Acrylic is one of the most popular materials used in laser cutting and engraving. It offers a sophisticated, high-quality appearance while still being relatively affordable. It's important not to confuse acrylic with regular plastic. Acrylic is often chosen for applications that require a high gloss, vibrant colors, or clear, scratch-resistant surfaces. You'll commonly find acrylic under brand names like Lucite, Perspex, and Plexiglass.
Due to its versatile physical properties, acrylic can be easily shaped, cut, and used across a wide range of applications. Unlike traditional CNC routers, laser cutting provides a significant advantage by delivering intricate and smooth cuts that a router tool simply can’t achieve.
Laser cutting also offers the added benefit of eliminating the need for painting in many applications. Acrylic is often pre-pigmented in brilliant colors, which reduces production costs and enhances the overall look of the final product. Laser engraving or marking clear acrylic (Plexiglass), especially when it's been painted, can produce unique effects that further highlight the beauty of the material.
What Types of Acrylic Are There?
There are two primary types of acrylic: Cast and Extruded. Each reacts differently when processed with CO2 laser technology, which can affect your final results.
Cast Acrylic is known for its vibrant color options and smooth surface. When laser engraved, it typically produces a cool frosted or white effect that enhances the overall appearance of the design. Cast acrylic is often used for low-power laser engraving without the need for masking. However, cast acrylic sheets can have up to a 30% thickness variance from one sheet to another, so it’s important to account for that during the cutting or engraving process.
Extruded Acrylic, on the other hand, tends to have a more matte appearance when engraved and is often available in a more limited range of colors, including clear, opal, and black. Despite its color limitations, extruded acrylic has the advantage of being more cost-effective and provides cleaner cuts compared to cast acrylic. The laser vaporizes extruded acrylic more easily, resulting in a smooth, glass-like, flame-polished edge.
Laser Engraving Acrylic
When engraving cast acrylic, the result is typically a clean, frosted appearance. The laser produces a high-contrast effect on colored acrylic, making it an excellent choice for creating intricate designs or text. On the other hand, extruded acrylic tends to have a matte grey appearance when engraved. Although it doesn’t provide the same level of contrast as cast acrylic, it’s still a great option for projects where cost-effectiveness and smooth, clean cuts are a priority.
It’s important to remove any protective paper mask that comes with acrylic sheets before laser cutting or engraving. These masks are not laserable and can produce hazardous fumes during processing.
Laser Cutting Acrylic
While extruded acrylic is easier to cut and typically results in a cleaner, more polished edge, cast acrylic can be more challenging to flame polish, often resulting in a slightly rougher edge. However, cast acrylic offers superior contrast when engraved, making it the preferred choice for designs that require a more noticeable etched effect.
During the laser cutting process, especially with thicker acrylic, flare-ups can occur. To prevent these, it’s recommended to mask both sides of the acrylic with transfer tape or apply a thin layer of liquid dish soap to the cut area. This helps reduce smoke and residue buildup, leaving a clean cut. After cutting, simply rinse off the soap for a flawless result.
Note: Avoid using vinyl masks, as these can emit toxic fumes when heated by the laser.
Popular Laserable Acrylic Applications
Acrylic is highly versatile and can be used in a wide range of industries and applications, including:
- Illuminated (LED) Signs
- Laser-Cut Acrylic Letters
- Architectural Model Making
- Acrylic Advertising Displays
- Photo Etching or Engraving on Acrylic
- Indoor & Outdoor Signage
- Acrylic Awards and Trophies
- Acrylic Home Décor Pieces
At GU Eagle, we ensure that our laser cutting systems deliver the highest quality results for acrylic projects. Our machines are designed to make it easy to adjust the settings for the ideal frequency (PPI) to cut acrylic smoothly. Once the acrylic sheet is properly masked and placed on the honeycomb table, the result is a flame-polished edge that requires no additional post-processing cleanup.
For those interested in seeing the possibilities of acrylic laser cutting, we offer laser-cut acrylic samples to demonstrate our machine's capabilities.
