Laser Cutting Acrylic
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Overview
Acrylic is a type of plastic that can be easily cut and formed to be used in many applications.
Safety
ALWAYS keep a close eye on the machine when cutting acrylic due to its flammability.
Two Main Types of Acrylic Sheet
Extruded Acrylic
Created by extruding molten acrylic pellets through a machine.
- Pros of Extruded Acrylic
- Cheaper than cast acrylic
- Better tolerances
- Easier to bend and form
- Easier to flame polish edge
- Cons of Extruded Acrylic
- Easy to crack
- Engraving produces grey frost
- Lower optical clarity when compared to cast (still very high)
- Less scratch resistant
Cast Acrylic
Created by pouring molten acrylic pellets into a mold.
- Pros of Cast Acrylic
- Produces better results when engraving (white frost)
- Comes in many colors
- Machines better than extruded acrylic
- Higher optical clarity
- More scratch resistant
- Cons of Cast Acrylic
- Expensive
Engraving / Cutting
| Raster Engraving | Vector Cutting | |||
| Substrate | 250 DPI Speed / Power |
400 DPI Speed / Power |
500 DPI Speed / Power |
Speed / Power / Frequency |
| ⅛ (3 mm)
Acrylic |
100 / 100 | 100 / 80 | 100 / 60 | 15 / 100 / 5000 |
| ¼ (6.4 mm)
Acrylic |
100 / 100 | 100 / 80 | 100 / 60 | 5 / 100 / 5000 |
Tips
- Multiple passes may allow cutting of thicker materials.
- When vector cutting, use masking tape on the backside of the piece to protect against flair up scorch marks as the laser hits the cutting grid.
Additional Help
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