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Engraving Plastics is Popular

Special plastics for engraving have been developed for signage, faceplates, and other items.

Standard cast and sheet acrylic plastic and other resins can be laser engraved. Commonly engraved awards use a cast acrylic shape lasered from the back. Styrene, the plastic used to make compact disk cases, and many thermoform plastics, will soften around the edges of the engraving, resulting in low contrast. The surface may even ripple or become deformed. In some applications, such as date marking on plastic soda bottles, this is acceptable.

Special plastics for engraving have been developed for signage, faceplates, and other items. These plastics incorporate silicate and other materials that conduct heat away from the material before it can become deformed. Outer laminates easily vaporize to expose a different colored material underneath.

Other plastics may be engraved, but experimentation should first be conducted on a sample piece. Bakelite and some hard engineering plastics are said to do well. Expanded plastics, foams, and vinyl's, however, should be cut with a router for the purpose. Urethane and silicone plastics cannot be laser engraved unless they contain cellulose, stone, or some other nonconductive material.

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