When using Acrylic would use 1/4 or 1/8

I would like to ask the GlowForge community when using Acrylic what is your preference on the thickness of this product is it 1/4in or 1/8in. And if you have any favorite places that you purchase your Acrylic.

The glowforge does much better with 1/8" materials than 1/4", but acrylic is one of the materials I would say “either works pretty well”, because it tends to be so consistent.

As for sources, just search the forum for “acrylic source”, and you’ll find thread after thread that covers it.

For more information about sources and whatnot, check out #1a:

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I buy 99% of all of my materials locally. Plastics I get from a company called Regal Plastic, they have branches throughout the midwest. My wood products are usually purchased from local lumber (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menards, Sutherlands or Meeks) or exotic wood stores (OP Hardwoods). I also frequent local sawmills for custom cuts.

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It really depends on what you’re making.

I overwhelmingly prefer 1/8" for most of what I’d make with it. Sometimes I go down to 1/16" when I am making something like a frame where it’s meant to be the “glass.” I almost never use 1/4", but I’m making smaller things generally.

I think the best place to buy general acrylic is at a local plastics supplier. Prices tend to be lower and you don’t have to worry about shipping. You may need to cut it down or pay them to do it, though. Other than that, yeah, a search will give you the best options. I have a thread about “Fun acrylics” and that has a lot of options. There have been a lot of places crop up recently like Cerulean Tides and Waii Supplies (if you Google either, you’ll find them easily) that cater to laser users. They are always trying to find cool acrylic options.

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This.

The machine, however, is best suited to ~1/8" material. You can cut thicker but it’s not optimal.

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I actually haven’t had any trouble cutting 1/4" clear/bottle green.

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Thank you :grinning:

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Beautiful colors thank you again.

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Take a look at Galaxy Plastic . I have 85 to 90 of their colors

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1/4 acrylic is one of the few thick materials I use, especially in clear or water edge green. That said, it is far less durable vs plywood so other than lenses or clear covers, I rarely use it.

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I’ve yet to run into a problem cutting 1/4" acrylic, or plywood, or hardwood. I tend to stick to the species that have PG settings for that.
1/2" failed me (well, I gave up after like 7 passes :stuck_out_tongue: )

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I have purchased over $750 of acrylic from this store on Etsy. I only use 1/8".
Great stuff and fast delivery.
MODFYbuild | Etsy

For 3D objects, such as boxes I’m going to assemble, I like 1/8". For stuff I’m just cutting, such as wall art or plant propagators, I love the look of 1/4". I like having both on hand, since they are both useful materials.

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I do a lot of edge lit stuff and the 6mm acrylic is much more effective for these projects. My source is cut offs from a lighting contractor. I got boatloads of it for cheap so that is my preference.

I have used 1/8" for windows on projects like for vigil lamps or display boxes. So I keep some of that handy.

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