Laser Engraving & Cutting Acrylic Tips: Clean Cuts & Frosted Results

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If you’ve ever tried engraving or cutting acrylic and ended up with cloudy edges, gummy residue, or uneven “frost,” you’re not alone. Acrylic can look absolutely stunning on a CO₂ laser, but only if you treat it differently from wood or other materials.

In this guide, we’ll walk through practical laser engraving acrylic tips inspired by Brandt Workman from Bearded Builds Co, using the OneLaser XRF and other CO₂ machines as examples.

By the end, you’ll know how to get clean frosted engravings, crystal-clear edges, and how to avoid common problems like melt lines, haze, and unnecessary burn marks.

1. Meet Brandt Workman , The Maker Behind the Tips

These acrylic engraving insights come from Brandt Workman, the owner of Bearded Builds Co and one of the most trusted creators in the laser community.

Known for his clear teaching style, real-world production experience, and deep knowledge of CO₂ laser workflows, Brandt helps makers achieve professional results with practical, no-nonsense guidance.

He regularly shares tutorials using the OneLaser XRF and Hydra Series, and you can even book a live demo session with him to learn directly from his process.

Meet Brandt Workman!

2. Why Acrylic Is Tricky (and Awesome) for Laser Engraving

Acrylic reacts to laser light by melting and vaporizing in a very controlled way. That’s why it’s perfect for:

• Lit signs and LED edge-lit panels
• Awards and plaques
• Custom panels and gauges
• Home décor and branded displays

But because it melts instead of burning like wood, your usual habits for “how to get rid of laser cut burn marks” or how to prevent smoke marks don’t always apply. The key is controlling:

• Power – too much melts deep grooves instead of a soft frost
• Speed – too slow overheats the surface
• Air assist – too much air creates ripples and striations
• Masking – helpful for cutting, harmful for most engraving

Let’s break down the most important laser engraving acrylic tips step by step.

Tip 1 – Remove Masking Before Engraving

One of the biggest questions makers have is: “Should I leave the paper or plastic mask on while engraving?”

According to Brandt from Bearded Builds Co, the answer is simple:

When you’re engraving acrylic, it’s usually best to remove the masking.

Why you should engrave without masking

When you engrave through masking (paper or clear film):

• The masking melts or burns and gets pushed into the engraved area
• You get gummy residue inside the design
• The engraved area looks dirty instead of frosted
• Cleaning takes much longer

When you peel the mask first, the laser interacts directly with the acrylic and produces a cleaner, more consistent frost.

Tip 2 – Use Low Air Assist for Engraving

Air assist is essential for wood cutting to reduce charring and help with laser cutting without burn marks. But acrylic behaves differently.

For engraving acrylic:

• Use very low air, just a “bleed” of air
• Enough to keep the lens and nozzle clean
• Not enough to blow smoke and melted acrylic all over the surface

Too much air assist while engraving:

• Pushes vaporized plastic back onto your surface
• Creates cloudy or streaky patches around your engravings
• Makes cleanup harder

Brandt’s method: keep air assist barely on, focus on dialing in power and speed instead.

Tip 3 – Control Power and Speed for a Soft Frosted Look

When most people engrave acrylic the first time, they crank up power “just to be safe.” That’s a fast way to get deep, ugly grooves.

For clear or cast acrylic, the goal is usually a clean, even frost, especially if you’re back-engraving for LED or display panels.

General engraving targets (example from a OneLaser XRF setup)

• Speed: around 800–1200 mm/s (for RF tube desktop machines like XRF)
• Power: around 40–55% (depends on wattage and material thickness)
• Mode: Fill / engrave, not line mode
• DPI / LPI: around 300–350 (tight enough to cover, not overkill)

These values aren’t universal, but they illustrate the point:

• Start faster with moderate power
• Run test swatches to find the sweet spot where the acrylic turns a soft white frost
• Avoid going so deep that the engraving shows harsh, deep vertical lines

If your engraving looks rough, ridged, or too gray:

• Lower the power
• Increase the speed
• Reduce DPI slightly (overlapping lines can cause banding)

Tip 4 – Dial in DPI / LPI and Line Interval

Another overlooked part of laser engraver calibration for acrylic is line spacing.

