It is important to only use materials that are suitable for lasercutting. Some materials, like vinyl/PVC give off chlorine gas, which corrodes the laser machine (and your lungs). These kind of damages will accumulate over time and cause major financial losses.
If you're not sure about a material ask in the LaserLab channel for help.
Please be aware that some materials that are considered 'safe' may still catch fire easily, such as wood, paper, or cotton. It is important to avoid overpowering the laser and to use the lowest power setting possible.
| Material | Cut | Engrave | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic (Plexiglas/PMMA) | x | x | everything up to 10mm should be ok, needs multiple cuts maybe if >6mm |
| Plywood | x <4-5mm | x | Lasers can struggle to cut plywood sheets with exterior glue. Use plywood with interior glue. |
| MDF | x <4-5mm | x | can produce a lot of soot if >3mm |
| Cork | x | x | same as MDF, a lot of soot but even thinner >1.5mm |
| Cardboard | x | x | Brown Cardboard is nice to cut, grey cardboard is shredded Newspaper so the Ink is still in there which produces nasty sticky soot |
Our laser cutter is not powerful enough for cutting them.
| Material | Cut | Engrave | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | x | x | free of oils since they easily catch fire or resins they produce Toxic |
| Granite | NOPE | x | If covered with Painters Tape you can Paint the engraving in a different colour |
| Glass | NOPE | x | Same as Granite, Engraving can be Improved if you cover the Glass with wet Paper Towel or cover it with dry Moly lube Spray (Wash it first with Soap/Water and dry) |
| Marble | NOPE | x | Same as Granite |
| Slate | NOPE | x | Same as Granite |
| Stone tiles | NOPE | x | Same as Granite |
| Ceramic, Porcelain | NOPE | x | Same as Granite, makes it unsafe for microwave use |
| Stainless Steel | NOPE | (x) | Can be marked with Marking Spray/Tape |
| Aluminum | NOPE | (x) | Can be marked like Steel, Coloured anodized Aluminium can be engraved |
There is some testing required to be sure the materials are safe.
Plastics (except acrylic) are in general considered unsafe/toxic, unless you are 100% sure of the specific plastic type.
| Material | Cut | Engrave | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper | x | x | super easy to cut, never EVER leave the Room, quite the Fire Hazard. Authorization required because of fire hazard |
| Leather | x | x | Use vegetable-tanned ONLY, any other Produces Toxic and or carcinogenic Fumes |
| Natural Fiber Fabric (excluding Nylon, Elastan etc blends) | x | x | Multiple layer of Fabric can be cut at once, needs to be washed afterwards to get rid of the smell |
| Denim | x | x | same as Natural Fiber Fabric |
| Cotton | x | x | Multiple layer of Fabric can be cut at once, needs to be washed afterwards to get rid of the smell |
| Felt | x | x | Only use real felt if it does NOT smell like burnt hair - STOP IMMEDIATELY. |
| Polyethylene terephthalate (PET, most Mylar – but "mylar" can also mean polystyrol) | x | x | Melting, fire risk – thin sheets can be cut on vinyl cutter instead, the related PETG can be 3D printed, consider these options. It can also be CNC milled. |
Toxic, corrosive or carcinogenic fumes that can kill you or seriously damage the machine are produced when these materials are cut by laser. Refer to DGUV Information 213-729 for additional details on some of these materials.
| Material | abbreviation | colloquial | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any materials containing halogens | fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine | - | - |
| Polyvinyl chloride | PVC | Vinyl | produces hydrochloric acid vapor |
| Aramide | PPTA, PMPI | Kevlar, Nomex | Produces Hydrogen cyanide Gas |
| Polyvinyl butyrale | PVB | - | - |
| Polytetrafluoroethylenes | PTFE | Teflon | produces Fluorine Gas |
| Neoprene aka polychloroprene | CR | Neoprene | produces hydrochloric acid vapor, Read the Datasheet if it is 'Laser Safe', if there is non, don't laser cut it |
| Polyacrylnitril | PAN | - | Releases Acrylonitrile and hydrogen cyanide!!! |
| Polyamid 66 | PA 66 | - | Releases cyclopentanon |
| Polybutylenterephthalat | PBT | Polyester | Releases 1,3-Butadien, Benzol |
| Polycarbonate | PC | - | Releases phenol |
| Polyethylene (high-density and low-density) | HDPE, LDPE | - | Edges melt badly. Watch closely – easily catches fire. Releases hydrocarbons and aldehydes. |
| Polyoxymethylen | POM | Acetal, Delrin | Releases formadehyde gas when cut, better to use CNC |
| Polyoxymethylen-Copolymer | POM-C | - | Read the Datasheet, if there is none, don't laser cut it, also see considerations for POM above |
| Polyphenylenoxid | PPO | - | Releases styrene, toluene, ethylbenzene |
| Polypropylene | PP | - | Melts somewhat, significant fire hazard |
| Polystyrol/Polystyrene | PS | Mylar (one of the materials sold as Mylar) | Styrol |
| Styrol-Acrylnitril-Copolymer | SAN | - | Releases Acrylonitrile and styrol |
| Fluor Rubber | FPM, FKM | Viton, Tecnoflon, Fluorel, Dai-el | produces Fluorine Gas |
| most Artificial Leather | PVC | see PVC | |
| expanded rubber | Moosgummi | - | See Neoprene and foam. Moosgummi is a name used for multiple materials, some of which are highly toxic. Please use the vinyl cutter instead of the laser cutter. |
| Acrylnitril-Butadien-Styrol | ABS | Most Generic Plasic for Device enclosures | |
| Acrylnitril-Styrol-Acrylat | ASA | Common Generic Plastic | |
| Foam | - | - | Fire hazard. Also toxic fumes because they are usually Polystyrol, polystyrene, polyethylene or made with chlorophen or other toxic chemicals |
| Natural Rubber | - | - | Most contain Sulfur, Produces sulphuric acid |
| Latex | Sticky Soot, Damages the Lense if not IMMEDIATELY | ||
| Anything covered, glued etc with epoxy or phenolic resins | - | - | Produces Benzene, Phenol, Formaldehyd Gas |
| Bisphenol-A | BPA | - | Phenol |
| Phenolic Plywood | - | 'Siebdruckplatte' | - |
| Resin 3D Print | - | - | - |
| Carbonfiber reenforced | - | - | - |
| Glassfiber reenforced | - | - | - |
| Any containing Heavy or Toxic Metals | - | - | - |
| Leather and artificial leather that contains chromium (VI) | - | - | - |
| Beryllium oxide | - | - | - |
| Manganese | - | - | - |
| Chromium | - | - | - |
| Nickel | - | - | - |
| Cobalt | - | - | - |
| Copper | - | - | - |
| Lead | - | - | - |
| Food | Food safety: food will be contaminated with chemical residues in the cutter. Potential mess and pests. | ||
| anything with added "flame-retardant" like Bromium |