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HDPE and other polyethylene: diode, CO2 and fiber laser compatibility
FSL and xTool support state that HDPE melts and catches fire when cut. Monport's table lists polyethylene (PE) plastic as Yes for diode, CO2 and fiber lasers.
- Also called
- milk-jug plastic, cutting-board plastic
- Diode laser
- Engrave or mark: Yes (1), cut: Not listed
- CO2 laser
- Engrave or mark: Disagree, cut: No (2)
- Fiber laser
- Engrave or mark: Yes (1), cut: Not listed
- Thickest one-pass cut listed
- Not listed
- Listed as No by
- FSL, xTool
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) | Yes (1) Yes: Monport. | Not listed |
| CO2 laser (10,600 nm) | Disagree Yes: Monport. No: FSL. | No (2) No: FSL, xTool. |
| Fiber laser (1064 nm) | Yes (1) Yes: Monport. | Not listed |
The material lookup adds a cut thickness for HDPE and other polyethylene.
Manufacturer statements
| Laser and job | Manufacturer | Lists it as | Wording or table entry on the page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diode, engrave or mark | Monport | Yes | Plastic (PE, PP, PET): YES (diode). | Monport: CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog) |
| CO2, engrave or mark | Monport | Yes | Plastic (PE, PP, PET): YES (CO2). All lasers perform well on these plastics. | Monport: CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog) |
| CO2, engrave or mark | FSL | No | HDPE/milk bottle plastic. Catches fire and melts. | Full Spectrum Laser (FSL): What materials are safe and not safe to engrave/vector cut |
| CO2, cut | FSL | No | HDPE/milk bottle plastic. Catches fire and melts. It melts. It gets gooey. It catches fire. Don't use it. | Full Spectrum Laser (FSL): What materials are safe and not safe to engrave/vector cut |
| CO2, cut | xTool | No | HDPE. Melts and easily catches fire. | xTool: Support article 363, safety guide |
| Fiber, engrave or mark | Monport | Yes | Plastic (PE, PP, PET): YES (fiber). | Monport: CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog) |
Not listed for: Diode cut, Fiber cut.
One-pass cut depth
No one-pass cut depth is listed for this material on the laser machines page.
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.