"Do not laser" list?

[jkopel]

Just doing a little cross linking here for future searchability…

List of unsafe materials

So for many GF owners this will be their first laser cutter and are probably a bit intimidated as to how safe a material they might want to laser is. I have seen that most peoples answer is to google it, which is always a good idea however there is a lot of false info and bad sources also being a newbie they might not know exactly where to look. I thought it might be a good idea since its a good chance those people will look on here first to give people one place to go and see if the material th…

Plastic Codes - What is Laserable?

I think we all will be tempted to reuse plastics in our Glowforges… but before we go crazy it might worth checking the Resin Identification Codes (RIC) normally on the bottom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code From my understanding we should OK lasering these codes: 1 - PET, 2 - HDPE, 4 - LDPE, 5 - PP, 6 - PS. And need to stay away from these codes: 3 - PVC/UPVC/PPCV Code 7 - Other includes: Acrylic (OK), ABS (Bad), Polyurethane (Bad). [image] A couple of previous pos…

How to determine if plastic "x" is safe to use

No green flame just means it doesn’t have chlorine in it, it doesn’t speak to other possible bad results like cyanide, formaldehyde etc., or some flammability concerns around things like polystyrene that I have seen mentioned. I would like to refer everyone back to the List of unsafe materials thread. It has a lot of great information and goes well beyond just the chlorine issue from Vinyl. And The Safety Thread should be mandatory reading, since it is very likely that pretty much every one o…

Any chance we can make a "Definitely NOT Laser-able" thread?

Any way we could get a sticky thread on materials that are known “no no’s” in the laser world? Im sure there are tons of individual threads but I was hoping there could be one thread that is updated with a list of things that are unsafe to laser. I have experience with CNC’s and 3d printers but never a laser cutter. So someone like me would find it useful to have a place to go and check if something is safe to throw in the ole glowforge. This may already exist without my knowledge. If it does, …

Materials that aren't certified laser safe

Nowhere did I say they should provide a list of safe materials. I said they should explain why materials are unsafe, because then you teach the user how to decide for themselves, and given the relative low level of experience the vast majority of this forum (and probably the total customer base), I think it’s a really smart move. Also, you’re laser cutting materials - no one is lasing anything except for the glowforge itself.

Question: Are there other "unsafe" materials besides green-flame chlorine, what about reflective metals?

The goal on this site is safety of final product, but handling of the wood, avoidance of fumes//dust, etc, can be derived from this list. Some information explaining the terms (like Sensitizer) on the bottom of the page. Some, like YEW, are pretty straight forward, (DIRECT TOXIN), and Oleander goes even further since every aspect is Toxic. http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/