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Material We Cut

Wood


Examples

Laser cut wood components can be used to add unique detail to many different applications. Inlays, overlays, through cut and specialty parts can be produced.

Lasers have advantages over many other processes in that the tool width is very small. This allows for intricate and complex patterns to be produced, with precise repeatability. Lasers are one of the few machines that have the ability to produce square cornered cuts.

Laser cutting wood leaves a darkened edge that accentuates the detail of the design.



Material Min Thickness Max Thickness Notes

MDF None 1.25 Cuts Well
HDF None .875 Cuts Well
Solid Wood None 1.25 Cut quality depends on density of material
Particle Board None Around .375" Does not cut well due to inconsistent density
Birch Plywood None 1.25" Must be interior grade
Plywood None up to 1.25 Cut quality depends on composition
Masonite None .875 Cuts well



Plastic


Examples

Many plastics cut very well with lasers. Acrylic cuts nicely and it leaves a fire polished edge. Polycarbonate cuts fine but the edge is not as nice. Nylon and other "waxy" plastics have a lower melting point and the edge quality can be poor.



Material Min Thickness Max Thickness Notes

Mylar None ??? We cut 10 mil for stencils and it works great
Acrylic None .875 Leaves a fire polished edge
Polycarbonate None .625 Edge quality can be poor in thicker materials, use for structural parts.
Laminate (HPL) None ?? Cuts Well
Nylon None .5" Tough to cut thick materials as it has a low melt temperature.
UHMW None .5" Tough to cut thick materials as it has a low melt temperature.



Metal


Examples

We can lasercut intricate designs from metal. We can cut up to 1/4" on Hot rolled steel. We also have relationships with vendors that can do many of the secondary operations such as bending and fabricating.



Material Min Thickness Max Thickness Notes

Hot Rolled Steel .020 .250 Cuts Well
Galvanized .020 .188 Cuts clean and burr free
Stainless Steel .020 .125 Cuts with a slight burr



Material Testing

We would be happy to consult you on your material if it does not fall into the categories above. Many other materials can be laser cut and if we have not cut it yet, we are always glad to try it.

Capabilities

Our lasers are capable of cutting components that are up to 1 1/4" thick (depending on material). The maximum pattern size we can cut in one pass is 50 x 80. Some patterns can be indexed if they are larger.

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