The Glowforge is a quality desktop laser that will cut and engrave many types of material, including acrylic. Whether you're just beginning to experiment with your machine, or you've been creating for years, the cutting chart below can serve as a handy reference when cutting acrylic on your Glowforge laser.
Acrylic is one of the best materials you can experiment with on your laser. It's inexpensive, and with thousands of combinations of thicknesses, colors, and sizes of acrylic to choose from, the creative possibilities are endless.
When using the settings below, keep in mind that dirty lenses and mirrors can decrease power, affecting the quality of your cuts. It's important to ensure they are kept extremely clean as part of your normal maintenance.
Material - All 1/16" (0.06") Thick Acrylic
CUT:
Speed: 180
Power: FULL
Pass: 1
Focus Height: 0.06 in
ENGRAVE:
Speed: 1000
Power: FULL
Lines: 270
Pass: 1
Focus Height: Auto
Material: All 1/8" (0.120") Thick Acrylic
CUT:
Speed: 160
Power: FULL
Pass: 1
Focus Height: 0.12 in
ENGRAVE:
Speed: 1000
Power: FULL
Lines Per: 270
Passes: 1
Focus Height: Auto
Material:All 3/16" (0.177") Thick Acrylic
CUT:
Speed: 135
Power: FULL
Pass: 1
Focus Height: 0.19 in
ENGRAVE:
Speed: 1000
Power: FULL
Lines: 270
Pass: 1
Focus Height: Auto
Material: All 1/4" (0.230") Thick Acrylic
CUT:
Speed: 110
Power: FULL
Pass: 1
Focus Height: 0.230 in
ENGRAVE:
Speed: 1000
Power: FULL
Lines: 270
Pass: 1
Focus Height: Auto
*Note: The settings above work for most cuts, however, if you are cutting smaller, more intricate designs (such as tight cut-out patterns or small text), the settings should be adjusted to cut slightly deeper so it's easier to remove the cut-out pieces.
152 Comments
Iridescent & Mirrored
When I cut iridescent and mirrored acrylic with my glowforge I have issues with the back of my sheets burning along the edges of certain cuts using these settings. Any special recommendations for specialty acrylics like those?
Kalani McElwee, 12/12/2020 16:48:24
@KalaniMcElwee
Great question! It sounds like you're having an issue called flashback. Laser beds typically have an aluminum honeycomb table, so, when the laser hits the very thin bits of aluminum, it can reflect back to the material. This happens with any laser, but it can affect certain types of material more than others. With the mirror, this can cause the 'grey backing' to become burned.
A quick fix may be cutting mirror FACE DOWN, with the grey side up. You won't eliminate the flashback completely , but you'll have better protection with the masking on the mirror side. It's important to remember to mirror your graphic of course!
Regarding the iridescent, the same issue may be happening. It also could be a result of the power setting - alternatively, the flashback is affecting your iridescent material more than other types of material. The iridescent does come with a film masking, however, you might have better luck adding some additional paper masking (on the side that will be placed face down on the laser bed) to your sheet before cutting.
I hope this helps - I have messaged you directly so we can discuss more, and we'll make sure to get to the bottom of this!
Kevin Delvie, 12/14/2020 12:46:46
Engraving extruded acrylic
I'm a complete newbie and need to engrave a 1/4'" acrylic sign on my Glowforge Pro but I have never done acrylic. I have no idea what speed or power to use and how many passes. I would like it deep enough to paint the engraved area with a paint pen. Searching online I am seeing mixed things. Some say High speed low power and other sites say the opposite. I am completely lost. Please help...
Corine McErlain, 08/09/2021 23:55:27