Best Lasers for Cutting Acrylic

Of all the various types of lasers, which one is best for cutting acrylic? The CO2 laser, of course.

But how do you cut acrylic sheets? A CO2 laser source produces a laser beam with a wavelength of 10.6 microns, which is in the infrared region. Acrylic plastic absorbs this wavelength, which means that the CO2 laser beam interacts with the PMMA surface as it encounters it, releasing all of its energy onto the work surface.

The laser energy is then converted into heat, which is so intense that it immediately vaporises the material. In the case of acrylic, this process is very effective because most of the energy of the laser beam is absorbed by the material.

The reason for this is the chemical structure of the material itself; PMMA consists mainly of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. These atoms interact well with CO2 laser wavelengths. In fact, of the plastics most commonly used in industry, acrylic cuts best.

Therefore, the use of lasers on acrylic materials is not limited to cutting. Acrylic polymers are also a major component of many industrial coatings. For many years, CO2 lasers have been used in laser paint removal processes.