Can you laser cut hdpe

In general, the laser centers itself on the lines you draw in your file and usually burns away about 0. With polyethylene PE , the laser might take off closer to 0. The cuts in PE usually have a lip or ridge to them, and very long, thin strips in a part will melt or warp. Thin, sharp, acute angles also tend to melt and warp. If you care only about the holes that are left in the plastic and not the pieces that fall out , then even though the part itself might come out gnarled or warped, the hole left in the material might look acceptable.

If you like, you may email us your design and we can let you know if laser cutting it from PE would work. If a different thickness of material is acceptable, then johnsonplastics. You can see them by following these links in their online catalog:. Wood - is a versatile material. You can use it to laser cut jewellery, fashion accessories, ornaments, decorations, custom containers, even furniture!

We generally recommend birch or pine for laser cutting, etching, and engraving. Paper - both cuts and etches very well. You can even use the laser cutter to partially cut through to make paper bend or add perforations. Cardboard - cuts very well.

It is a fantastic material for prototyping with the laser cutter. It is a cheap and cost-effective way to make a basic prototype of your product. The laser cutter is also very good at making cardboard pieces for packaging and shipping. Burgundy and Black would sell like like hotcakes around here. Thanks for your question, Wayne.

You should be able to spray paint this material with a custom color. Even though this has a textured surface, HDPE is very slick and might need a bit more roughing up before painting. Here are a few other tips to try out. Thanks again! Thank you for your question. We do not have a specific product to recommend but you can search for HDPE bond epoxy as an simple adhesive will not work.

You may need to prepare the surface to ensure they bond. Alternatively, HDPE edges can also be heated and melted to be bonded together. Best Regards! Asked by MichaelCanton on Sep 5, Answered by John Hayes on Sep 10, Answer this question.

Hello, I bought several sheets of the. Hi, I would recommend making a lighter depth per pass maybe around 0. Other plastics require more energy to heat up the material sufficiently. In this case, the long pulses help to optimize the foaming of the material.

In both cases, marking with the MOPA laser leads to a more clear contrast and therefore to better machine readability. Foaming leaves a tangible mark on the material. It can be seen as laser-induced boiling, which melts the surface. Due to the rapid cooling, bubbles are encapsulated in the material. These bubbles leave a positive mark, which is tangible. The laser works on a low power level and longer pulses.

Foaming works on all polymers, but also on some metals. Depending on the material the mark is light or dark. Carbonizing enables strong contrasts on bright surfaces. What's left is a darkened area with higher carbon concentration. The laser works with lower energy, which leads to slightly longer marking times compared to other processes.

Carbonizing can be used for polymers or bio-polymers such as wood or leather. Since carbonizing always leads to dark marks, the contrast on dark materials will be rather minimal. Color change on the material guarantees highest legibility.