Acrylic, also known as PMMA, is a material that has several benefits, both on its ease of use and on its durability. More and more consumers love laser cut acrylic projects because of their beauty and practicality. Laser cutting and laser engraving acrylic products are found in many fields, from small keychains to large industrial applications. As an advantageous cutting method, acrylic laser cutters have gradually become the best equipment for acrylic engraving and cutting.
This article will show you several amazing laser cut acrylic projects and recommend three cost-effective acrylic cutting machines.
What is acrylic
Let’s take a quick look at the acrylic material before checking the laser cutting acrylic projects. Acrylic is a transparent plastic material with excellent strength, rigidity and optical clarity. It can be cut and engraved for various purposes.
When it comes to ease of use and durability, the acrylic material itself offers many benefits. The mechanical properties of acrylic are affected by the thickness chosen. But regardless of the thickness, the acrylic material will remain stable and resistant to bumps and cracks. Acrylic is also water resistant, so it also suitable for projects that may be subject to erosion of water or similar liquids.
Laser cut acrylic projects
Since the acrylic material has a wide range of advantages, it is widely used in multiple sectors. Acrylic laser cutting machines are one of the most advantageous machines for laser cutting and laser engraving. It can give a full play of the characteristics of both the acrylic material and the laser technology.
Let’s look at the laser cut acrylic and laser engraving acrylic projects together. You may get inspiration from these projects and make your own custom acrylic cutting products.
Laser cut acrylic signs
Laser cut acrylic signs are deeply loved by companies, hotels, advertising and other industries. Lightweight laser cutting acrylic signs are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The following pictures show three types of laser cut acrylic signs.
The first one is laser cut acrylic letters, which can come as small as 2cm and as large as 100cm. Various colors and thickness make these acrylic letters suitable for company names.
The second one is a beautiful and transparent laser cut clear acrylic welcome sign. You can use it on your wedding and can also engrave your wedding vows and date on such laser cut clear acrylic signs. The clearness of this laser cut clear acrylic signs symbolizes the pure love between you and your beloved. It is also a souvenir to recall the happiest day of your life. In addition, due to the durable and broken-resistant features, you can keep this sign for a lifetime.
The third picture shows the laser cut acrylic numbers. These numbers can be used as the room number in places like hotels, schools, office buildings, etc. With the use of LED light, the acrylic room numbers are no longer tedious.
Laser cut acrylic decorations
There are many types of laser cut acrylic decorations. For example, artworks on the wall, ornaments on the table, holiday pendents and ornaments, etc. Thanks to the features of acrylic material, the laser cut or laser engraving acrylic decorations are both beautiful and durable without aging.
The above pictures show three laser cut and laser engraving acrylic decorations. The first two are acrylic engraving ornaments in regular shape. You can engrave various letters and patterns on it. For instance, you can engrave a inspiring sentence on it. Every time you see this sentence, it will give you strength to face the difficulties of life. You can also engrave a picture of your loved ones on it. It is an excellent choice to put in your office or home. Or you can just buy a blank one and use it as an agenda or notebook. When you think of something, you can write on it with a whiteboard pen. After finishing all agendas, erase the handwriting and use it for the next agenda.
The third picture is the irregular shape laser cut acrylic Christmas ornaments. You can use an acrylic laser cutting machine to engrave the patterns of Christmas tree, Santa Claus or snowflake, and then cut down according to the outline of the patterns. Beautiful Christmas acrylic engraving and cut decorations are ready now. Such decorations are very popular around Christmas and New Year holiday.
Laser cut acrylic lights
Laser cut acrylic lights are the combination of acrylic material and LED lights. The construction of acrylic material provides a marvelous light reflection. Combined with LED lights of different colors, these laser cut acrylic lights can not only illuminate but also decorate the room.
You can use an acrylic laser cutting machine to cut the acrylic material and splice the parts into a light, like the one in the left picture. Or you can engrave various patterns on the acrylic material and cut it down along the outline, like the one in the right picture.
The light in the first picture can use high-brightness LED light. Acrylic of various colors reflects light of various colors under the illumination of light LED. It is exquisite.
The light in the second picture just uses a simple acrylic lampshade. It can be used in hotel corridors, etc., to provide illumination for customers walking in the dark.
