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The Laser Cutters are capable of cutting, etching, or marking a wide range of materials. However, it's important to note that some materials are not suitable (e.g., metals), while others pose significant risks to both humans and the machine itself (e.g., PVC and ABS). Therefore, it is crucial to consult the following lists before attempting to cut unfamiliar materials. Materials that release Chlorine or Hydrogen chloride gas should be avoided as they are harmful to both you and the machines. For detailed information about specific materials, refer to the Material Data Safety Sheets.
Determining which materials are suitable for cutting is not always obvious. For instance, Polycarbonate/Lexan produces flames and results in a severely burnt edge. On the other hand, Acrylic, which may look, smell, feel, and taste like Lexan [citation needed], can be cut smoothly and cleanly, making it one of the best materials to use with the laser! Hence, it is essential to thoroughly check and verify the materials you intend to cut.
Safe-ish (read carefully) Materials
The laser is capable of cutting and etching various materials. It can cut materials such as wood, paper, cork, and certain types of plastics. Etching can be performed on a wide range of materials including wood, cardboard, aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, marble, stone, tile, and glass.
Cutting
| Material | Max thickness | Notes | WARNINGS! |
|---|---|---|---|
| Many woods | 1/2" | Avoid oily/resinous woods | (F) Be very careful about cutting oily woods, or very resinous woods as they also may catch fire. |
| Plywood/Composite woods | 1/2" | (E) These contain glue, and may not laser cut as well as solid wood. | |
| MDF/Engineered woods | 1/2" | (E) These are okay to use but may experience a higher amount of charring when cut. | |
| Paper, card stock | thick | Cuts very well on the laser cutter, and also very quickly. | (F) Cut single layer at a time. Multiple layers catch fire easily. |
| Cardboard, carton | thicker | Cuts well but may catch fire. | (F) Watch for fire. |
| Cork | 1/4" | Cuts nicely, but the quality of the cut depends on the thickness and quality of the cork. Mostly, the cut depends on the glue used as a binder. | |
| Acrylic/Lucite/Plexiglas/PMMA | 1/2" | Cuts extremely well leaving a beautifully polished edge. | |
| Extruded Polystyrene | 2" | Blue or Pink rigid foam insulation. Expanded Polystyrene (usually white and made of small white balls) is not OK at this time. (foam coolers) | (F) Please watch it carefully when cutting. Uses fastest speed possible and lowest power needed to cut through. |
| Delrin (POM) | thin | Delrin comes in a number of shore strengths (hardness) and the harder Delrin tends to work better. Great for gears! | (T) Contains formaldehyde (a known carcinogen) in the smoke generated during cutting. Advisable to keep ventilation system running for a couple minutes after cutting to clear out all of the smoke. |
| High density (48 lb/ft3) urethane board. | HD version of tooling/model/precision board. https://www.inventables.com/technologies/precision-board-plus | ||
| Depron foam | 1/4" | a type of extruded polystyrene: http://depronfoam.com/ . Used a lot for hobby, RC aircraft, architectural models, and toys. 1/4" cuts nicely, with a smooth edge. | (F) Must be constantly monitored. |
| Foam Core | any | Cuts extremely well on the facings. The center can shrink and melt away if too much power or too low a speed is used. | (F) Watch it carefully. Paper coated foam core is best. Be careful that your facing material isn't waxy, plastic or something on the prohibited list. |
| Gator foam | Foam core gets burned and eaten away compared to the top and bottom hard paper shell. | (E) Not a fantastic thing to cut, but it can be cut if watched. | |
| PEVA or EVA Foam - (Poly) Ethylene Vinyl Acetate | 1" | Expanded foam rubber. Used for flip-flop soles, exercise foam floor mats, exercise equipment padding, foam sheets for crafts. | Smells bad - can result in charred brown edges. |
| Kapton tape (Polyimide) | 1/16" | Works well, in thin sheets and strips like tape. | |
| Mylar | 1/16" | Works well if it's thin. Thick mylar has a tendency to warp, bubble, and curl | (E) Gold coated mylar will not work. |
| Styrene, Solid | 1/16" | Smokes a lot when cut, but can be cut. | (T) Keep it thin. |
| Cloth/felt/hemp/cotton | They all cut well. Our "advanced" laser training class teaches lace-making. | Not plastic coated or impregnated cloth! | |
| Leather/Suede | 1/8" | Leather is very hard to cut, but can be if it's thinner than a belt (call it 1/8" or 4 oz). Our "Advanced" laser training class covers this. Smells like burning hair when cut, so let vent before opening after cut. | (T) Real, veg-tanned leather only! Not chrome-tanned real leather. Not 'pleather' or other imitations! |
| Magnetic Sheet | Cuts beautifully | ||
| NON-CHLORINE-containing rubber | Fine for cutting. | (T) Beware of chlorine-containing rubber! Use only rubber labeled "laserable" or "chlorine-free". | |
| Teflon (PTFE) | thin | Cuts OK in thin sheets | |
| Carbon fiber mats/weave that has not had epoxy applied |
Can be cut, very slowly. | (E) You must not cut carbon fiber that has been coated!! | |
| Coroplast ('corrugated plastic') | 1/4" | Difficult because of the vertical strips. Three passes at 80% power, 7mm speed, and it will be slightly connected still at the bottom from the vertical strips. | Test. This data many be referring to the old lasers. -gorman 2018.01.18 (Coroplast is typically Polypropylene) |
Etching
All the above "cuttable" materials can be etched, in some cases very deeply.
