CO2 Laser Cutting Power, Thickness, Speed Chart

CO2 Laser Cutting Parameters: Power, Thickness, and Speed

CO2 lasers can cut materials of varying thicknesses at various speeds with powers ranging from 40W to 300W. Here's a breakdown of cutting parameters, covering power, speed, thickness, and kerf for laser cutting a variety of non-metallic materials, including wood, plastic, acrylic, foam, paper, fabric, and leather.

A CO2 laser cutter is a thermal cutting tool that can cut a variety of non-metallic materials, including wood, acrylic, paper, leather, fabric, rubber, and foam. CO2 lasers are ideal for cutting materials with high absorption rates at the laser wavelength, offering fast cutting speeds and high precision.

CO2 lasers can cut through materials of varying thicknesses at various speeds, depending on laser power, as well as material type and hardness. Higher power lasers are capable of cutting thicker materials at faster speeds. In most cases, CO2 laser cutters work with a power range of 40 watts to 300 watts to cut through wood with a thickness of 1 mm to 20 mm at a speed of 1000 mm/min to 9000 mm/min, acrylic with a maximum thickness of 40 mm at a speed of around 1200 mm/min, leather and cloth with a thickness of 0.75 mm to 10 mm at a speed of 500 mm/min to 12000 mm/min, and paper with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 11 mm at a speed of about 3000 mm/min.

Best CO2 Laser Cuttable Materials

Wood

• Solid wood (such as birch, poplar, red oak, cherry)

• MDF (medium-density fiberboard)

• Plywood

• Cork

Plastics

• Acrylic

• PP (polypropylene)

• PVC (polyvinyl chloride)

• ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)

Paper

• Paper Sheet

• Cardstock

• Cardboard

Leather & Fabric

• Organic fabrics (such as polyester)

• Line fabric (multi-layer)

• Artificial fabric (chemical fiber fabric)

• Leather (genuine leather and artificial leather)

Foam (Polystyrene)

• HIPS

• EPS

• XPS

CO2 Laser Cutting Thickness & Speed & Kerf Chart

MaterialThickness (mm)Speed (mm/min)Assist GasKerf (mm)Organic Glass10800N20.7Polyester Felt102600N20.5Line Fabric (Multi-layer)15900N20.5Cardboard0.53000N20.42.63000N20.5Quartz Glass1.9600
0.2PP (Polypropylene) Sheet5.5700N20.5Polystyrene Sheet (HIPS, EPS & XPS Foam)3.24200N20.4PVC Sheet41700AirN/AOrganic Glass101200Bakelite Board52100Fiberboard15.64500N2Multi-layer Plywood6.29000PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Laminate3.110500Chipboard3.9180003.122500Acrylamide Board2.8339003.2297003.229700Acrylic2.01000N/AArtificial Leather0.82500Gypsum Board9.0500Plywood10.01100Heat-Resistant Glass2.2500Rubber Sheet5500Leather42200Artificial Fabric6.52200

CO2 Laser Power and Cutting Thickness Chart

MaterialLaser Power40W50W60W80W100WCutting ThicknessAcrylic3mm5mm5-8mm6-10mm10-12mmMDF1mm2mm4mm5mm6mmPlywood3mm5mm8mm10mm13mmPVC2mm3mm4mm5mm8mmRubber2mm2mm3mm4mm5mmLeather2mm3mm4mm5mm7mmFabric2mm3mm4mm6mm7mmPaper3mm4mm5mm7mm8mmMaterialLaser Power130W150W180W220W300WCutting ThicknessAcrylic12-25mm17-28mm20-30mm20-35mm20-40mmMDF8mm10mm10mm12mm18mmPlywood15mm15mmN/AN/AN/APVC9mm10mmN/AN/AN/ARubber6mm7mmN/AN/AN/ALeather8mm10mmN/AN/AN/AFabric8mm10mmN/AN/AN/APaper10mm10mmN/AN/AN/A

All charts are for reference only. The actual cutting thickness will vary depending on material properties and cutting parameters such as power and speed.