What can be laser cut, and which material suits your job?

Our laser in Singapore cuts acrylic from 3 mm to 25 mm, plywood and MDF from 3 mm to 12 mm, paper, card, leather, felt, EVA and PE foam, and fabric, while metal plate is laser cut through our sheet metal service. PVC and vinyl never go in the machine, because their fumes are dangerous.

Laser cutting materials: what each one suits

Ask us which sheet fits your job

Acrylic: the first choice for signs and display pieces

Acrylic is the workhorse of the laser bed. We cut it from 3 mm to 25 mm in clear, frosted and the full Pantone colour range, plus mirrored and metallic finishes.

• 3 mm to 5 mm suits small interior signs and layered builds.
• 10 mm to 25 mm gives a chunky, glowing edge and stands up as freestanding letters.
• The edge comes off the laser clean, and flame-polishing gives a display piece a glassy finish.

For letter styles, mounting and fitting, see our acrylic signage buyer’s guide. Choosing between clear acrylic and a clear 3D print? Our transparent parts guide compares them.

Plywood and MDF: the sheet for models and fretwork

Both cut from 3 mm to 12 mm, and they carry most of our model work: baseboards, facade panels, fretwork and packaging inserts.

In our laser cut wooden architectural model, every floor plate, room divider, facade panel and walkway deck was cut from thin plywood. The timber was left raw so it reads as the building itself. The same bed cuts fine diamond-lattice facade screens, a repeating pattern no craft knife could keep even.

Paper, card and leather: fine detail for print and small goods

All three cut cleanly, so the laser handles invitations, tags, templates and packaging as readily as model parts. Leather goes the same way for tags, patches and personalised goods.

For architects, cut card is a quick, low-cost way to study a design before committing to timber or acrylic.

Felt, foam and fabric: soft parts for inserts, gaskets and patches

The laser also cuts soft sheet, with no blade to drag or squash it.

• EVA and PE foam suit case inserts, gaskets and padding. The beam melts a smooth edge as it cuts, so a pocket comes out clean with no crumbs.
• Felt suits pads, liners and patches. Synthetic felt seals at the edge and does not fray.
• Fabric suits patches, appliqué and pattern pieces. Synthetic fabric seals at the cut edge too, so it does not unravel.

Soft sheet comes in many thicknesses and blends, so tell us the material and its thickness, or send a sample, and we confirm before anything runs.

Send us your insert or patch shape

Metal: engraved on our laser, cut through our sheet metal service

Flat non-metal sheet goes on our laser cutter. Metal plate is laser cut as part of our sheet metal service, in:

• Stainless steel (304 and 316) and mild steel, up to 60 mm thick.
• Aluminium, up to 40 mm.
• Brass and copper, up to 15 mm.

Thinner sheet can then be bent into brackets, trays and enclosures. Send the drawing and we confirm the thickness, sheet size and finish.

Our own laser still marks metal: anodised aluminium, coated and stainless steel take a permanent engraving. A solid metal part with thick sections or precise machined faces is a job for CNC machining instead.

Send us your metal drawing

PVC and vinyl: never on the laser

Lasering PVC or vinyl releases corrosive chlorine-based fumes that are dangerous to people and ruin the machine.

If a material is not on this page, do not assume. Tell us what it is, or what you think it is, and we confirm before anything runs. We review every file and flag anything that will not cut or engrave cleanly.

Cutting or engraving: one file can do both

A cut goes straight through the sheet. An engraving marks the surface without breaking through, which is how names, logos and shaded artwork go onto a finished piece.

• In your file: black strokes cut, red strokes engrave.
• On the price: cutting is priced per A4 piece, and engraving by the area and detail, so one name on a tumbler costs far less than a tray of densely engraved tags.

On a batch of personalised tumblers, the laser burned through the powder coating to the bright metal beneath, so each name reads crisply and survives the dishwasher. Everything we engrave is on our laser engraving and cutting page.

Set up your cut and engrave layers

Accuracy: plus or minus 0.1 mm, allowing for the kerf

Every laser cut has a kerf, the thin sliver of material the beam burns away, so a cut has width in the same way a saw cut does. On our laser the kerf is tight and finished parts hold plus or minus 0.1 mm. Masking film and air-assist keep scorch off the visible face, which matters when the part is the product.

Send a DXF, AI, SVG or PDF with your cut and engrave layers to our laser cutting service in Singapore for a same-day quote.