In LightBurn and similar software, this is your:

• DPI (Dots Per Inch)
• LPI (Lines Per Inch)
• Or line interval

For frosted acrylic:

• Start around 300–350 DPI
• Too low → visible scan lines and gaps
• Too high → longer job times without visible improvement, and more heat buildup

On a machine like the OneLaser XRF, which uses an RF metal tube with a very fine dot size, you can tighten DPI a bit if you need extra detail in logos or text. Just watch your results and avoid over-cooking the surface.

Tip 5 – Back Engrave for Clear Acrylic (Mirror Your Design)

For edge-lit signs or panels, the professional approach is to:

1. Engrave on the back side of the acrylic
2. Mirror your artwork so it reads correctly from the front

Why this matters:

• The front surface stays perfectly smooth and glossy
• The engraving captures and diffuses light from LEDs
• You get a high-end, “floating” image effect inside the acrylic

In LightBurn, simply:

• Select your design
• Use Tools → Mirror Horizontally (or vertically depending on orientation)
• Place it where you want it on the plate
• Then engrave on the back side of the sheet

This is exactly how Brandt sets up his jobs: mirrored artwork on the back, frosted engraving visible from the front.

Tip 6 – Cutting Acrylic: Clear Edges Without Ripples

Engraving and cutting acrylic behave differently. Cutting uses more power and usually more air, but too much air is a problem here too.

For cutting acrylic:

• Use more air than engraving, but not max blast
• Too much air creates ripples and stripes along the cut edge
• The goal is a smooth, glassy edge

Brandt’s approach when cutting thicker acrylic:

• Find a setting that just gets through cleanly
• Then slow it down a bit more or bump power slightly
• This ensures you cut through 100% of the time, including corners and tiny holes

If you push speed to the absolute limit, you’ll eventually have:

• Corners that don’t cut through
• Tiny shapes still attached
• Extra passes and re-cuts that cost more time than you saved

So, once you discover your fastest successful cut, back off slightly for real jobs. Reliable, single-pass cutting is more efficient in the long run.

Tip 7 – Acrylic vs Wood: Preventing and Fixing Burn Marks

Even though this guide is focused on acrylic, many makers jump between materials. That’s where related topics like how to get rid of laser cut burn marks and how to remove burn marks from laser cut wood come in.

Preventing burn marks on wood:

• Use masking tape or paper transfer tape on the surface
• Increase air assist to blow away smoke
• Use slightly faster speeds with enough power to cut through
• Keep your optics clean and your focus spot precise

Removing burn marks from wood:

• Lightly sand the surface with fine grit sandpaper
• Use a scraper or utility blade to clean edges
• For mild residue, a damp cloth with a bit of dish soap often works

On acrylic, you’re not dealing with char, but you can get haze and streaks. That’s why controlling air, masking, and power is key for laser cutting without burn marks or foggy edges.

Tip 8 – LightBurn Workflow for Acrylic (Practical Layout)

Brandt’s acrylic projects follow a clean, repeatable process in LightBurn:

1. Import the customer’s design and clean up any stray nodes or overlaps.
2. Group the elements that should move together.
3. Mirror the design if it’s being engraved from the back.
4. Assign layers:
   • Blue (or another color) for engraving
   • Red (or another color) for cutting
5. Set engrave settings: e.g. 1000 mm/s at 50% power, ~300–350 DPI
6. Set cut settings: e.g. 12 mm/s at ~95% power for thicker clear acrylic
7. Send job to the machine, then on the laser:
   • Load acrylic
   • Autofocus
   • Set origin at top-left (or desired starting point)
   • Use frame to confirm the job area
   • Hit Start

This repeatable workflow is one of the best laser engraving acrylic tips you can adopt, keeping design, engrave, and cut steps separate and predictable.

