Here's an innovative use of a CNC laser cutter: Spanish supercreative Ishac Bertran precision sliced segments out of vinyl records, essentially cut-and-pasting music samples for analog playback. He's posted the entire procedure on his blog, along with notes on how he first experimented with a hot wire cutter and even a utility knife before settling on the laser:
I made many tests to find the right laser power in order to get the cleanest cut possible. The best setting was to let the laser go through *almost* through the vinyl, and then crack manually the last thin layer. If the laser goes all the way through, it melts too much material and leaves a gap. If the laser doesn't go enough deep, it's pretty much impossible to take the piece out without creating an undesired crack.Even if the laser is well calibrated, it always cuts creating a cone-shape cut. Using the first option the crack doesn't take out any material or creates burrs on the bottom surface, so that surface is the one I used for playing the record afterwards. The top one always have a gap where the stylus would go in.
Check out the results:
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