Laser Cutting for Sign Making

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With a Trotec laser, you can be extremely flexible in terms of application and materials for advertising technology. The laser beam is the universal "tool" for all geometries and material thicknesses. Whether rigid or flexible, hard or soft materials, you only need one tool for plastic, wood, composite boards, paper, film or textiles and much more.

Applications

• Signage
• advertising signs

• UV-printed, contour-cut signs made of high quality acrylic
• Printed advertising materials of acrylic, illuminated letters and logos
• Contour cut of illuminated acrylic signs
• Acrylic letters, with and without backlight
• Large-format engraving and marking of acrylic plates for LED panels and backlit applications
• Printed displays in exceptional shapes
• Printed and cut card displays
• Flags, appliquées and banners

What is the difference between cast and extruded acrylic?

Generally, it can be said that both types of acrylic are equally common in laser processing and well suited. The respective advantages and disadvantages of GS and XT come into play depending on the application.

Cast acrylic is available in lots of colors, is produced in thicknesses from 3 to 25 mm and has a greater thickness tolerance. In laser processing, cast acrylic can be engraved which results in a beautiful matting. The edge is crystal-clear and has a clean right angle at the point where the laser enters and exits the material.

In contrast, extruded acrylic is only available in limited colors, with a thickness of 1.5 to 25 mm (sheets) and 30 µm – 1 mm (films). Compared to GS, XT is cheaper. The thickness tolerance of extruded acrylic is smaller. As the density of the material is lower, it can be cut faster or with less laser power. The engraving result does not show a visually appealing matting, a sharp ridge occurs at the exit point of the laser during laser cutting.

How do I get a glossy cutting edge on acrylic?

The crystal-clear, glossy cutting edge is one of the most important advantages of laser cutting acrylic. The key influencing factors are:

• the acrylic used - manufacturer and type (cast or extruded);
• the system used - lens, laser power, processing table and exhaust;
• the laser parameters - ratio of speed, power, frequency and the focus positioning.

If these factors are correctly combined, you get a beautiful flame-polished edge.

What is the difference between acrylic and polycarbonate?

Polycarbonate (PC) brands such as Makrolon® are often confused with acrylic. Especially as some manufacturers have both products in their range. Polycarbonate has fundamentally different properties - which are relevant for laser processing: For example, PC is less UV stable, more impact-resistant and can be deformed cold. For laser processing, PC is only suitable for marking and cutting films up to approx. 500 µm. Sheets of 1 mm and thicker will become black and carbonize when laser cut.

Can DiBond be laser cut?

Unfortunately, aluminum composite boards such as DiBond can not be laser cut. In principle, aluminum and plastic can be processed using laser technology. However, the combination of aluminum-plastic-aluminum results in an unusable and uneconomical result during laser cutting.

What about laser cutting films containing PVC?

Materials containing PVC are on the list of prohibited materials for laser processing. Toxic substances are produced when burning PVC, which may harm the operator or damage the laser machine. Nowadays, however, there are many PVC-free alternatives.

Are there laser-capable alternatives to Forex® and Kapa®?

Unfortunately, Forex® and Kapa® can not be laser cut. As a PVC/PU-free lightweight foam board, we can recommend Smart-X from the manufacturer 3A Composites. This consists of 100% polystyrene and is excellent for laser cutting.