Tip 9 – Use the Right Laser: CO₂ vs Diode

One of the most important hardware lessons:

Clear acrylic and diode lasers don’t mix.

Diode lasers often operate at wavelengths that pass right through clear acrylic without properly interacting with it. That’s why Brandt emphasizes:

• For clear acrylic, you really need a CO₂ laser Machine, like the OneLaser XRF or Hydra.
• Diodes can work on opaque or painted acrylic, but not on clear.

If you’re serious about acrylic:

• Look for a CO₂ laser engraver with stable motion control and good cooling.
• The OneLaser X series (desktop Laser Machine) and Hydra series (cabinet systems) are designed specifically for this type of work, with features like:
  • Advanced DSP motion control
  • RF metal tubes (XRF) for fine detail
  • Strong CO₂ glass tubes (Hydra) for powerful cutting
  • Built-in camera and FumeGuard™ for safety and accuracy

Tip 10 – Learn from Pros and Keep Testing

Brandt Workman (Bearded Builds Co) didn’t get perfect results on day one, he refined his process through testing. You can do the same:

• Create test cards with different speed/power/LPI combinations
• Label them directly on the acrylic
• Save them near your machine for quick reference

Want hands-on guidance? You can even book a demo session with Brandt through OneLaser to see real-world workflows with the XRF and other machines.

Meet Brandt Workman!

FAQs: Laser Engraving & Cutting Acrylic

1: Where to buy acrylic sheets for laser cutting?

You can buy acrylic sheets from local plastics suppliers, hardware stores, sign shops, or online marketplaces that sell cast and extruded acrylic in laser-friendly sizes.

2: What are the best types of acrylic sheets for laser cutting?

Cast acrylic is usually best for laser engraving and cutting, it engraves with a beautiful frosted finish and cuts cleanly, while extruded acrylic can be more prone to melting and stringing.

3: How to clean acrylic after laser engraving?

Use a soft microfiber cloth and a bit of mild soap and water; avoid harsh solvents. Gently wipe away residue and fingerprints, then dry with a clean, lint-free cloth.

4: How to tell if acrylic is laserable?

Check the material description, look for “cast acrylic” or “PMMA.” Avoid PVC or unknown plastics. When in doubt, ask your supplier or run a small test away from your main design.

5: Can I use a standard laser cutter for acrylic, or do I need specialized equipment?

A standard CO₂ laser cutter works great for acrylic. You don’t need special equipment, but having good air assist, autofocus, and exhaust (like on OneLaser machines) makes a big difference.

6: Can you laser cut plexiglass?

Yes, plexiglass is a brand name for acrylic (PMMA), and it can be laser cut and engraved just like other acrylic sheets, as long as you’re using a CO₂ laser and proper settings.

7: How does laser engraving on acrylic work and what are its applications?

The laser heats and vaporizes the surface of the acrylic, creating a frosted or textured mark. This is used for edge-lit signs, control panels, awards, logos, and decorative art.

8: What software options are recommended for laser engraving on acrylic?

Popular options include LightBurn, RDWorks, and design software like Illustrator or CorelDRAW (exported into your laser software). LightBurn is especially user-friendly for CO₂ lasers.

9: How do I achieve clean engravings on plexiglass using laser technology?

Remove masking, use low air assist, dial in moderate power with higher speed, set DPI around 300–350, and run tests until you get an even frosted effect without deep grooves.

Have Questions? Join Our Forum!

Final Thoughts

Mastering acrylic isn’t about one magic setting, it’s about consistent, repeatable habits. If you:

• Remove masking for engraving
• Keep air assist low for engraves and moderate for cuts
• Tune power, speed, and DPI for a smooth frost
• Cut slightly slower than your maximum “just barely” pass
• Use a quality CO₂ machine like the OneLaser XRF or Hydra

…you’ll quickly move from guesswork to reliable, professional-grade results.

Keep experimenting, save your test cards, and treat these laser engraving acrylic tips as a starting point. With a bit of practice, your acrylic projects, signs, panels, displays, and décor, will look clean, crisp, and ready for customers or your own creative space.