Laser Cutting Acrylic
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 (your kid might not be going to college)
Cutting/Engraving
| SUBSTRATE | 250 DPI RASTER ENGRAVING SPEED / POWER |
400 DPI RASTER ENGRAVING SPEED / POWER |
500 DPI RASTER ENGRAVING SPEED / POWER |
VECTOR CUTTING SPEED / POWER / FREQUENCY |
| Acrylic | 100 / 100 | 100 / 80 | 100 / 60 | ⅛ (3 mm) – 15 / 100 / 5000 |
| ¼ (6.4 mm) – 5 / 100 / 5000 | ||||
| (multiple passes may allow cutting of thicker materials) | ||||
Tips
- When engraving, use cast acrylic as it will produce better results.
- 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.
Related Pages
Links to related PPM Wiki pages:
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