You can put the tree-shaped laser cut acrylic light in your bedroom. This light will not be too bright to make you unable to sleep. It can provide you with light when you wake up to prevent tripping.
Laser cut acrylic keychains
Everyone should have a laser cut keychains, because it has a wide range of styles, shapes and patterns. Besides, it’s difficult to break. It makes your keys noticeable and unique.
The laser cut acrylic kaychains in the first picture are popular with female and kids. They have many cute patterns on it. You can also buy couple models and wear it with your lover.
If you are a car buff, you can also choose the keychains as shown in the right picture. There are many car models for you to choose from. The custom laser cut acrylic keychains with your name on it are also a perfect choice. The font and acrylic color for acrylic engraving of these keychains are subject to your choice. These personalized laser cut acrylic keychains make your keys noticeable. You can also give these keychains as a gift to your friends and I believe they will like it.
Laser cut acrylic trophies and medals
Previously, the transparent trophies are made of glass. They are easy to break and require careful preservation. But now, most of such trophies and medals adopt acrylic material cut and engraved by acrylic laser cutters. Similar to the fragile glass, the acrylic material is also transparent and clear. Differently, the acrylic are broken resistant. You don’t have to worry that your hard-earned honor breaks into pieces by careless touch.
Laser cut acrylic trophies and medals are available in various shapes. You can also have custom acrylic cutting trophies and medals according to specific events. For example, the trophies in the first picture consists of a wood board and an acrylic letter M. It’s a trophy for media award, so it uses a laser cut acrylic letter M. And the wood board has the name of the award and of the awardee on it.
Acrylic trophies and medals are delicate and easy to preserve and have gradually replaced the glass ones.
Laser cut acrylic jewelry
Seeing this laser cut acrylic jewelry, I knew it must be very popular with girls. There are many types of acrylic jewelry, including earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, hairpins, etc. You can use your imagination to cut out various shapes and colors of laser cut acrylic jewelry with a laser cutter.
Acrylic material is very light, so you won’t feel tired after wearing it all day long. Besides, the price of acrylic is not expensive, and changing an earring every day will not cost a lot of money. I love acrylic jewelry because you get all the glitz and glam without breaking the bank.
Laser cut acrylic organizers
In addition to the decorative acrylic items, there are many practical laser-cut acrylic items. For example, desktop storage. If your desktop is messy, laser-cut acrylic storage is a good choice.
Picture one above shows an acrylic business card holder. You can place your business card on it, and then put it on the front desk of your company. Moreover, you can choose to engrave the company’s slogan or a sentence you like on the laser cut acrylic business card holder. Customers are easy to see your company’s culture and values clearly when they pick up the business card.
The middle and right pictures show laser cut clear acrylic boxes. The transparent box makes people feel clean and hygienic. And it’s easy to see what’s inside and how much tissue or how many tea bags are left. So people can supplement the box in time. Similarly, it is also permissive to make acrylic engraving patterns on these boxes. You can even place an ad on the box to promote your business.
Laser cut acrylic organizers and storage boxes are available in many shapes, styles and colors. They have wide applications in homes, restaurants, canteens, staff lounge, kitchens and so forth.
Laser cut acrylic stands
The above pictures show laser cut acrylic stands for holding items.
Are you still looking for something to let your phone lean on it? Try the acrylic phone stand in the first picture. You can put your phone on it, either horizontally or vertically, which is convenient for your study and entertainment. There is a gap in the charging port, which is convenient for you to charge your phone. Such acrylic phone stands can have a variety of designs and various acrylic engraving patterns on it. You may also carve hollow graphics or make custom patterns on the stands. Small items have big uses.
The stand in the middle picture is used to hold your necklaces, earrings and other jewelry. Such laser cut acrylic jewelry stand is convenient for you to choose and take the necklace. Putting necklaces this way makes them unlikely to entangle with each other.
The right picture shows an acrylic stand used to put wine. It can play an important role at homes or in restaurants. All the wine is placed horizontally on the shelf, saving much space. Besides, each bottle of wine occupies a position, and taking out and putting in a bottle will not affect the wine in other positions.
Laser cut acrylic display stands
Except for the small acrylic stands mentioned above, there are also large-sized laser cut acrylic stands as shown in pictures above. Many shops, stores and malls use these stands to display their products. These display stands usually have multiple layers and are secure enough to place lightweight products. For example, cosmetics, nail polish, jewelry, toys, cupcakes, etc.
