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- Laser Cutter Overview
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Approved Materials List
| Material | Bed | Cut | Engrave | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plywood | Honeycomb | X | X | Laser ply is required. Normal plywood is not laser compatible. |
| MDF & LaserMDF | Knife | X | X | Dirty. Cleanup required. Do not use honeycomb bed. |
| Wood Veneers | Honeycomb | X | X | |
| Cork | Honeycomb | X | X | |
| Paper | Honeycomb | X | X | |
| Acrylic | Honeycomb | X | X | |
| Styrene (sheet) | Honeycomb | X | Emits heavy smoke. | |
| Brass, Bronze, Copper | Honeycomb | X | Lead-free alloys are preferred. Can be engraved with Cermark. | |
| Steel | Honeycomb | X | Best marked with products like Ceramark. | |
| Aluminum | Honeycomb | X | Anodized or powder coated items only. Does not engrave the metal directly, but vaporizes the coating. | |
| Slate | Honeycomb | X | ||
| Silicone (thin sheets) | Honeycomb | X | Anything else chars and doesn't cut. | |
| White Delrin/Acetal | Honeycomb | X | Fire hazard. | |
| Polypropylene | Honeycomb | X | It will cut up to about 2mm. Fire risk. | |
| GPPS/Polystyrene/HIPS (thin sheets) | Honeycomb | X | Foam variants are highly flammable and prohibited, dense sheets only. | |
| Cloth/Felt/Cotton/Silk/Hemp | Honeycomb | X | X | |
| Non-chlorinated rubber | Honeycomb | X | ||
| Leather | Honeycomb | X | X | |
| Depron foam | Honeycomb | X | The only approved foam for laser cutting. | |
| Magnetic Sheet | Honeycomb | X | Must not have a vinyl coating | |
| Glass/Ceramic | Honeycomb | X | ||
| Whiteboard/Blackboard Masonite | Honeycomb | X | ||
| Mylar | Honeycomb | X | Good for making reusable stencils |
Prohibited Materials List
| Material | Notes |
|---|---|
| PVC | PVC releases chlorine gas when melted. Combined with moisture in the air it will create hydrochloric acid which will damage the laser the ventilation system, and is hazardous if inhaled. |
| Plywood | Normal plywood glue is incompatible with laser cutting and can release formaldehyde. "Big box store" plywood used for construction frequently has gaps or holes in intermediate layers that can cause problems during cutting. |
| Polyethylene (StarBoard), High Density Polyethelene (HDPE - i.e. milk cartons) | Melts instead of cuts, releases toxic fumes and is flammable. |
| ABS | Releases cyanide gas when vaporized. |
| Black Delrin/Acetal | Contains black carbon which can be toxic. |
| Teflon | Toxic vapors at high temperatures. |
| Nylon | Melts instead of cuts |
| Polycarbonate (Lexan) | Absorbs IR light, reducing laser efficiency. Yellows when cut. |
| Fibre glass | Unknown resin, glass particles. |
| Carbon Fiber | |
| Magnesium | Magnesium fires are especially difficult to extinguish. Because of this hazard, magnesium cutting/etching is not permitted. |
| Asbestos laden materials | Any process that releases asbestos is forbidden by Federal and state law. |
Material Sources
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