Mylar for Aura

Hi. Someone asked me to cut out some stencils for them on my Glowforge Aura using Mylar sheets from Amazon. I did an online search, and a search on the forum but I still cannot find out if Mylar is safe to use on my Aura. I know I can’t cut white or clear acrylic so I was assuming it would be the same problem but does anyone know for sure? Thank you!!

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There’s been some discussion. One sec maybe I can find it.

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Sounds like maybe @cynd11 tried it?

https://community.glowforge.com/search?context=topic&context_id=138364&q=Aura%20mylar&skip_context=true

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No, I’ve not been able to cut the semitransparent Mylars on my Aura (cuts great on the Pro though!). It’s just not a material that the diode lasers can cut, due to color and transparency. However, if they don’t need to be reusable, I cut paper stencils on my Aura all the time. Also masking paper, which has a light tack adhesive on one side.

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Thank you so much! That answers my question, it seemed to me that it would have the same limitations as white and clear acrylic but I couldn’t find a definitive answer about Mylar specifically. As always, I appreciate the quick responses by this community. :heart:

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Do they make black Mylar?

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Mylar is a polyethylene variant called BoPET.

Here is a black PET offering:

https://a.co/d/1Y99LXm

Might be worth a shot?

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I read somewhere about hitting mylar with matte black spray paint before cutting with an LED laser. :thinking:

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Oh I love the black mylar idea! I had told the person who asked for this favor that they might have better luck asking someone who simply has a Cricut. She said, “Oh I have a Cricut!” LOL!!!

But I was still curious about this in case I ever wanted to cut mylar myself in the future. I believe she wanted me to cut a stencil, and in that case the black mylar would have definitely worked. I was unsure if the incompatibility with Mylar was the COLOR or if it would dangerous - such as a fire or melting risk. From the responses here it appears it’s a color issue like with acrylic. All good to know. Thank you!

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