Best materials for laser engraving

[JosephBridgford]

I have the 1000 mm x-carve, and have installed a 2.8 watt laser, made by J-tech Photonics. I absolutely love the laser addition, but i would like some input as to what material shows the best detail. In my experience, i have found that cheap wood burns easy but very unevenly. I don’t have much experience engraving plastics or acrylics, but would like to start working with them. What has your experience shown you as far as materials and laser capabilities?

[picengravertoo]

Minimal Grain Woods like:
Birch Ply
Basswood
Poplar

Other Materials:
Mirrors
Artist Canvas
Brown or Gray Chipboard
Leather
White Painted Aluminum

I have some of our Laser Engraving examples done on these materials shown here:

Laser Image Gallery - Compilation of @picengravertoo 's work

These images are a compilation of @picengravertoo 's work. All of these images are in the “Where’s the laser cutting category?” You can find them there if you would like the details provided with the images. I pulled these images together to illustrate what can be done with laser imaging without having to wade through a bunch of text. [image] [image] [image] [imag…

[picengravertoo]

@RobertCanning

vinyls

http://support.epiloglaser.com/article/8205/30188/material-safety-and-your-laser

“Hydrogen Chloride and Vinyl Chloride (mostly found in PVC and other man made materials) are hazardous to the life of your laser system. Engraving and cutting these materials can cause irreversible damage to your machine, so determining the components of your cutting and engraving materials is extremely important. But how do you determine what makes up the material you want to laser cut or engrave? Read on to find out.”

[ErikJenkins]

I printed a couple these and attached some old 120mm fans to them…they work great with the laser.

[TechGuyJason]

Cherry lasers very well.

[JosephBridgford]

I am going to try cherry next time. It is pretty hard to come by around here. Our only “Real” lumber supplier closed down and so my options for lumber comes from home depot. Getting good quality wood means travelling.

[RyanLenz]

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but this is important: Lasering/burning of PVC creates chlorine gas, dioxin, and lots of other nasties. I’d worry less about the health of your machine, and more about your own! Just don’t do it, especially if you aren’t using a sealed and vented machine.

[RickMorgan]

I am looking to do the same, do you have I for on mounting and software you are using for this?

[BettyMitch]

@JosephBridgford

I have the 1000 mm x-carve, and have installed a 2.8 watt laser, made by J-tech Photonics. I absolutely love the laser addition, but i would like some input as to what material shows the best detail. In my experience, i have found that cheap wood burns easy but very unevenly. I don’t have much experience engraving plastics or acrylics, but would like to start working with them. What has your experience shown you as far as materials and laser capabilities?

I’m interested in trying plastics and acrylics, but don’t have much experience with them. From what I’ve seen, acrylic tends to show great detail and provides a cleaner finish compared to wood. For a reliable laser experience, I recommend Monport laser. I’ve been using their laser for several months without any issues, and it consistently delivers excellent performance and support

[CncKing]

I lean more towards acrylic and polyoxymethylene (POM).