Acrylic Plastic Laser Cutter

Laser cutting of acrylic plastic

Acrylic = PMMA = Plexiglass

What is the difference between plexiglass and acrylic? We can give a short answer to this: there is not. Acrylic is the common abbreviation of polymethylmethacrylate, and plexiglass was one of the many brand names of this plastic, but over time this brand name has become a generic name. Acrylic or plexiglass can be perfectly cut with a laser machine.

CO2 acrylic plastic laser cutter

A CO2 laser machine is very suitable for laser cutting acrylic / plexiglass plastic. The edges are high-gloss after cutting (as after flame polishing) and do not need further finishing. Objects that can be cut are larger objects, but also very small objects with a lot of detail. The latter are generally performed at a somewhat lower speed.

Work surface acrylic plastic laser cutter

The size of the working surface of the laser machine determines the maximum sheet size that you can place on the machine and thus (in most cases) also the maximum size of the object that you can cut out. For cutting very large sheets, MetaQuip portal lasers.

Laser power for laser cutting of acrylic

In principle you can already cut thin acrylic sheet 3-4 mm with a 40W machine, however for laser cutting we recommend working with a minimum of 60W laser and for many applications even a (much) heavier laser power. This depends entirely on the application and the thickness of the material.

Laser engraving of acrylic

In addition to laser cutting of acrylic plastic, it is also possible to laser engrave these materials. The material is then roughened locally, creating a matt surface.