Cutting and engraving "mirror" acrylic?

Hi everyone,

I’d like to cut some laser-proof acrylic with a very high reflection coefficient (probably not the right technical term, but it’s basically a mirror).

Is there a risk that the laser will bounce back and damage the laser head (just like it would on an aluminium sheet for example)? If so, can I prevent that with masking tape?

Here the kind of acrylic I’m talking about:

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Search is your buddy!

https://community.glowforge.com/search?context=topic&context_id=38389&q=Mirror%20acrylic&skip_context=true

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Of course it is, silly me.

Thanks for the link, seems like I still needed my morning coffee.

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Yeah, you’re definitely okay with masking. I’ve never had any trouble with it, lasering from either side.

(I like to mask both sides, in case of flashback on the backside too…it can screw up the edges if the settings aren’t perfect.)

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This made me lol. Round here we call the stuff with the high reflection coefficient “mirrored acrylic” lol. :wink: Welcome to the group, you’re going to fit in great around here. :slight_smile:

I just wanted to chime in and mention the masking. If yours came with the plastic masking, I’d remove it and replace it with paper masking as the plastic stuff can melt and mar the surface. FWIW, I use a speed of 140 and power of 85 with good results.

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Moved to Beyond the Manual so we can discuss settings. :slight_smile:

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