Hello my friends. So I just came back from a trip into NYC where I got some of the most beautiful cast acrylic - rose gold, white, rose gold mirror. So I measured with my caliper and went to do an test cut and the scariest message came up from GF saying I was about to negate my warranty. Do I need to only cut proofgrade product? What do all of you do? Thank you!
Standard warning to remind you to check your settings and watch your print. You’re going to see it every time you deviate from Proofgrade settings on proofgrade materials, but it shouldn’t prevent the print. (Any damage to the machine wouldn’t be covered by warranty in that case. That’s why they suggest you keep an eye on it.)
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Thank you Jules. So does everyone just use “other than proof grade” and its ok?
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Hello Janet,
That standard warning is just to satisfy the company lawyers in covering the company’s backside, liability you know - The energy of the laser can start a fire.
We have lasered everything from rice grains to tortillas. Cardboard burns easily as you can imagine, but one thing to stay away from is PVC. Bad for you and the machine.
There have been cases where acrylic caused a fire, so just pay attention. in case of a flair-up;
Damp rag to drop on it
Squirt bottle
911 
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It’s okay as long as you are using laser safe material, and you have the correct settings for whatever you are cutting. If you don’t have the correct settings, and the machine gets damaged in some way, you’ll be paying for any repairs. That’s all it means.
It’s a strong reminder to know what you’re doing before deviating from the “we do everything for you” condition that these machines ship in. So some research and testing is usually required for each new material.
(At least that’s how it’s supposed to work. In the real world, there are maybe 12 of us who actually did it that way. Go look in the Beyond the Manual section for settings, and make sure to watch your prints to make sure you don’t set fire to the machine.) 
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Using a laser is kind of like learning to cook. Even though Glowforge is like using electric vs. great-grandma’s wood cook stove… It’s much easier and safer but there are things you just don’t do. You don’t throw any old thing in the fry pan, turn it on high and hope it doesn’t catch fire. It’s easy to learn but still takes common sense.
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One thing to remember is that cast acrylic is pretty standard. I know for a fact that the first shipments of materials to pre-release folks to test out, before Proofgrade was available for sale, was Chemcast. They may have switched suppliers, but I have never noted a difference in how it processes. I have many sheets of it and have done lots of good stuff.
Pay attention when you are using it. Do some tests. It is a good warning for all of us that any time we use the laser, there could be an unexpected outcome and you need to be ready for it. Enjoy your goodies.
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Thanks for the help everyone!
@janet2 Using non-Proofgrade materials does not void your warranty, but if there is a problem with your materials that damages your Glowforge, the damage caused by your materials would not be covered under the warranty.
The full details of the warranty are available at https://glowforge.com/warranty.