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- Laser Cutter Overview
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Approved Materials List
| Material | Bed | Cut | Engrave | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| Aluminum | Honeycomb | X | Anodized or Powder Coated only | ||
| 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 | |||
| Non-chlorinated rubber | Honeycomb | X | |||
| Leather | Honeycomb | X | X | ||
| Depron foam | Honeycomb | X | The only approved foam for laser cutting. | ||
| Magnetic Sheet | Honeycomb | X | |||
| Glass/Ceramic | Honeycomb | X | |||
| Whiteboard/Blackboard Masonite | Honeycomb | X |
Prohibited Materials List
| Material | Notes |
|---|---|
| PVC | PVC releases chlorine which combines with moisture in the air to create hydrochloric acid. The acid damages the laser and the ventilation system, and is hazardous if inhaled. |
| Plywood | Normal plywood glue is incompatible with laser cutting. Can release formaldehyde |
| HDPE (milk cartons) | Clogs the bed. |
| ABS | Clogs the bed, emits cyanide. |
| Black Delrin/Acetal | Contains black carbon which can be toxic. |
| Teflon | Toxic. |
| Nylon | |
| Polythene/polyethylene | |
| Lexan/Polycarbonate | 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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