UNAUTHORIZED MATERIALS
The table below describes the materials that are not allowed to be machined in the laser cutter and why. Note that some materials are okay to, for example, engrave but not to cut.
| Unauthorized material | Danger | Cause |
|---|---|---|
| Abs | Melting Hazard | ABS tends to melt rather than evaporates and has a higher risk of making fire. Fused ABS is hard to get away from the cutting table and therefore must never be cut. |
| Surface-coated carbon fiber | Danger of hazardous gases | This is a mix of two materials (epoxy and carbon fiber). Thin carbon fibre fabric can be cut (with some risk of fringing) but surface-treated carbon fiber fabric must not be machined in the laser cutter |
| Fiber Glass | Danger of hazardous gases | This is a mix of two materials (epoxy and fiberglass). Fiberglass alone can not be cut regardless of whether it is treated or not, together with epoxy it is not allowed to process in the laser cutter at all |
| Hdpe | Fire and melting hazard | It melts and is very difficult to work in the laser cutter generally |
| Polystyrene foam | Fire hazard | It melts and makes very light fire and therefore must not be cut. |
| Polypropylene Foam | Fire hazard | As polystyrene but also forms hard lumps of plastic that are difficult to remove and therefore must not be machined in the laser cutter |
| PVC/vinyl/Faux leather | Emits chlorine gas | NEVER process These materials as they destroy the optics and get metal parts in the machine to corrode. |
| Polycarbonate/Lexan (> 1mm thickness) | Fire hazard | Polycarbonate absorbs IR radiation very well which makes the material very difficult to cut in a laser cutter |