In addition, you can etch:
| Material | Notes | WARNINGS! |
|---|---|---|
| Glass | Green seems to work best...looks sandblasted. | Only FLAT GLASS can be engraved in our cutter. No round items. Cylindrical items require using the rotary attachment. |
| Ceramic tile | ||
| Anodized aluminum | Vaporizes the anodization away. | |
| Painted/coated metals | Vaporizes the paint away. Metals can be marked by pretreating with CerMark or equivalent. Our lasers will not cut or etch uncoated metals. | See below for powder-coated metal. |
| Powder-coated metals (DIY Powder Coat) | Vaporizes the powder coating. | Read the powder coat jar ingredients - MUST NOT CONTAIN PVC. Some brands like Harbor Freight are not laser safe because they are PVC-based. |
| Stone, Marble, Granite, Soapstone, Onyx. | Gets a white "textured" look when etched. | 100% power, 50% speed or less works well for etching. |
A note about Acrylic
Acrylic is available either cast or extruded. According to Acme Plastics, a large distributor:
Extruded acrylic is a more cost-effective option compared to cast acrylic and offers better dimensional stability. This means that the thickness of extruded acrylic sheets remains more consistent. In its extruded form, acrylic is softer and has a lower melting temperature, making it easier to laser cut, rout, and polish at a lower cost. Moreover, extruded acrylic is less prone to dirt, lint, or particulate contamination during the production process. Its lower melting point also makes it well-suited for cementing and thermoforming applications.
However, when it comes to rastering, it is recommended to use cast acrylic. Cast acrylic is highly favored for creating trophies and awards. Rastering produces a frosted image that has a visually appealing effect, especially when combined with LED edge lighting. On the other hand, rastering on extruded acrylic is not suitable as the image tends to melt back into the acrylic, resulting in undesirable outcomes.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE MATERIAL:
The DMS-published list of approved materials for lasering (above) supersedes any/all documentation found online, including these below. When in doubt, always refer to the Laser Committee Wiki list.
NEVER CUT THESE MATERIALS
When the DMS evaluates whether a material is suitable for use in our lasers, we typically look at four factors:
- (G) Is there a chance for gooey melting, or other factors which could damage the machine or the DMS? - (E) Is the laser effective in cutting the material? - (F) Is there a large risk of fire? - (T) Does it create poisonous, corrosive, or otherwise unsafe fumes/gasses?
WARNING: Because many plastics are dangerous to cut, it is important to know what kind you are planning to use. Make has a How-To for identifying unknown plastics with a simple process.
| Material | DANGER! | Cause/Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/vinyl/pleather/artificial leather | (T) Emits pure chlorine gas when cut! | Don't ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, cause the metal of the machine to corrode, and ruin the motion control system. |
| Polycarbonate/Lexan | (E)(F) Cut very poorly, discolor, catch fire | Polycarbonate is often found as flat, sheet material. The window of the laser cutter is made of Polycarbonate because polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation! This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a poor choice for laser cutting in general, and the edges also turn black. |
| ABS | (T)(G) Emits cyanide gas and tends to melt. Cyanide gas is deadly! | ABS does not cut well in a laser cutter. It tends to melt rather than vaporize, and has a higher chance of catching on fire and leaving behind melted gooey deposits on the vector cutting grid. It also does not engrave well (again, tends to melt). (3D printed objects are often ABS) |
| HDPE/LDPE/milk bottle plastic (high and low density polyethylene) Recycle codes 2 and 4. | (F)(G) Catches fire and melts | It melts. It gets gooey. Don't use it. |
| PolyPropylene Foam Recycle code 5. | (F) Catches fire | Like PolyStyrene, it melts, catches fire, and the melted drops continue to burn and turn into rock-hard drips and pebbles. A softer, more flexible foam that feels like a bubbly plastic. |
| Sheet Fiberglass | (E)(T) Emits fumes | It's a mix of two materials that cant' be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes) |
| Coated Carbon Fiber | (T) Emits noxious fumes | A mix of two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying - but not when coated. |
| Neoprene foam | (T) Emits Hydrogen Chloride | Wetsuit material, some foam floor mats. |
| Chrome-tan Leather | (T) Emits toxic chemicals | Freaky chemicals including chromium, are used for the tanning process and will be released/burnt when lasered. |
| Corian | (G) Creates shower of sparks | The aluminum mixed in with the otherwise-safe acrylic causes significant sparking that can damage machine. |
| Rubber stamp-making material not labeled "laserable" or "cholorine-free" | (T) Emits pure chlorine gas when cut! Beware of chlorine-containing rubber! | Don't ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, cause the metal of the machine to corrode, and ruin the motion control system. Use only rubber labeled "laserable" or "chlorine-free", which also has an entry under "Safe-ish (read carefully) Materials" list below. |