraving on the front of the acrylic sheet, it is recommended that a Z offset is not used. Because engraving in focus results in the greatest contrast, Air Assist can be used to achieve richer results.
An advantage to engraving on the backside of TroGlass Mirror sheets is that the protective foil remains on the material until processing is completed. This allows the material to stay protected from any damage during production.
*Rapid cooling makes the material appear matt and whiter.*
Processing TroGlass Mirror sheets with a fiber laser source leads to very detailed and highly-contrasted engraving results. To accomplish this, set the frequency between 20,000 Hz and 30,000 Hz. Insert the material into the laser with the backside up. A Z offset of 1-2mm is recommended when working with this material.
When cutting TroGlass Mirror sheets, a frequency between 5,000 and 20,000 Hz is recommended. To ensure a high quality cut is achieved, an optimally designed exhaust system is required. Using an exhaust system will also result in less post-processing clean-up because it will remove residue while cutting or engraving.
For optimum cutting results insert two cutting lines. The first cut line should be set to a lower power and approximately +2mm Z offset. This cut line will remove the mirror layer from the material. Draw the second cut line next to the first one using the contour tool in CorelDraw. Select higher power settings for this line to cut completely through the material. This two-step cutting process prevents the TroGlass Mirror material from overheating and damaging the coating.