[TurkishDelight]

I have a 150W laser cutter and somebody has asked me if it was capable of cutting plywood. What are your experiences with laser cutting machines and plywood? Is is possible or is it a no-go? What power is needed for which thickness?

[mondo50m]

Not that this is going to help much. But, I have a 40w laser and am cutting up to 1/4" plywood in one pass. It requires full power and a very slow speed. Plywood is a little difficult for my machine as it depends on how much of the bonding agent is used in the construction of the plywood. But, yes, you can cut plywood.

Milt

[keebler303]

Yes it will cut plywood.
How thick? Depends on the quality you need. Guys making steel rule dies use 400W CO2 lasers to cut 1/2" and 3/4" plywood. They need straight sides. With lower power, you will end up with a tapered cut. Depending on what the cutting is for, it may or may not be acceptable. Just try it and see.

Matt

[RossMosh]

150W I could see you getting through 3/4". Whether the end product will be acceptable and if it's worth the time (I expect the machine to run pretty slowly) will be the real questions.

I'd buy a 1/4 or 1/2 sheet and test it out. It's worth the $30 to gain the knowledge.

[Melody-gweike]

150W can cut plywood. But too thick plywood can not be OK.

[jqlaser31-fancy]

yes, CO2 laser can cut plywood,but for different thickness, the cutting speed is different.

[lrob]

Stay away from exterior type plywoods. The glues make it very difficult. Baltic Birch is one of the best for cutting by laser

[lucylucky]

Hi TurkishDelight,

We had cut 18-20mm 5-layers board by 150W Reci tube with 180W peal power. Yes no problem for 20mm plywood cutting.

Ms. Lucy 0086-18254116182
Jinan Quanxing Mechanical Equipment Co.,Ltd-CNC Router Machine,Woodworking Machine
Jinan Quanxing Mechanical Equipment Co.,Ltd

[Exsecratio]

We had cut 18-20mm 5-layers board by 150W Reci tube with 180W peal power. Yes no problem for 20mm plywood cutting.

Cut yes indeed thats thick ply Lucy, with the greatest of respect though the quality of that edge is terrible. It looks more burnt than actually cut.

best wishes

Dave

[neilw20]

I suppose you can paint it black.

[RossMosh]

It's a heat element that is cutting. It's always going to burn. If you look at the edge, it's also far from straight.

Laser cutting is great for some applications and not so great for others.

[lucylucky]

Dear Dave, for wood cutting by laser, the cutting edges are always black, no matter thick or thin. So some more clients use cnc router for woodworking. If clients accept that effection, they will find way to solve the black part.

Lucy

Cut yes indeed thats thick ply Lucy, with the greatest of respect though the quality of that edge is terrible. It looks more burnt than actually cut.

best wishes

Dave

[pontiacg5]

1/4" is butter, 1/2" is a task. Much thicker than that and I won't even try.

It should be noted that cutting thick plywood is an extreme fire hazard. You will need a strong air blast to clear the kerf. If your air blast is not strong enough the effect is more akin to blowing on an ember to start a fire. Long deep cuts, combined with the fact that you probably won't make it through in one pass, channels that air along your cut keeping the burning going a very long time.

Adding that to the fact that plywood is layered and sometimes has voids or holes inside that you can't see makes for a very interesting afternoon with the laser. Ask how I know

If I were to do it again, I would not do it again. :tired:

Don't even try with the stock "fart cannon" oilless compressor that comes with your machine. That POS is akin to fanning a fire. If you must I'd have a sand bucket or insurance policy ready.

[Lasersolution]

150W die board/ plywood laser cutting machine cutting thickness show:

15mm dieboard Cutting speed:4.5mm per second, 18mm die board cutting speed:4mm per second 20mm die baord 2.5 mm per second

Plywood cutting videos how


Attachment 256782
More infomation, please contact:
Web: china famous CNC cutting machine manufacturers Laser Solution - CO2 laser cutting machine, fiber laser cutting machine, CNC Router Machine, laser engraving machine

[johnnythumbs]

Attachment 268836

I know this is an old thread but thought i'd share my 3/4" plywood test cut. I did this on a Mitsubishi LV using a 1/4" stainless tech table. My piece of plywood wasn't perfectly flat so I used the control box to adjust the standoff as it cut, too high and a fire would start underneath, too low and the kerf suddenly got really big.

[purplecinnamon]

Not that this is going to help much. But, I have a 40w laser and am cutting up to 1/4" plywood in one pass. It requires full power and a very slow speed. Plywood is a little difficult for my machine as it depends on how much of the bonding agent is used in the construction of the plywood. But, yes, you can cut plywood.

Milt

Hey Milt, I know this is in response to you pose from 5 years ago, but I had a question for you.

You said you have used a 40W laser to cut 1/4" ply, is that using air assist? What do you think the thickest plywood could be and still be able to cut it with a tube like that?

Thanks!

-Cole

[Bigbird48]

1/4 plywood with a 40 watt is possible with very slow speed and full power and probably 2 passes.yes air assist

[Edward2512]

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