CO2 Laser Settings for Acrylic: Power, Speed and Edge Quality

Acrylic production guide

Think of CO2 laser settings for acrylic as documented starting references, not universal presets. This guide combines factory test data with the material, focus, airflow, and machine factors that decide cut completion, edge quality, and repeatability.

By the AEON Laser USA Editorial Team · Updated August 20, 2026

Acrylic is one of the materials that shows off a CO₂ laser’s strengths particularly well. Clear sheet can be cut cleanly, edges can come out with a polished look, and intricate letters, display parts, and layered signs can be produced without any mechanical cutting pressure.

That said, a sheet from another supplier may give you a cloudy edge, too much melting at a corner, or an incomplete cut when you run the same settings. That variation is normal, because “acrylic” describes a whole family of sheet products, while a laser setting describes one tested combination of material, machine, and process.

So the goal isn’t to find one universal number. It’s to build a repeatable process: identify the sheet, pick a defensible starting range, test one variable at a time, inspect the complete contour, and save a preset for that specific stock. Want a second set of eyes on your process? Talk with our U.S. team about your acrylic and your machine

CO2 laser settings for acrylic: the useful starting references

The AEON factory sheet supplied in July 2026 separates “best speed” from “maximum speed,” and that distinction matters. Maximum speed is the fastest recorded reference for separation, while best speed is the factory’s quality-oriented label. Neither is a promise, because the source file doesn’t identify the exact acrylic grade, lens, focus position, machine model, or edge-acceptance method.

The complete source set spans 25W to 200W and acrylic from 3mm to 40mm. The references below deliberately cover the 60W, 100W, 130W, and 150W columns, which line up most closely with current U.S. AEON cutting configurations. We haven’t invented a 45W value for the MIRA 5S, and we haven’t extrapolated the data to the 260W Super NOVA option.

For comparison, the factory “maximum speed” values for 3mm acrylic were 20, 30, 35, and 40mm/s at 60W, 100W, 130W, and 150W. At 10mm, they were 4, 7, 8, and 11mm/s. The gap between “maximum” and “best” is useful, because a cut that separates successfully isn’t automatically suitable for production.

Why there is no responsible universal preset

Displayed percentage isn’t measured optical wattage. Two nominally 100W tubes may not deliver identical output after different operating histories, and a clean 2-inch lens and a contaminated one won’t put the same energy into the sheet. Cast and extruded stock can share a thickness label but respond differently, and even the protective film can change residue and flame behavior.

The chart therefore answers one question: where is a sensible place to begin testing? It doesn’t answer the more valuable one, which is which documented setting will produce a repeatable, profitable part under your production conditions.

Cast vs. extruded acrylic changes the result

Acrylic is polymethyl methacrylate, or PMMA. It’s also sold under familiar trade names, but a brand name alone doesn’t tell you whether the sheet is cast, extruded, impact modified, mirrored, laminated, or formulated for a special application.

CO₂ wavelength is well matched to clear acrylic, which is why a CO₂ laser can cut it while many visible-light diode systems struggle. If clear acrylic is central to the catalog, see our CO₂ laser vs. diode laser guide before comparing wattage claims.

Never laser-cut PVC or vinyl, since chlorine-containing fumes are hazardous and corrosive. Don’t identify an unknown plastic by its appearance or by a flame test in the laser, and get the supplier’s safety and technical documentation first.

What creates a polished acrylic edge?

The glossy edge people associate with laser-cut acrylic comes from controlled melting and resolidification along the cut wall. Too little energy can leave an incomplete or heavily striated cut, while too much heat can widen the kerf, round internal corners, deform small details, and increase fire risk.

A good edge is a system result, and power and speed are only the most visible controls.

• Focus: the focal position changes where the beam waist sits through the sheet. Thick acrylic may benefit from a focus strategy different from thin engraved stock.
• Lens: a shorter focal length can support fine detail; a longer focal length can provide a deeper usable focus range for thicker material, with a different spot-size trade-off.
• Optics: residue on a lens or mirror wastes power and can create inconsistent results across the bed.
• Airflow: enough air movement is needed for flame control, but excessive top-side flow can chill the molten edge and reduce gloss in some setups.
• Extraction: fumes must leave the cut zone effectively. Poor exhaust can redeposit residue and obscure a process problem.
• Geometry: small holes, tight corners and nested details accumulate heat differently from a long straight cut.
• Sheet condition: stress, protective film, storage and actual thickness influence the result.

One pass or several?

A single pass can produce a cleaner wall because the edge goes through one continuous thermal event. Multiple passes may finish a cut beyond the practical one-pass range, but they add cycle time and can create visible steps or excess heat. The better production method is the fastest supervised process that repeatedly produces the accepted edge, not the one that produces the most impressive one-off thickness result.

Thick-acrylic capability claims need context. The current Super NOVA 16S page describes a 260W dual-core glass configuration as capable of cutting up to 2-inch acrylic. That’s an official capability statement for a specific industrial configuration, not a settings promise for every acrylic grade, geometry, or edge standard, so a production buyer should still submit the real material and file for testing. Have thick acrylic in your plans? Send our U.S. team your material and file and ask about testing.

A material-test method you can repeat

Start with a small test that reflects the geometry you actually sell. A grid of straight rectangles is useful, but it can hide heat problems that show up in tiny holes, narrow bridges, and closely spaced letters. Include at least one internal corner, one small circle, one narrow feature, and a longer exterior contour.

