Can a diode laser cut clear acrylic?

No. A blue diode’s light (about 450 nm) passes through clear acrylic instead of being absorbed. White and some blue acrylic are also listed as unsupported. Dark, opaque acrylic cuts fine. A CO2 laser cuts acrylic of any colour.

What diode laser settings do makers give for acrylic?

AtomStack cuts 3–10 mm (colour not stated) at 50–100 mm/min with 80–100 % power, about 6–40 J/mm in one pass, and engraves at 6,000–12,000 mm/min. TwoTrees cuts 3 mm at 150 mm/min and 100 % (two passes on 5.5 W). Scale a row to your machine and test.

Should I use cast or extruded acrylic?

Cast for engraving: it turns frosty white. Extruded for cutting: it leaves a flame-polished edge but engraves clear rather than white. Epilog and Trotec both describe it this way.

Should I remove the protective paper before laser cutting acrylic?

For cutting, Epilog generally leaves it on both sides to protect against heat residue and scratches. For engraving, remove it from the face you are engraving, or you will engrave the paper and leave adhesive behind.

Material · plastic

Laser settings for acrylic

Acrylic is two questions before it is a setting: is your laser’s light absorbed by this colour, and is the sheet cast or extruded? A blue diode cuts dark opaque acrylic but shines straight through clear.

Safety first

Before you start With care

Make sure it is acrylic (PMMA). Look-alike sheets can be PVC or polystyrene, and PVC is on the avoid list, as is polycarbonate (what not to laser cut).
Acrylic burns. Epilog says it has been shown to be especially flammable when cut with a laser. Never leave the machine while it runs.
A blue diode cannot cut clear, white or some blue acrylic: the light passes through or is barely absorbed, and lands on whatever is underneath. Do not raise the power to force it.
Some acrylics are listed as releasing hydrogen cyanide (MatEdU); run your extraction.

Moving cross-section

What the beam does

Switch the material or laser and watch the same beam give a different result.

Cast · CO2Extruded · CO2Clear · blue diodeBlack · blue diode

CO2 10.6 µm

Cast acrylic sheet
Frosted white engraving

CO2 light is absorbed by any acrylic. On cast sheet the engraved groove turns frosty white.

Cross-section, not to scale.

Laser types

Which laser can process it

These are this material’s rows from our diode vs CO2 vs fiber matrix. (full matrix)

Clear acrylic

Blue diodeNot suited

The ~450 nm blue light passes straight through clear acrylic instead of being absorbed. One maker reports very thin sheet cutting after covering it with black paint or tape.

CO2Cuts & engraves

Acrylic, including clear acrylic, absorbs 10.6 µm very well.

FiberNot suited

1,064 nm is less effective on transparent materials.

Dark or opaque acrylic

Blue diodeCuts & engraves

Dark, opaque colours absorb the blue light.

CO2Cuts & engraves

FiberMarks / engraves

Marks high-contrast white lines on black acrylic; no source covers cutting.

White & blue acrylic

Blue diodeNot suited

Hard for blue diodes: Glowforge lists white and some blue acrylic as unsupported, and xTool could not cut them in one pass at 20 W, citing wavelength limits.

CO2Cuts & engraves

Covered by general statements that CO2 cuts acrylic of all types and colours.

FiberNo source found

Maker values

Maker settings on one scale

Every value is a starting point published by the maker, and the maker is the source; none of them were tested by us. Machines differ in optical power, so power % and speed are converted to the energy the beam puts into each millimetre of line (J/mm). Tap a point or a table row to see the original row, the math and a link that fills in the converter.

J/mm = optical W × power % × passes ÷ speed (mm/s) · J/mm² = J/mm ÷ line interval (mm)

This is the same formula as the converter. Between lasers of the same type, similar J/mm gives a similar burn. Cutting energy rises steeply with thickness, so compare rows of similar thickness.

AtomStack’s diode “Acrylic” cutting rows do not state the colour; on a blue diode they are most likely dark, opaque sheet. The “Translucent Acrylic” engraving rows do not describe the sheet either — probably a tinted or frosted sheet — so they are not evidence that a diode works on clear acrylic. The only clear-acrylic cut rows come from the Hurricane, a 55 W CO2 (squares). TwoTrees’ rows do not state the colour either. The A40 Pro V2 LightBurn cuts carry S-values where a percentage belongs.

