4. Laser Cutting Materials

4.1 Laserable Materials

Laser Machines didn’t support all materials , so we need to understand different materials they are laser supported or not , also it will vary with machines types(Co2,Fiber Marking,Fiber Cutting) and Power .

So, before using any material need to check it .i gave a table which shows most common materials and their speciality

Laser Engraving and  Laser Cutting Materials List

SI No	Material	Cut	Engrave
1	Acrylic	✔	✔
2	Wood	✔	✔
3	Leather	✔	✔
4	Fabric	✔	✔
5	Paper	✔	✔
6	Cardboard	✔	✔
7	Cork	✔	✔
8	Fiberglass	✔	✔
9	Rubber	✔	✔
10	Derlin	✔	✔
11	Plastic	✔	✔
12	Foam	✔	✔
13	Acrylic Laminates	✔	✔

14	Plastic Foils and Films	✔	✔
15	Granite,Marble,Stone		✔
16	Glass		✔
17	Ceramic		✔
18	Coated Metals		✔

Popular Laser Cutting Materials

a. Plywood 0.5mm – 12mm

It is the most common material used for creating Gifts,Prototypes,Photo Engraving ,Interior designing etc .

No need to paint this type of plywoods , it is also smooth and elegant

Source:withatruck.com

Available Sizes : 600mmX300mm , 600mmX600mm ,600mmx900mm ,2400mm x 1200mm

Thickness :0.5mm,0.8mm,1.5mm,3mm,6mm,9mm,12mm

b. MDF 2mm – 12mm

MDF sheets mostly used for products with different colors , we can paint MDF sheet it will get nice finishing .

Available Sizes : 600mmX300mm , 600mmX600mm ,600mmx900mm ,2400mm x 1200mm

Thickness :2mm,,3mm,6mm,9mm,12mm

Source :hobarts.com

c. Acrylic Sheets 1.5mm – 20mm

Acrylic sheets are long lasting and water resistant also it suitable for outdoor applications

Types : Clear Acrylic ,Colored Acrylic ,Mirror Acrylic, Fluorescent Acrylic

Available Sizes : 600mmX300mm , 600mmX600mm ,600mmx900mm etc

d. Cardboard

We can use cardboards for lightweight or temporary applications ,it is not rigid and long lasting but it is cheap compared to wood and acrylic .

e. Craft Paper

It is suitable for invitation cards,visiting cards etc , we can engrave on it with a very small power

f. Naturel Leather

Leather is suitable for creating wristbands ,bracelets etc , also we can make custom wallets and organizers using leather .

Never use artificial leather with laser cutters it emits toxic gases .

g) Foam
Polyethylene Foam (PE Foam ) or Zote foam are used for cushions for packing boxes and other applications ,it is available in different sizes and thicknesses

h) Silicone Rubber

you can easily cut silicone rubbers in a laser machine for getting custom parts made up of rubber ,it is also easily available in market .

i) Anodized Aluminium

Anodizing is the electrochemical process of converting metal surface to a durable,corrosion resistant surface . You can easily engrave on anodized aluminium sheets .

j) Glass

we can engrave on glass sheets as well as glass mugs ,but need rotary axis for engraving on cylindrical objects , i will explain more about rotary axis on next chapter

4.2 Never Cut these Materials

SI NO	Material	Reason
1	PVC	Emits Toxic Gas
2	Nylon	Emits Toxic Gas
3	Artificial Leather	Emits Toxic Gas
4	Polypropylene Foam	Catches Fire
5	Polystyrene Foam	Catches Fire
6	Fiberglass	Fumes
7	HDPE	Catches Fire
8	Epoxy	Smoke