Laser Cutter Materials
There are a wide range of materials that laser cutters can cut, etch, or mark - but some simply don’t work and some are extremely hazardous to either humans or the machine itself.
⚠️ It is imperative that you check these lists before attempting to cut materials you haven’t worked with before.
Important Notes
Section titled “Important Notes”It’s not always obvious which materials will work. For example:
- Polycarbonate sheets (Lexan) produce flames and toxic soot that ruins optics and is hazardous to health
- Acrylic - which looks and feels like Lexan - cuts smoothly and cleanly and is one of the best materials to use!
Testing tip: Acrylic is not very flexible at normal temperatures. Polycarbonate is slightly bendable in thicknesses under 1 inch.
🚫 NEVER CUT THESE MATERIALS
Section titled “🚫 NEVER CUT THESE MATERIALS”⚠️ WARNING: Many plastics are dangerous to cut. It’s important to know what kind you’re planning to use.
| Material | Danger | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| PVC/Vinyl/Pleather | Emits chlorine gas! | Will ruin optics, corrode machine metal, destroy motion control system |
| Thick Polycarbonate/Lexan (>1mm) | Cuts poorly, catches fire | Creates stringy soot clouds that ruin optics and mess up machine |
| ABS Plastic | Melts / Emits cyanide | Doesn’t vaporize properly, creates gooey deposits, emits toxic hydrogen cyanide |
| HDPE (milk bottles) | Catches fire and melts | Gets gooey, catches fire easily |
| Polystyrene Foam | Catches fire | #1 cause of laser fires! Burns rapidly and melts |
| Polypropylene Foam | Catches fire | Melts, burns, creates rock-hard burning drips |
| Epoxy | Toxic fumes | Creates cyanide-like toxic fumes when burned |
| Fiberglass | Toxic fumes | Mix of glass and epoxy - both problematic |
| Coated Carbon Fiber | Noxious fumes | Coating creates toxic fumes (uncoated thin carbon fiber may be OK) |
| Food items | Contamination | Laser not designed for food - creates toxic environment |
| Materials with sticky backing | Destroys lens | Glue vaporizes and coats/cracks the lens - very expensive to replace |
✅ Safe Materials
Section titled “✅ Safe Materials”The laser can cut materials like wood, paper, cork, and some plastics. Etching can be done on almost anything - wood, cardboard, aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, marble, stone, tile, and glass.
Cutting Materials
Section titled “Cutting Materials”| Material | Max Thickness | Notes | Warnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Many woods | 1/4” | Avoid oily/resinous woods | Watch for fire with resinous woods |
| Plywood/Composite woods | 1/4” | Contains glue, may not cut as cleanly | |
| MDF/Engineered woods | 1/4” | May experience more charring | |
| Paper/Card stock | Thin | Cuts very well and quickly | |
| Cardboard | Thicker | Cuts well | Watch for fire |
| Cork | 1/8” | Quality depends on thickness/type | Avoid thick cork (5mm+). Engraves better than cuts |
| Acrylic/Plexiglas/PMMA | 1/2” | Excellent material - cuts with polished edge | |
| Thin Polycarbonate | <1mm | Tends to discolor badly | Watch for smoking/burning |
| Delrin (POM) | Thin | Harder grades work better. Great for gears! | |
| Kapton tape | 1/16” | Works well in thin sheets | |
| Mylar | 1/16” | Thin works well, thick tends to warp | Gold coated mylar won’t work |
| Solid Styrene | 1/16” | Smokes a lot when cut | Keep it thin |
| Depron foam | 1/4” | Used for RC aircraft, models. Cuts with smooth edge | Must be constantly monitored |
| Gator foam | Thin | Foam core burns away vs paper shell | Watch carefully - not ideal |
| Cloth/Felt/Cotton | Varies | All cut well - can do lace-making | Not plastic coated cloth! |
| Real Leather/Suede | 1/8” | Hard to cut, requires advanced training | Real leather only - no pleather (PVC)! |
| Magnetic Sheet | Standard | Cuts beautifully | |
| Non-chlorine Rubber | Varies | Fine for cutting | Beware chlorine-containing rubber! |
| Teflon (PTFE) | Thin | OK in thin sheets | |
| Uncoated Carbon Fiber | Thin | Can be cut slowly with some fraying | Must NOT be epoxy coated! |
| Coroplast | 1/4” | Difficult due to vertical strips | Multiple passes needed |
Etching Materials
Section titled “Etching Materials”All the above “cuttable” materials can be etched, in some cases very deeply.
Additional materials that can be etched:
| Material | Notes | Warnings |
|---|---|---|
| Glass | Green glass works best - looks sandblasted | Flat glass only - round objects will have distortion |
| Ceramic tile | Works well | |
| Anodized aluminum | Vaporizes the anodization away | |
| Painted/coated metals | Vaporizes the paint/coating away | |
| Stone/Marble/Granite | Gets white “textured” look when etched | 100% power, 50% speed or less works well |
Marking with Cermark
Section titled “Marking with Cermark”Cermark is a marking compound containing molybdenum (~$50-100 for 12oz spray can) that can be sprayed onto metals and other surfaces before laser etching to create permanent dark black marks.
Compatible surfaces:
- Stainless steel, brass, aluminum, copper, nickel
- Glass
- Light-colored stone/tile
Alternative: Some people have success using dry moly lube spray for similar results.
This guide is adapted from ATX Hackerspace’s laser cutter materials list (website has since gone down).