LASER Cutter Materials

NEVER CUT THESE MATERIALS

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

• ...put image here of yellow material...
• 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
  • ...and read this on Density Column Using Recyclable Plastics

Name	DANGER	WARNING
ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)	Emits cyanide gas and tends to melt	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).
Chlorinated plastics (PVC/Poly Vinyl Chloride, vinyl/pleather/artificial leather)	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. Bubbles yellow, smokes alot, STINKS!!!!!
Coated Carbon Fiber	Emits noxious fumes	A mix of two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying - but not when coated
Fiberglass	Emits fumes	It's a mix of two materials that cant' be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes)
Galvanized metal	Emits dangerous fumes	Zinc fumes are poisonous. Galvanized metal should never be super heated (so don't weld on it either).
Milk bottles/HDPE	Catches fire and melts	It melts, gets gooey. DON'T. Someone has to clean the hex worktable.
Mirrored surfaces	Will not cut, reflects laser beam	Mirror surfaces can reflect the laser beam, damaging the cutter's interior components. Some mirrored materials can be placed reflective-side down and cut.
Polycarbonate/Lexan	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.
PolyPropylene Foam	Catches fire	Like PolyStyrene, it melts, catches fire, and the melted drops continue to burn and turn into rock-hard drips and pebbles.
PolyStyrene Foam	Catches fire	Like PolyPropylene. It catches fire, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!
Pressure treated wood	Emits dangerous fumes	Should never be burned -- not in your fireplace, and definitely not in our LASER

Approved Materials

Organics and Plastics

NOTE: 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				Mirror surfaces can reflect the laser beam
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.
Coroplast (corrugated plastic)	x	x	1/4"	Difficult to cut through cleanly, due to the ribs. Multiple passes are usually needed.
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	Mirror surfaces can reflect the laser beam
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				Mirror surfaces can reflect the laser beam
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		DO NOT CUT unless the rubber compound has been tested	Beware chlorine-containing rubber! If you're not sure, assume you've got chlorinated rubber, and don't cut it.
Tile	x				Mirror surfaces can reflect the laser beam
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