But you can't cut, unfortunately.
I had heard of people experimenting using black spray paint, even sharpies, but I had black paper in the material samples of a new laser I am testing so I thought why not?
It worked!
Annnnd I found out "why not". I forgot that lasers can cause fires.
Fortunately nothing was damaged apart from the paper and the acrylic but yeah I should have thought about that.
So it turns out while engraving on clear acrylic with a diode laser is tricky, it's totally doable with a few simple steps. If you can figure out how to get a clean result, you can make some cool designs even without a CO2!
How a Diode Laser Works
So a diode laser uses blue light to cut or engrave stuff. That's great on dark materials like black acrylic because the dark color absorbs the laser's light. But clear acrylic is a different story. Since it's clear, the light just goes right through it, making it harder to engrave.
Here's the trick: make it look black. If you put black paper under the clear acrylic, the laser light hits the black paper, heats up, and engraves the clear acrylic on top.
Steps
- Grab your clear acrylic sheet and some black paper.
- Put the black paper on your work surface, then place the clear acrylic on top.
- Set your laser to a lower power and test speeds. This helps you control how deep the engraving goes while not setting fires.
- Once you're done, take a look at your work. If it needs more, just adjust and go again. Otherwise, get some detergeant or window cleaner to wipe off any muck. Don't rub, clear acrylic scratches LF.
Safety First
Always wear safety glasses when using a laser that is not enclosed. And make sure it is well-ventilated to avoid any nasty fumes because acrylic stinks.
Good luck!