Material Compatibility Database

A soft, machinable nonferrous metal used for brackets, plates, and mechanical parts. How it can be worked depends heavily on the machine, tooling, and process — not all digital fabrication tools are equally suited to it.

Laser

Diode◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

CO2◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

Fiber◐Good — A capable match with normal considerations.

CNC

CNC◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

A rigid, clear or colored plastic (PMMA) widely used for signs, displays, and parts. Acrylic is a material where the laser wavelength matters enormously — CO2 and diode lasers behave very differently with it.

Laser

Diode◔Limited — Possible but with significant constraints; often not the best choice.

CO2●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

An engineered wood sheet made of glued veneer layers. Plywood is a material where lasers and CNC routers overlap heavily, but each process suits different operations and produces different results.

Laser

Diode◐Good — A capable match with normal considerations.

CO2●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

A broad category of dense wood from broadleaf trees — oak, maple, walnut, cherry and many others. Hardwood is a strong CNC and laser material, but species vary enormously in density, resin content, grain and charring behavior, so no single setting applies to all hardwoods.

Laser

Diode◐Good — A capable match with normal considerations.

CO2●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Medium-density fiberboard — an engineered wood panel made of fine wood fibers bonded with resin adhesive. MDF cuts and machines cleanly, but its binder content (often formaldehyde-based) makes ventilation and dust collection especially important, and it is not equivalent to natural solid wood.

Laser

Diode◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

CO2◐Good — A capable match with normal considerations.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

A machinable copper-zinc alloy used for decorative parts, fittings, and mechanical components. Brass can be marked with the right laser and machined on a capable CNC, but laser marking is very different from laser cutting, and not every CNC router is equally suited to it.

Laser

Diode◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

CO2◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

Fiber◐Good — A capable match with normal considerations.

CNC

CNC◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

A strong iron-carbon alloy — including mild steel and stainless steel — used for structural and mechanical parts. Steel is where the distinction between a CNC router and a metalworking mill becomes most important, and where fiber laser marking is very different from fiber laser cutting.

Laser

Diode◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

CO2◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

Fiber◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

CNC

CNC◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

A natural animal-hide material used for goods, wallets, labels, and decoration. Leather is a strong laser material, but its tanning and finishing type matters enormously for safety — vegetable-tanned leather is the common laser choice, while chrome-tanned and many coated/synthetic products can release hazardous fumes.

Laser

Diode◐Good — A capable match with normal considerations.

CO2●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC◔Limited — Possible but with significant constraints; often not the best choice.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

A hard, brittle, transparent material made from silica. Glass is a workpiece material, not a fabrication feedstock — it can be surface-engraved by the right laser and machined only with specialized equipment, but ordinary digital fabrication tools do not cut solid glass. Engraving glass is very different from cutting it.

Laser

Diode◔Limited — Possible but with significant constraints; often not the best choice.

CO2◐Good — A capable match with normal considerations.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Foam describes a physical structure — a material full of gas pockets — not one chemistry. Fabrication foams can be very different polymers (EVA, polyethylene, polyurethane, polystyrene, PVC-containing foams), and their compatibility and safety vary enormously. Identify the actual foam material before any laser processing; some foams release corrosive or toxic fumes when heated.

Laser

Diode◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

CO2◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

3D Printing

FDM—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Polylactic acid — the most common desktop FDM filament. PLA is primarily a 3D-printing feedstock, not a sheet material like acrylic. A finished PLA part can sometimes be laser-engraved or machined, but PLA is not equivalent to acrylic under a laser and its low melting point affects every process that heats it.

Laser

Diode◔Limited — Possible but with significant constraints; often not the best choice.

CO2◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC◔Limited — Possible but with significant constraints; often not the best choice.

3D Printing

FDM●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

A glycol-modified copolyester used widely as FDM filament and as a clear sheet plastic. PETG is tougher and more heat-resistant than PLA, but it is a distinct material from PET and from acrylic — do not assume it behaves like another clear plastic under a laser. As a filament it is a popular FDM feedstock; as a sheet it can be laser-cut with care and ventilation.

Laser

Diode◔Limited — Possible but with significant constraints; often not the best choice.

CO2◑Conditional — Works, but depends heavily on machine, settings, or material specifics.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC◔Limited — Possible but with significant constraints; often not the best choice.

3D Printing

FDM●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

Two related engineering thermoplastics used as FDM filament for tougher, heat-resistant parts. ABS is the classic choice; ASA is a newer UV- and weather-resistant variant. They print similarly but are not identical — ASA emits substantially less styrene than ABS — and both require ventilation because ABS printing releases styrene, classified as a probable human carcinogen. They are not laser-friendly and are not resin-printing feedstock.

Laser

Diode◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

CO2◕Not recommended — Technically possible in some cases but generally a poor or unsafe choice.

Fiber—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.

CNC

CNC◔Limited — Possible but with significant constraints; often not the best choice.

3D Printing

FDM●Excellent — A strong, well-suited match for this material.

Resin—Not applicable — Not a meaningful combination for this material and technology.