AllEngraveCut

▬ Half of Engrave rows: 0.0285–0.116 J/mm▬ Half of Cut rows: 11.3–79.1 J/mmEngraveCutDiodeCO2IR 1,064 nmHollow = row that looks like a typoA40 Pro V2 is calculated at 48 W (the table does not say whether it is the 48 W or the 24 W setting).

65 rows
Software	Maker label · thickness	Job	Speed mm/min	Power	Interval	Passes	J/mm
LightBurn	Acrylic · 10	Cut	130	80%	—	10	36.9	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 3mm	Cut	80	80%	—	1	6	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic	Engrave	6,000	S400	0.1	1	0.04	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 10mm	Cut	130	S1000	—	10	46.2	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 3mm	Cut	80	S1000	—	1	7.5	Convert →
LightBurn	Translucent Acrylic	Engrave	3,000	20%	0.1	1	0.04	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Translucent Acrylic	Engrave	3,000	S200	0.1	1	0.04	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 15	Cut	150	80%	—	10	64	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 4.5mm	Cut	50	80%	—	1	19.2	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic	Engrave	8,000	S600	0.0833	1	0.09	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 15mm	Cut	150	S800	—	10	64	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 4.5mm	Cut	50	S800	—	1	19.2	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic	Engrave	12,000	80%	0.1	1	0.096	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 10mm	Cut	100	80%	—	1	11.5	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 25mm	Cut	100	80%	—	8	92.2	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic	Engrave	12,000	S800	0.1	1	0.096	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 10mm	Cut	100	S800	—	1	11.5	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 25mm	Cut	100	S800	—	8	92.2	Convert →
LightBurn	Translucent Acrylic	Engrave	30,000	20%	0.1	1	0.0096	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Translucent Acrylic	Engrave	30,000	S200	0.1	1	0.0096	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic	Engrave	12,000	80%	0.1	1	0.096	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 10mm	Cut	100	80%	—	1	11.5	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 25mm	Cut	100	80%	—	8	92.2	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic	Engrave	12,000	S800	0.1	1	0.096	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 10mm	Cut	100	S800	—	1	11.5	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 25mm	Cut	100	S800	—	8	92.2	Convert →
LightBurn	Translucent Acrylic	Engrave	30,000	20%	0.1	1	0.0096	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Translucent Acrylic	Engrave	30,000	S200	0.1	1	0.0096	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic	Engrave	10,000	70%	0.08	1	0.202	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 20	Cut	100	S800 ?	—	10	230	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 5mm	Cut	100	S800 ?	—	1	23	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic	Engrave	10,000	70%	0.0833	1	0.202	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 20mm	Cut	100	S800	—	10	230	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 5mm	Cut	100	S800	—	1	23	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic	Engrave	10,000	50%	0.1	1	0.21	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 26	Cut	100	90%	—	10	378	Convert →
LightBurn	Acrylic · 8	Cut	100	90%	—	1	37.8	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic	Engrave	10,000	S500	0.1	1	0.21	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 26	Cut	100	S900	—	10	378	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Acrylic · 8	Cut	100	S900	—	1	37.8	Convert →
LightBurn	Translucent Acrylic	Engrave	8,000	30%	0.1	1	0.158	Convert →
LaserGRBL	Translucent Acrylic	Engrave	8,000	S300	0.1	1	0.158	Convert →
Bitmap	Black Acrylic	Engrave	9,000	15%	0.05	1	0.055	Convert →
Vector Line	Black Acrylic	Engrave	3,500	6%	—	1	0.0566	Convert →
-	Black Acrylic · 8mm	Cut	300	100%	—	1	11	Convert →
-	Black Acrylic · 6mm	Cut	250	80%	—	1	10.6	Convert →
Bitmap	Transparent acrylic	Engrave	24,000	20%	0.1	1	0.0275	Convert →
Vector Line	Transparent acrylic	Engrave	3,500	5%	—	1	0.0471	Convert →
-	Transparent acrylic · 20mm	Cut	50	100%	—	1	66	Convert →
-	Transparent acrylic · 3mm	Cut	700	80%	—	1	3.77	Convert →
Bitmap	Black acrylic	Engrave	10,000	40%	0.01	1	0.0029	Convert →
Vector Line	Black acrylic	Engrave	500	50%	—	1	0.072	Convert →
Bitmap	Black acrylic	Engrave	5,000	80%	0.05	1	0.048	Convert →
Vector Line	Black acrylic	Engrave	1,000	25%	—	1	0.075	Convert →
Bitmap	Acrylic	Engrave	8,000	80%	0.1	1	0.12	Convert →
Vector Line	Acrylic	Engrave	500	30%	—	1	0.72	Convert →
-	Acrylic · 5mm	Cut	60	80%	—	1	16	Convert →
-	Acrylic · 14mm	Cut	100	80%	—	10	96	Convert →
Bitmap	Acrylic	Engrave	2,000	80%	0.02	1	0.0288	Convert →
Vector Line	Acrylic	Engrave	500	80%	—	1	0.115	Convert →
-	Acrylic 1–3 mm · 1–3mm	Engrave	6,000	20%	—	1	0.011	Convert →
-	Acrylic 1–3 mm · 1–3mm	Engrave	6,000	20%	—	1	0.02	Convert →
-	Acrylic 3 mm · 3mm	Cut	150	100%	—	2	4.4	Convert →
-	Acrylic 3 mm · 3mm	Cut	150	100%	—	1	4	Convert →
-	Acrylic 5 mm · 5mm	Cut	150	100%	—	2	8	Convert →