The display stand with multiple drawers in the right picture has more storage space. The drawers can store items and protect them from dust and humidity.
Laser cut acrylic toys
Is there any laser cut acrylic project for kids? Yes. See the laser cut acrylic toys shown in the pictures above. Acrylic is light in weight, so children can handle it without great effort. Bright colors will also attract children’s attention.
The chess set in the first picture is not only designed for children. Adults can also enjoy intense and exciting fighting moments. Both the chess board and pieces are made of acrylic, lending the set a retro vibe that’s only accentuated by its oversized construction. Depending on the look you’re going for, you can choose different color schemes. Each of the 32 pieces is screen printed with their character silhouette.
The flakes interlocking disc set in the middle picture can exercise children’s hands-on ability and imagination. Children can use their imagination to splice various shapes. With this toy, your child can be quiet for an hour, and you have time to watch TV series.
The laser cut acrylic animal toys in the right picture are popular with younger children. These toys cut with laser have smooth edges, so children won’t get hurt. When your children grow older, they can also be put on the table as decorations.
Laser cut acrylic stamps
The last laser cut acrylic project that I’d like to mention is laser cutting and laser engraving stamps. The common usage of such stamps is to seal patterns on soap, as shown in the first two pictures. Soap producers usually use such laser cut acrylic stamps to seal various patterns, letters, logo or words on the soap. These stamps can also seal on papers, like the heart-shaped stamp in the third picture.
Acrylic engraving machines can realize the engraving of the custom patterns on the stamps and the cutting of the stamp shape.
Acrylic cutting machines
There are many types of acrylic cutting machines on the current market, whether manual cutting tools or CNC machines. But in terms of cutting quality, efficiency and speed, acrylic laser cutters are no doubt the best choice.
Before you cutting and engraving acrylic material, it’s also important to understand the types of acrylic. In fact, there are two types of acrylic suitable for laser processing: cast acrylic and extruded acrylic.
Cast acrylic sheet is made by pouring liquid acrylic into molds of various shapes and sizes. This type of acrylic is ideal for engraving. Because it will produce frosty white color when engraved. This material can be cut with an acrylic laser cutter, but it will not produce flame-polished edges.
Extruded acrylic is a material very suitable for laser cutting. It is generally cheaper than the cast acrylic and has a different reaction to laser beams. Extruded acrylic can cut clearly and smoothly, and there will be flame polished edges. But when engraving. it will not produce frosty look.
The current CNC acrylic cutting machines can basically realize the functions of acrylic cutting and acrylic engraving. Because of the high automation characteristics, it is easy to operate the CNC acrylic cutting machines.
Acrylic laser cutters
Acrylic laser cutters can cut clear and colored acrylic sheets into letters, numbers, signs, logos, patterns, arts and crafts. Depending on the type of acrylic you use, acrylic laser cutters can produce a smooth, flame-polished edge when laser cut. And it can also produce a bright, frosty white engraving when engraving.
The commonly used laser machine for acrylic sheet laser cutting is CO2 laser cutters. Compared with fiber laser machines, CO2 laser cutters have lower power. They are very suitable for cutting non-metallic materials such as acrylic and wood. In addition to cutting, acrylic laser cutters can also realize acrylic engraving.
Laser cut acrylic is usually best realized by relatively slow speed and high power. This cutting process allows the laser beam to melt the edges of the acrylic and essentially produce a flame-polished edge.
Laser cut acrylic thickness
The laser cut acrylic thickness depends on the power of the acrylic laser cutters.
A 30W or 40W CO2 laser cutting machine will cut through up to 6mm thick of acrylic. As you increase the power, you will be able to increase the thickness you can work with. A 50W or 60W acrylic cutting machine can cut through closer to 9mm of acrylic. A 75W or 120W laser may allow you to cut closer to 12mm or possibly 20mm of acrylic with two passes.
Advantages of laser cutting acrylic
As one of the most advantageous machine for acrylic cutting and acrylic engraving, laser cutting machines have many major benefits over traditional tools.
Laser cutting method drastically reduces processing time and increases efficiency. It produces crystal clear edges without the need for extra post-processing. Additionally, processing acrylic with a laser cutter can reduce costs up to 88% compared to traditional milling machinery due to reduced processing times and no additional tool and grind costs.
