Approved Laser Cutter Materials

Revision as of 14:09, 21 December 2023 by A.Dunbar (talk | contribs) (→‎Wood: Add Polybak laserboard)

Plastics

Acrylic

Hobarts

Acrylic is generally considered safe for laser cutting. Cast acrylic is generally a nicer material to work with compared to extruded, but it has poorer dimensional/thickness tolerance.

Wherever possible we purchase recycled acrylic. Please place any unusable offcuts into the acrylic recycling bin.

Engraving Laminate

Hobarts

This material is made from two layers - one thin coloured layer bonded to a thicker layer of a different colour. By carefully engraving away the top surface you can make very hard wearing signs and labels.

PETG, Polycarbonate

PETG and thin polycarbonate (<1mm) is generally safe to cut with a laser cutter, but aren't great to work with. Polycarbonate in particular discolours around the edges and cut edges can melt back together again.

We don't typically keep PETG and Polycarbonate in stock.

Wood

Laser-safe MDF

Hobarts

Normal MDF may contain glues which release harmful combustion byproducts. All the MDF the Maker Space purchases is "laser grade" and made with glues compatible with laser cutting.

Laser-safe Plywood

Hobarts

Normal plywood may contain glues which release harmful combustion byproducts. All the plywood the Maker Space purchases is "laser grade" and made with glues compatible with laser cutting.

PolyBAK LaserBoard

Hobarts

We usually keep 0.6mm thick brown LaserBoard in stock although we will be getting black, ivory, and grey colours soon. LaserBoard is a paper based manufactured thin board product that laser cuts exceptionally well. The edges are clean and usually without soot marks and the material itself is resilient and nice to work with. It will bend around large radius corners easily. Excellent for making architectural models.