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Laser material compatibility: diode, CO2 and fiber lasers
This table lists what 8 laser manufacturers publish about engraving and cutting 22 materials with diode, CO2 and fiber lasers. Each cell shows Yes or No and the number of manufacturers that list it. Cells where manufacturers disagree are marked Disagree. Each material has its own page with the manufacturers' wording and links.
Material lookup
Compatibility table: 22 materials, 3 laser types, 2 jobs
Each cell counts manufacturer statements, not lab tests. 35 of 132 cells are Not listed.
| Material | Diode engrave | Diode cut | CO2 engrave | CO2 cut | Fiber engrave | Fiber cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABS plastic | Not listed | Not listed | Disagree | No (2) | Yes (1) | Not listed |
| Anodized aluminum | Yes (2) | Not listed | Yes (1) | Not listed | Yes (2) | Not listed |
| Ceramic and tile | Yes (1) | Not listed | Yes (2) | No (1) | Yes (1) | Not listed |
| Clear and transparent acrylic | No (4) | No (3) | Yes (3) | Yes (3) | No (3) | No (2) |
| Coated carbon fiber | No (1) | Not listed | Not listed | No (2) | Not listed | Not listed |
| Cork | Yes (2) | Yes (1) | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | Not listed | Not listed |
| Dark and opaque acrylic | Yes (3) | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | Yes (1) | Yes (2) | No (1) |
| Fabric and felt | Yes (2) | Yes (1) | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | No (1) | Not listed |
| Faux leather, pleather, leatherette | No (2) | No (2) | No (2) | No (2) | No (1) | No (1) |
| Fiberglass and epoxy | Not listed | Not listed | No (1) | No (1) | Not listed | Not listed |
| Foam (polystyrene, polypropylene) | Not listed | Yes (1) | Not listed | Disagree | Not listed | No (1) |
| Genuine leather | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | Yes (3) | Yes (1) | Disagree | No (1) |
| Glass | No (2) | Not listed | Yes (2) | No (2) | No (2) | Not listed |
| HDPE and other polyethylene | Yes (1) | Not listed | Disagree | No (2) | Yes (1) | Not listed |
| Laser rubber | Yes (2) | Not listed | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | Yes (1) | Not listed |
| Paper and cardstock | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | Yes (1) | Not listed |
| Plywood and MDF | Yes (1) | Yes (1) | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | No (1) | No (1) |
| Polycarbonate (Lexan) | Not listed | Not listed | No (1) | No (1) | Not listed | Not listed |
| PVC and vinyl | Disagree | No (3) | No (3) | No (3) | Disagree | No (2) |
| Solid wood (hardwood and softwood) | Yes (3) | Yes (2) | Yes (3) | Yes (2) | No (3) | No (2) |
| Stainless steel (bare) | Disagree | Disagree | No (3) | No (2) | Yes (4) | Yes (2) |
| Stone, slate and marble | Yes (3) | Not listed | Yes (2) | No (1) | Yes (2) | Not listed |
Sources
The site draws on 23 pages from 15 sources. Nine make lasers or fume extractors: xTool, Glowforge, OMTech, Monport, Epilog, Full Spectrum Laser, Boss Laser, Creality Falcon and FumeClear. Four are stores used for machine specs. Two are US agencies, OSHA and the FDA, used for the safety wording. All 23 pages are on the sources page.
Laser cutting and engraving give off fumes. The fume and room lookup compares a machine's listed exhaust airflow with the airflow that fume extractor manufacturers list.