Can You Laser Cut Acrylic Plastic

It has a more constant width than cast acrylic and it s better suited to being vacuum shaped bent and heated but it can be more susceptible to cracking in some situations.

Can you laser cut acrylic plastic.

Large sheets of acrylic can be heavy unwieldy and nearly impossible to work on with traditional laser machines however with ap lazer s open architecture working with sheets of acrylic of any size is a breeze and you ll even be able to cut and size your sheets to any size necessary up to thick. A slightly sticky residue may be left on the plastic if you ask for this option which may need to be cleaned off before you use it. Yes acrylic can be laser cut. It should be noted that it is most obvious on black hence using it as the example material.

The physics behind getting a perfect laser cut with acrylic can be quite daunting but luckily we can simplify the process by understanding the important topics. Acrylics are cut by vaporising the solid material. The laser is absorbed by the material causing it to change from a solid to a liquid then to a vapour. However you would need to check with the manufacture of your laser and verify that your particular laser can cut acrylic.

If you want to cut foodstuffs consider sponsoring a food only laser cutter for the space that is kept as clean as a commercial kitchen would require. Types of phase change. Lasers are a quick and accurate way of cutting welding drilling scribing and engraving plastics. Laser cutting acrylic is an exceptionally popular application for epilog laser machines because of the high quality results that are produced.

Depending on the type of acrylic you re working with the laser can produce a smooth flame polished edge when laser cut and it can also produce a bright frosty white engraving when laser engraved. Extruded acrylic is factory made in sheets so it tends to be cheap. Following the engraving line or area in your digital design the laser vaporizes a thin layer of the acrylic plastics surface exposing what lies beneath. Laser engraving acrylic is similar but instead of using the laser beam to cut through the acrylics it engraves the acrylic surface.

Below are some typical examples of what you get when laser cutting acrylic. The laser is not designed to cut food and people cut things that create poisonous noxious substances such as wood smoke and acrylic smoke.