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Clear and transparent acrylic: diode, CO2 and fiber laser compatibility
xTool, Monport and OMTech list clear acrylic for engraving and cutting on CO2 lasers. The same three manufacturers list it as not workable on diode and fiber lasers. Glowforge lists its Spark diode laser as not compatible with clear acrylic.
- Also called
- plexiglass, PMMA
- Diode laser
- Engrave or mark: No (4), cut: No (3)
- CO2 laser
- Engrave or mark: Yes (3), cut: Yes (3)
- Fiber laser
- Engrave or mark: No (3), cut: No (2)
- Thickest one-pass cut listed
- 20 mm, xTool P2S
- Listed as No by
- xTool, Monport, OMTech, Glowforge
Compatibility by laser type
Yes (2) 2 manufacturers or stores list it as workableNo (2) 2 list it as not workableDisagree manufacturers list bothWith conditions workable only under a stated conditionNot listed no manufacturer statement
| Laser type | Engrave or mark | Cut |
|---|---|---|
| Diode laser (blue, about 450 to 455 nm) | No (4) No: xTool, Monport, OMTech, Glowforge. | No (3) No: OMTech, Glowforge, xTool. |
| CO2 laser (10,600 nm) | Yes (3) Yes: xTool, Monport, OMTech. | Yes (3) Yes: xTool, OMTech, Monport. |
| Fiber laser (1064 nm) | No (3) No: xTool, Monport, OMTech. | No (2) No: xTool, OMTech. |
The material lookup adds a cut thickness for clear and transparent acrylic.
Manufacturer statements
| Laser and job | Manufacturer | Lists it as | Wording or table entry on the page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diode, engrave or mark | xTool | No | Can not directly engrave on transparent materials, like glass and clear acrylic | xTool: Fiber vs CO2 vs diode laser guide (blog) |
| Diode, engrave or mark | Monport | No | Transparent Acrylic: NO (diode). Only CO2 lasers work on transparent acrylic. | Monport: CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog) |
| Diode, engrave or mark | OMTech | No | Clear/Transparent (diode): Passes right through (cannot cut/engrave clear acrylic) | OMTech: Diode vs CO2 vs fiber lasers guide (blog) |
| Diode, engrave or mark | Glowforge | No | Glowforge Spark uses a blue, 6-watt, solid-state diode laser, so it is not compatible with glass, clear acrylic, translucent acrylic, white acrylic, some blue acrylics | Glowforge: Craft Series tech specs (Aura, Spark) |
| Diode, cut | OMTech | No | If you want to cut clear or blue acrylic, you must buy a CO2 laser. Diode beams pass right through clear acrylic without marking it. | OMTech: Diode vs CO2 vs fiber lasers guide (blog) |
| Diode, cut | Glowforge | No | not compatible with glass, clear acrylic, translucent acrylic, white acrylic, some blue acrylics | Glowforge: Craft Series tech specs (Aura, Spark) |
| Diode, cut | xTool | No | most 450 nm laser can pass through acrylic. | xTool: Support article 363, safety guide |
| CO2, engrave or mark | xTool | Yes | Engraving: Acrylic Wood Plywood MDF Bamboo Leather Paper Rubber Silicone Glass Stone Ceramics Plated/coated metal Fabric Cork | xTool: Fiber vs CO2 vs diode laser guide (blog) |
| CO2, engrave or mark | Monport | Yes | Transparent Acrylic: YES (CO2). | Monport: CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog) |
| CO2, engrave or mark | OMTech | Yes | Clear/Transparent (CO2): Absorbed cleanly (cuts/engraves clear acrylic and glass) | OMTech: Diode vs CO2 vs fiber lasers guide (blog) |
| CO2, cut | xTool | Yes | Cutting: Acrylic Wood Plywood MDF Bamboo Paper Rubber Fabric Foam Cork | xTool: Fiber vs CO2 vs diode laser guide (blog) |
| CO2, cut | OMTech | Yes | It vaporizes clear acrylic instantly and leaves behind a perfectly polished, glassy edge in a single pass. | OMTech: Diode vs CO2 vs fiber lasers guide (blog) |
| CO2, cut | Monport | Yes | Transparent Acrylic: YES (CO2). | Monport: CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog) |
| Fiber, engrave or mark | xTool | No | Fiber lasers are not suitable for wood, glass and clear acrylic. | xTool: Fiber vs CO2 vs diode laser guide (blog) |
| Fiber, engrave or mark | Monport | No | Transparent Acrylic: NO (fiber). | Monport: CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog) |
| Fiber, engrave or mark | OMTech | No | Clear/Transparent (fiber): Passes through or reflects off; won't mark bare transparent items | OMTech: Diode vs CO2 vs fiber lasers guide (blog) |
| Fiber, cut | xTool | No | Fiber lasers are not suitable for wood, glass and clear acrylic. | xTool: Fiber vs CO2 vs diode laser guide (blog) |
| Fiber, cut | OMTech | No | Fiber: Cannot cut or engrave wood, leather, or clear acrylic. | OMTech: Diode vs CO2 vs fiber lasers guide (blog) |
One-pass cut depth
These are the manufacturers' one-pass cut depths for this material. No multi-pass cut depth is listed.
| Machine | Laser type | One-pass cut depth | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| xTool P2S | CO2 | 20 mm | xTool: xTool P2S product page. |
Notes
- One sentence on the OMTech page says “Diode lasers cut clear acrylic”. The tables and the buying section on the same page say the opposite. The compatibility table on this page uses OMTech's tables.
Fumes
Laser cutting and engraving give off fumes. The machine's manual has the venting rules for that machine. The fume and room lookup compares a machine's exhaust airflow with fume extractor airflow.