What is acrylic engraving?
Acrylic or plexiglass is a plastic with great properties. It's transparent like glass, but less brittle and doesn't break as easily.
Acrylic comes in many types, sizes and colors. Acrylic is used for many applications such as windows, lighting, awards and other artwork. One of the advantages of acrylic is its low price. Acrylic is cheaper than most plastics due to its simple manufacturing process and wide range of uses.
What Type of Acrylic is Best for Laser Engraving?
There are two types of acrylic plastic: cast (GS) and extruded (XT). Extruded acrylic is made from liquid acrylic. It responds well to laser engraving and has a beautiful matte white appearance and matte finish when engraved. Acrylic can be cast in many shapes and sizes. Most acrylic medals are cast acrylic.
Extruded acrylic, on the other hand, is generally cheaper than cast. It also becomes smoother and the edges are flame polished. However, with engraved engravings, the engraving remains clear and does not freeze. As such, extruded acrylic is ideal for blanks, die-cut letters, and shapes that require polished, smooth edges. As such, it is primarily used as a cutting material rather than as a cast, and its main use is in engraving.
How thick can you cut acrylic with a laser beam?
The rule of thumb is to use 10W of laser power for every millimeter of acrylic. High quality acrylic laser cutters can cut thicker materials.
When laser engraving acrylic, the result will be higher quality if you use a slower cutting speed. And you can get polished flame edges on your material, at least when using extruded acrylic.