What Materials Can Lasers Cut?

Laser cutters can cut most materials with very few exceptions. Some of the materials that can be cut with a laser cutter are:

Metals

Laser cutters are becoming the preferred cutting tools in most metalworking shops. Metal laser cutting is used in many industries to make incisions on many different forms of metal. Common variants of metals cut with lasers are sheet metal, rods, pipes, and tubes.

Cutting materials with a laser is different from cutting wood or ceramics. The main challenges are the thermal conduction of metals and their reflectiveness. These challenges are overcome by reducing the workpiece’s exposure area and increasing the laser beams’ intensity.

Some common metals and alloys that are cut with laser cutting are:

Steels (like carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, etc.)

Aluminum

Copper

Brass

Nickel

Tungsten

Plastics

Plastics are a little tricky to cut with a laser. Unlike sheet metal, some plastics release toxic fumes upon being heated at extreme temperatures. Therefore, knowing what plastics you can cut with laser cutting is important.

Some of the plastics that are quite suitable for laser cutting are:

Acrylics

Delrin

Polypropylene

Mylar

PMMA

Polycarbonate

POM

Polyester

Polyethylene

Wood