5a: My Aura/Spark is not cutting/engraving my acrylic

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The Aura and the Spark have the same type of laser and the same amount of power. So anytime I mention the Aura here, it applies to the Spark as well.

The Aura can only cut/engrave some colors of acrylic. From the Aura product page:

Glowforge Aura uses a blue, 6-watt, solid-state laser, so it is not compatible with glass, clear acrylic, white acrylic, blue acrylic, vinyl, or Draftboard®️ materials.

It’s important to realize that this applies to mirrored acrylics since they are clear acrylic with a mirror backing. The Aura simply can’t cut clear acrylic.

The Aura contains a diode laser, which is unable to cut certain colors. Glowforge guarantees being able to cut Aura-compatible proofgrade materials, so your official color choices are limited.

There are other colors the Aura might cut, and other third-party companies have published guides about which work best. Houston Acrylic is one such company, here is their list:

And Craft Closet:

This is not an official recommendation from Glowforge, so the info on their site may be inaccurate. As with any unknown material, you can expect to do some testing to get it exactly right, and you should use best safety practices when doing so.

If you’re unable to cut Aura-compatible proofgrade acrylic, please refer to the official Aura cut troubleshooting guide here:

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