Product consistency is a big challenge for companies, especially for mass production. Acrylic laser cutting machine has high efficiency and precision to produce products consistently in a rapid manner.
Acrylic laser cutter Recommendation
Laser cutting acrylic is an exceptionally popular application for Blue Elephant CO2 laser cutting machines because of the high-quality results. Regardless of the shape or depth, our acrylic laser cutting machine can cut and engrave acrylic material accurately and effectively.
Based on different laser power and machine configuration, this acrylic cutting machine price is about $3,000-$4,700.
The following is a video of Blue Elephant 1390 CO2 laser cutting machine processing samples. Please see 29s-50s of this video directly for the acrylic cutting demonstration.
This acrylic cutting machine price is around $5,000-$7,000 according to specific laser power and configuration.
Check the 14s to 57s of the following video to see how this acrylic laser cutting machine works.
Acrylic CNC router
Another type of CNC acrylic cutting machine is the acrylic CNC router. It is a computer numerical controlled router machine designed for cutting and engraving various materials, including acrylic. The acrylic CNC router has features of easy operation, high precision, good processing quality and high efficiency. Size of the acrylic CNC router can be customized based on your processing demands.
Tips for cutting acrylic with a CNC router
- Choose a larger bit size
- Use a specialized CNC router bit
- Secure the acrylic
- Cut at a steady speed
- Keep the acrylic cool
Advantages of acrylic CNC router
The acrylic CNC router has a strong and rigid structure that supports demanding processes. This reliable structure helps to minimize the vibration during machining process. It also has a helical rack system and servo drive motor, both of which help to deliver smooth movement. Besides, the acrylic CNC router adopts vacuum hold-down worktable. It ensures the acrylic material stays in the correct place throughout the cutting process. All these advantages are helpful for cutting and engraving acrylic at a higher speed, producing higher volumes without losing quality.
Acrylic CNC router recommendation
Except for acrylic, this CNC router can also process many other materials, like wood, MDF, PVC board, rubber board, crystal, etc. The acrylic CNC router price varies greatly according to specific size and configuration.
Choose laser acrylic cutting machine or acrylic laser cutting service
There are also many companies on the market that provide online acrylic laser cutting service. If you do not need a lot of laser cutting projects, or cannot afford a laser cutting machine temporarily, you can choose the acrylic laser cutting service. But if you are a company engaging in processing laser cut acrylic products in batches, buying an acrylic laser cutter is your best choice.
Although the cost of acrylic laser cutting service is relatively low, the quality of laser cutting varies. You may need to spend a lot of money and time before you find a satisfactory acrylic laser cutting service provider. In addition, you may also need to wait in line if the acrylic laser cutting service provider is not available. Even if they can offer such service right now, it will also take time for the service provider to send back the laser cut acrylic products. If you need them urgently, it may delay your schedule.
However, if you buy a machine from a suitable acrylic laser machine manufacturer, these problems can be solved. Once you have a good acrylic cutting idea, you can start your laser cutting machine to work at any time without waiting. With proper use and maintenance, the acrylic laser cutting machine can have a long service life.
Conclusion
Are you ready to start your custom laser cut acrylic business?
Acrylic is a material that combines ease of use and durability. Laser cut acrylic products are quite popular among consumers. The first half of this article lists the most popular laser cutting acrylic projects currently. With a variety of colors, laser cut acrylic items are both beautiful and practical. If you plan to start laser cutting or laser engraving acrylic business, you can try the products mentioned in this article.
One of the best CNC acrylic cutting machines is the CO2 laser cutter. Acrylic laser cutting machine can provide many advantages over competing technologies. And their functions are particularly valuable in the marketing and advertising industries. Laser cutting is easy, quick with its cutting speed, precise and saves material due to its precision. It can cut a wide range of different thicknesses. When choosing an acrylic laser machine, you should choose the appropriate laser power and working size according to your work needs. Blue Elephant acrylic laser cutting machine can customize the power and size based on your needs.
Except for the acrylic laser cutting machines, acrylic CNC router is also an excellent choice for acrylic engraving and cutting. The acrylic CNC router machines also possess such characteristics as high cutting efficiency, high precision and good cutting quality. Both the acrylic laser cutting machine and the acrylic CNC router are the ideal machines for custom acrylic cutting and engraving.