Cast vs extruded

Epilog puts it simply: cast acrylic turns a frosty white colour when engraved, while extruded acrylic gives a clear engraving; extruded cuts with a flame-polished edge, and cast can be cut but will not give that edge. Trotec’s acrylic guide also lists cast sheet as the one that engraves frosted. So: cast for engraved signs and awards, extruded for cut parts with glossy edges.

If the label is gone, cut a scrap: a glossy, flame-polished edge points to extruded.

Which acrylic a blue diode can cut

CO2 light (10.6 µm) is absorbed by acrylic of every colour, clear included. A blue diode (about 450 nm) is the opposite: dark, opaque colours absorb it; clear acrylic lets it pass straight through; white and some blue acrylic are listed as unsupported by Glowforge and could not be cut in one pass at 20 W by xTool. xTool reports that very thin clear sheet can be cut after covering it with black paint or tape — a workaround, not a setting. See diode vs CO2 vs fiber.

Masking and finish

Cutting: Epilog generally leaves the masking on both sides, to protect against heat residue and scratches.
Engraving: remove the masking from the face you engrave, or you engrave the paper and leave adhesive behind. For signs, engrave the back with the artwork mirrored and keep the front cover on while you handle it.
Hold-down: thin sheet warps with heat; keep it flat so the focus does not wander.
Fit: for slots and inlays, measure your kerf with the kerf & joint-fit calculator.

How to run an acrylic test

Use a scrap of the same sheet: cast and extruded, and different colours, behave differently.
For engraving, run LightBurn’s Material Test (power against speed); on cast, stop at the first box that is evenly frosted (LightBurn).
For cutting, cut a small square at a fixed speed and add passes until it drops out cleanly; on a diode, stay with dark opaque sheet.
Stay at the machine for every test — acrylic can catch fire.

FAQ

Can a diode laser cut clear acrylic?: No. A blue diode’s light (about 450 nm) passes through clear acrylic instead of being absorbed. White and some blue acrylic are also listed as unsupported. Dark, opaque acrylic cuts fine. A CO2 laser cuts acrylic of any colour.
What diode laser settings do makers give for acrylic?: AtomStack cuts 3–10 mm (colour not stated) at 50–100 mm/min with 80–100 % power, about 6–40 J/mm in one pass, and engraves at 6,000–12,000 mm/min. TwoTrees cuts 3 mm at 150 mm/min and 100 % (two passes on 5.5 W). Scale a row to your machine and test.
Should I use cast or extruded acrylic?: Cast for engraving: it turns frosty white. Extruded for cutting: it leaves a flame-polished edge but engraves clear rather than white. Epilog and Trotec both describe it this way.
Should I remove the protective paper before laser cutting acrylic?: For cutting, Epilog generally leaves it on both sides to protect against heat residue and scratches. For engraving, remove it from the face you are engraving, or you will engrave the paper and leave adhesive behind.

Sources

Sources for the laser-type verdicts

Last checked 2026-11-01 · Maker values and calculations; we did not process this material ourselves.

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