LASER Cutter Materials

NEVER CUT THESE MATERIALS

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WARNING: Because many plastics are dangerous to cut, it is important to know what kind you are planning to use.

• Detailed information to test unknown material testing
  • Identifying Unknown Plastics
  • Watch this video Polymer Identification by Burnination
    • Beilstein test
  • You should read this (pdf) chemistry lab written by [David A. Katz] to learn how to identify what type of plastic it is
  • Density Column Using Recyclable Plastics

Name	Engrave	Cut	Max thickness	Notes	WARNING
Ceramic	x
Ceramic	x
Ceramic	x

Approved Materials

Organics and Plastics If your material is not on the list, check with Mike

Name	Engrave	Cut	Max thickness	Notes	WARNING
Acrylic (aka Lucite, Plexiglas, PMMA)	x	x	1/2"	Cuts well, leaves a smooth polished edge. Higher powers can leave smoke/scorch marks along edges. Some people remove paper/plastic protection sheets before cutting.
Cardboard, cartons	x	x	thicker	Cuts well, can catch fire	FIRE hazard!
Ceramic	x
Cloth (cotton, felt, hemp)	x	x		Cuts easily	NO plastic coated or impregnated cloth!
Corian	x	x
Cork	x	x	1/4"	Cuts nicely, the quality of the cut depends on the thickness and quality of the cork. Engineered cork has a lot of glue in it, may not cut nicely.
Delrin	x	x	thin	Comes in a number of shore strengths (hardness), the harder tends to work better. Great for gears!
Fiberglass	x	x
Glass	x			Has a sandblasted look, green glass works best
Leather, suede	x	x	1/8"	Leather is very hard to cut, can be if thinner than a belt thickness
MDF, engineered woods	x	x	1/4"	May experience a higher amount of charring when cut
Magnetic sheet	x	x		Cuts easily
Marble	x
Matte Board	x	x
Melamine	x	x
Mylar	x	x	1/16"	Works well if it's thin. Thick mylar has a tendency to warp, bubble, and curl	Gold coated mylar will not work
Paper, card stock	x	x	thin
Plywood, composite woods	x	x	1/4"	Contain glue, and may not cut as well as solid wood
Pressboard	x	x
NON-CHLORINE Rubber	x	x			Beware chlorine-containing rubber! If you're not sure, assume you've got chlorinated rubber, and don't cut it.
Tile	x
Wood	x	x	1/4"	Avoid oily/resinous woods	FIRE - Cutting oily woods, or very resinous woods can catch fire.
Wood Veneer	x	x	1/4"	Contain glue, and may not cut as well as solid wood

Metals

Name	Engrave	Cut	Notes
Anodized Aluminum	x		Vaporizes the anodized layer away
Bare Metals	x
Brass	x
Coated Metals	x
Painted Metals	x		Vaporizes the paint away
Stainless Steel	x
Titanium	x

• CO2 lasers will engrave metals when coated with an added metal marking solution.

Suppliers

Under construction