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The name “acrylic” refers to the plastic made from acrylate monomers that themselves derive from acrylic acid (propenoic acid) formed by the oxidation of propylene. Acrylic is particularly noted for its high degree of transparency, resistance to both tensile and compressive forces, and elasticity. While acrylic is a generic industry name, several branded versions of acrylic exist with one notable brand being Plexiglass. Different brands will use slightly different chemical compositions to improve the plastics' ability to resist UV, temperature changes, and resist shattering if broken.

Interestingly, the brand Plexiglass was developed in 1933 where German researchers were trying to develop safety glass. A layer of methyl methacrylate was sandwiched between two sheets of glass which would separate itself from the glass, and after exposure to sunlight, the resulting sheet was discovered to be ideal for the job.

With regards to application, acrylic can be found in almost all industries spanning from manufacturing to domestic products. Thanks to the transparency of acrylic, it also finds itself replacing glass as it offers a lower weight, is inherently more safe (i.e. doesn’t shatter), and is easier to machine. Furthermore, acrylic is also found in nail polish, paints, and adhesives thanks to the ability for acrylic to form strong bonds.

When considering the price of acrylic, it is essential to also take into consideration its characteristics, ease of machining, and safety advantages compared to other materials such as glass and metal. By far the most important factor to consider with acrylic is that it doesn’t shatter and cause damage in the same way that glass does. This is why transparent acrylic sheets are often used over glass panels in windows and other transparent applications.

Another major advantage offered by acrylic is that it works extremely well with acrylic glues. Such glues (which take advantage of a liquefied acrylic solution), chemically bond two pieces of acrylic together (as opposed to an electrostatic force commonly found in superglue and tape), meaning that two pieces of glues acrylic can be just as strong as a molded piece.

Finally, the speed at which acrylic can be cut using a laser cutter helps to justify the high price of acrylic as it can be machined extremely fast while offering a high degree of precision. Ponoko only stocks engineering-grade materials (including acrylic) that ensure consistent material properties between all parts manufactured. An acrylic part manufactured by Ponoko today will be virtually identical to another part manufactured in a year's time.

Of all mainstream industrial laser technologies that exist, CO2 lasers are by far the best choice for cutting acrylic. The reason for this comes down to the fact that CO2 lasers are infrared beams (i.e. not visible), and acrylic is good at absorbing this wavelength of light. Therefore, CO2 lasers can efficiently cut acrylic without bleeding the laser light damaging other areas of the acrylic sheet.

LED lasers are a cheaper technology compared to CO2 lasers and as such are found in many desktop laser cutters. While these can cut acrylic, it is generally not advised as such lasers produce visible light which can pass through the acrylic sheet. This makes them very inefficient and cutting which not only slows down the laser cutter, but also reduces the quality of the final cut.

Fibre lasers are some of the industry’s most powerful laser cutters, and are excellent for numerous materials. While fibre can cut plastic, it can be argued that fibre lasers are simply too overpowered for acrylic and thus can cause too much damage to the acrylic sheet as well as waste machine time that could otherwise be used for more appropriate materials (such as sheet metals).

To ensure the highest quality of our laser-cut acrylic parts, Ponoko is home to many different laser cutting stations all utilising different technologies. Each machine is configured to pair perfectly with a select list of materials most appropriate for that setup. As such, each and every laser-cut acrylic part not only conforms to our strict standards, but also provides the best quality edge finishing while maximising cost-efficiency and speed of production.

One common use for laser-cut transparent acrylic is in light-pipes found in consumer electronics. Surface mount LEDs on a PCB that need to get their light to the edge of an enclosure can utilize acrylic light guides that act like a fibre optic cable and reflect the light from the LED to the edge.

Enclosures for electronics devices can also be manufactured from laser-cut acrylic sheets. As laser cutters produce 2D designs, engineers have two options for creating an enclosure; either explode the 3D shape into 2D parts that fit together, or slice the design into stacked layers. This can be ideal for prototyping enclosures without having to pay for expensive 3D additive processes such as injection molding.

Acrylic sheets can also be used in place of glass where transparency is required. Such examples include fish tanks, chemical containers, windows, and screen protectors. If engraved, acrylic sheets can have light shine on their side which causes the engraving to light up, and this is highly popular in commercial advertisement displays and stands.

One of the biggest benefits of laser cutting machines is that they are not specialized for any specific designs, but instead, consist of two-axis controls with a variable power laser head. Once connected to a computer (or CNC controller), a laser cutter can be fed numeric code commands to cut the outline of any 2D shape without the need for any special machine setup, configuration, or customisation. The moment a laser cutter is finished cutting out one shape, it can immediately start with another totally different shape.

Another major benefit to using laser cutters with acrylic sheets is that laser cutters use a laser beam to vaporise the acrylic, and as such apply no mechanical force to the acrylic part. This not only allows for delicate parts to be machined, but it also allows for parts to be cut out in their entirety without the need for tabs or breakouts. As such, laser-cut acrylic parts can be true to their source design.

At the same time, the lack of mechanical forces on the part being cut reduces warpage that is otherwise found when using CNC mills, saws, or routers. The lack of a tool also sees virtually no wear down on the laser cutter during use, and this helps to drive the cost of laser cutting down.