{"id":45862,"date":"2014-09-03T10:59:34","date_gmt":"2014-09-03T17:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/?p=45862"},"modified":"2014-09-03T07:02:40","modified_gmt":"2014-09-03T14:02:40","slug":"10-great-materials-for-laser-cutting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/materials\/10-great-materials-for-laser-cutting\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Great Materials for Laser Cutting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ponoko’s most popular materials for laser cutting with pricing info, pros and cons, and example project ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ponoko Materials Catalog offers a wide variety of high quality sheet materials for laser cutting. From those awesome new Premium materials<\/a> down to plain old (but ever-so-useful) cardboard,<\/a> there is a material option for every making scenario. Each material is thoroughly tested to ensure that it cuts cleanly, engraves nicely and just generally looks good. With all these great materials on offer, how do you know which one to choose? <\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a snapshot of the top ten materials available for laser cutting in your Ponoko Personal Factory. Each material overview includes a price range for the Ponoko sheet sizes, the number of varieties to choose from, and also important information about pros, cons and suggested usage scenarios.<\/p>\n

1. CARDBOARD<\/a><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> 50 cents to $4.00
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 4 different types
\nPros:<\/strong> Inexpensive, recyclable, easy to paint, easy to join (tape, glue, staples)
\nCons:<\/strong> Low durability, not suited to raster engraving
\nGreat for:<\/strong> early prototypes, package design, crafts, kids projects
\nMake something with cardboard!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0ACRYLIC
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $2 to $86
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 30 different types + colors, up to 6 different thicknesses
\nPros:<\/strong> High quality look and finish, high level of detail possible, engraves well, affordable
\nCons:<\/strong> Can crack under stress, can scratch
\nGreat for:<\/strong> jewelry, hardware\/electronic enclosures, signage, ornaments, wall art, mobiles
\nMake something with acrylic!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0BAMBOO
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $3.50 to $33
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 2 different types, 2 different thicknesses
\nPros:<\/strong> High quality look and finish, affordable, renewable resource
\nCons:<\/strong> Engraving results are inconsistent, large sheets are prone to warping
\nGreat for:<\/strong> jewelry, coasters, clocks, ornaments, picture frames, boxes, wall art, mobiles
\nMake something with bamboo!<\/a><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0PLYWOOD
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $3.50 to $34
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 2 different thicknesses
\nPros:<\/strong> Affordable, engraves well, easy to stain
\nCons:<\/strong> Slightly rough unfinished surface
\nGreat for:<\/strong> crafts, models, home decor, kids projects
\nMake something with plywood!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0FELT
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $7 to $45
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 15 different colors, up to 2 thicknesses
\nPros:<\/strong> 100% wool, high quality look and finish, renewable resource
\nCons:<\/strong> Strong burn smell, dark burned edge color
\nGreat for:<\/strong> jewelry, coasters, trivets, crafts, ornaments, lining
\nMake something with felt!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0MIRROR ACRYLIC
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $6 to $58.50
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 3 different colors
\nPros:<\/strong> Reflective, interesting effects possible, high quality look and finish, engraves well
\nCons:<\/strong> Can crack under stress, can scratch, prone to warping
\nGreat for:<\/strong> jewelry, signage, home decor, wall art, ornaments
\nMake something with\u00a0mirror acrylic! <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

7.\u00a0CORK
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $4.50 to $26
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 1 type
\nPros:<\/strong> Flexible, renewable resource
\nCons:<\/strong> Does not raster engrave well
\nGreat for:<\/strong> cushioning\/padding, coasters, crafts, kids projects, pin boards
\nMake something with\u00a0cork! <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0WOOD VENEER MDF
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $3.50 to $26
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 3 different types
\nPros:<\/strong> High quality look and finish, engraves well, solid\/substantial feel
\nCons:<\/strong> Inconsistent thickness between supply batches
\nGreat for:<\/strong> clocks, magnets, puzzles, coasters, ornaments, jewelry, picture frames
\nMake something with\u00a0wood veneer MDF!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

9.\u00a0LEATHER
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $13 to $104.50
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 5 different colors
\nPros:<\/strong> High quality look and finish, flexible, soft suede on back side,
\nCons:<\/strong> Expensive, low in-house inventory
\nGreat for:<\/strong> bracelets, bags, wallets, book covers, glasses case, iphone\/ipad cases, zipper pulls
\nMake something with leather!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

10.\u00a0MELAMINE MDF
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pricing:<\/strong> $2 to $11
\nVarieties:<\/strong> 1 type
\nPros:<\/strong> High quality look and finish, wipable melamine surface on both sides
\nCons:<\/strong> Only 1 thickness available
\nGreat for:<\/strong> countertops, tabletops, placemats, shelving
\nMake something with melamine MDF!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ponoko’s most popular materials for laser cutting with pricing info, pros and cons, and example project ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ponoko Materials Catalog offers a wide variety of high quality sheet materials for laser cutting. From those awesome new Premium materials down to plain old (but ever-so-useful) cardboard, there is a material option for every making scenario. Each material is thoroughly tested to ensure that it cuts cleanly, engraves nicely and just generally looks good.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5854],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-materials"],"yoast_head":"\n10 Great Materials for Laser Cutting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/materials\/10-great-materials-for-laser-cutting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 Great Materials for Laser Cutting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ponoko’s most popular materials for laser cutting with pricing info, pros and cons, and example project ideas The Ponoko Materials Catalog offers a wide variety of high quality sheet materials for laser cutting. 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