Laser Cutter/Materials

This is a general list of materials usable on the Laser Cutter. This list does not include all materials that can be cut or should not be cut.

Generally Usable Materials	Notes
Acrylic/Lucite/Plexiglas/PMMA	Cuts very well and consistently.
Most woods	Avoid oily/resinous woods Be very careful about cutting oily woods, or very resinous woods as they also may catch fire.
MDF/Engineered woods	These are okay to use but may experience a higher amount of charring when cut.
Plywood/Composite woods	These contain glue, and may not laser cut as well as solid wood. Some plywood contains materials that won't cut.
Paper, card stock	Cuts very well on the laser cutter, and also very quickly.
Cardboard, carton, Boxboard	Cuts well, but may catch fire. Beware of coatings.
Cork	Cuts nicely, Engineered cork has a lot of glue in it, and may not cut as well.
ABS Plastic	Allow to vent prior to opening cutter.
Delrin (POM)	Harder Delrin tends to work better.
Kapton tape (Polyimide)	Works well, in thin sheets and strips like tape.
Mylar	Thick mylar has a tendency to warp, bubble, and curl, gold coated won't cut.
Magnetic Sheet	Cuts well.
Teflon (PTFE)	Cuts OK in thin sheets. Don't breath fumes.
Coroplast ('corrugated plastic')	Not recommended, shape makes it difficult to cut.
Engravable Materials
All the above "cuttable" materials can be etched, results may vary.
In addition, you can etch slightly:
Glass
Ceramic tile
Anodized aluminum	Burns the Anodization away.
Painted/coated metals	Burns the paint away.
Stone
Special Materials	These require some practice/experience to produce good results
High density polyethylene (HDPE)	Melts/Burns
Nylon	Melts
PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol)	Melts
Polyethylene (PE)	Melts
Polypropylene (PP)	Melts
Styrene	Melts/burns, Laser needs to be cleaned after cutting produces significant dust.
Carbon fiber mats/weave
Leather/Suede	Leather is very hard to cut well, but can be if it's thinner than a belt (call it 1/8"), engraving can produce mixed results .
Thin Polycarbonate Sheeting	(<1mm) Can be cut, but melts and discolors easily
Depron foam	Must be constantly monitored very flammable. Used a lot for hobby, RC aircraft, architectural models, and toys.
Gator foam	Foam core gets burned and eaten away compared to the top and bottom hard paper shell. Not a fantastic thing to cut, but it can be cut if watched.
Cloth/felt/hemp/cotton	They all cut well. Lasers can be used in lace-making. Not plastic coated or impregnated cloth!
NON-CHLORINE-containing rubber	Fine for cutting, can melt.
Mirrored/reflective Surfaces	laser can reflect and damage lens/eyes if doors are open.
Do Not Cut
Polycarbonate (PC, Lexan)	Very poor cut
Any material containing chlorine	Burning releases Chlorine Gas will damage parts of the machine
PVC (Cintra) (KYDEX)– contains chlorine	Burning releases Chlorine Gas will damage parts of the machine
Vinyl	Burning releases Chlorine Gas will damage parts of the machine
Pleather or artificial leather	Burning releases Chlorine Gas will damage parts of the machine
Coated Carbon fiber	Caustic Fumes
Epoxy or things containing Epoxy	Will not Cut effectively and Caustic Fumes
Treated wood	Caustic Fumes