1. Identify the stock. Record supplier, product code, cast or extruded manufacture, color, finish, nominal thickness, actual measured thickness and protective film.
2. Prepare the machine. Clean and inspect optics, verify focus, confirm airflow and extraction, and make sure the bed is free of combustible debris.
3. Choose a conservative range. Use the nearest documented wattage and thickness only as a starting reference. Stay within the source's operating limits.
4. Change one variable. Test speed across several steps while power, lens, focus and airflow remain fixed. Then adjust one other factor if necessary.
5. Inspect more than separation. Record edge gloss, vertical striation, kerf, dimensional accuracy, small-detail distortion, residue, flame behavior and cleanup.
6. Repeat the preferred result. A single good square is not a production preset. Run the setting again on a representative nested file and at more than one bed position.
7. Save the complete recipe. Include date, machine, source, lens, focus method, material code, speed, power, passes, air and notes—not just two numbers.

LightBurn users can use the official Material Test workflow to organize speed and power combinations. Use it on the actual material after the machine has been prepared. A setting copied from another laser should remain a reference only; it does not replace testing on the actual machine and stock.

Acrylic cutting troubleshooting

Which current AEON model fits an acrylic business?

Power affects cutting capacity, but working area often becomes the first practical limit. A small shop can be highly productive on a compact machine when every product fits, and a larger machine earns its floor space when nesting, sheet handling, or long contours are already limiting output.

The prices above are live-site snapshots, not quotations. Promotions, availability, source options, freight, installation needs, and taxes can change, so confirm the exact build on the product page and use the U.S. comparison page for current specifications.

The MIRA 5S shouldn’t be described as universally “too small.” It’s simply the most compact model in the group, which can be exactly right for compact products and limited floor space. It becomes the wrong choice when your normal parts or nesting layouts exceed its 11¾ × 19¾-inch work area.

MIRA 9S moves the current U.S. MIRA line to a 100W glass source, a 23⅝ × 35½-inch bed, built-in active cooling, autofocus, camera alignment, and pass-through access. NOVA adds larger-format capacity, and Super NOVA becomes relevant when acrylic cutting and fine, fast engraving both produce enough work to justify separate CO₂ sources in one platform. Read glass vs. RF CO₂ source before paying for a capability your order mix may not use.

Support and documentation affect settings repeatability

A material recipe is only valuable when the machine can repeat it. AEON Laser USA currently publishes a two-year machine warranty, lifetime U.S.-based support, and live training. The warranty page says most repairs are resolved remotely by phone and email, and it doesn’t promise routine on-site checkups. Essential components are warehoused in the United States, with stated exceptions possible.

That model works best when the operator keeps good records. A support conversation that includes the material code, actual thickness, lens, focus method, settings, photos, and the position on the bed is far more useful than “acrylic stopped cutting.” Review the current U.S. warranty terms before purchase.

Calculate the acrylic job, not only the cut

A faster cut doesn’t automatically mean a more profitable product. A larger bed can improve nesting, a cleaner edge can remove flame-polishing labor, a camera can shorten positioned work, and a more expensive sheet may reduce rejects. All of these effects belong in the same calculation.

Contribution per machine hour = (sales revenue − material − direct labor − variable costs) ÷ complete machine time

Use complete machine time: loading, camera alignment, cutting, unloading, and any unavoidable cleanup. Then record yield per sheet and rejected pieces. A 100W machine may cut a contour faster than a 60W machine, but it only creates value if that time releases a real bottleneck. The more useful commercial measure is cost per sellable part.

• Use the supplier's normal sheet size in the nesting test.
• Include edge cleanup and masking removal in labor.
• Allow for rejected parts and material variation.
• Measure full batch time, not one short contour.
• Price finishing that the laser eliminates.
• Keep fire supervision in the workflow plan.

Three acrylic workshop demonstrations for additional context

Creator videos can show workflow and surface quality that a specification table can’t. They aren’t controlled guarantees, so verify the machine, source, material, and disclosures, then repeat the test on your own stock.

Frequently asked questions

Can a CO₂ laser cut clear acrylic?

Yes. Clear acrylic absorbs CO₂ laser wavelength well. Thickness, speed, and edge quality still depend on the source, actual output, material grade, lens, focus, optics, airflow, and extraction.

What are good CO2 laser settings for acrylic?

Good settings are the fastest repeatable combination that fully separates your exact sheet while meeting the required edge and dimensional standard. Use documented factory data as a starting range, stay within the source’s limits, then create and repeat a material test.

What speed should I use for 3mm acrylic?

In the July 2026 factory best-speed data at 95% power, the 3mm references were 15mm/s at 60W, 25mm/s at 100W, 30mm/s at 130W, and 35mm/s at 150W. These are starting references, not presets, and the acrylic grade, lens, focus, actual output, airflow, and accepted edge can change the final number.

What speed should I use for 10mm acrylic?

The same best-speed dataset lists 2mm/s at 60W, 4mm/s at 100W, 5mm/s at 130W, and 7mm/s at 150W, all at the recorded 95% test condition. Thick acrylic raises the importance of focus, lens choice, optical condition, heat control, and fire supervision.

Is cast or extruded acrylic better?

Neither is universally better. Cast is often favored when a frosted engraved appearance matters, while extruded stock may offer tighter thickness consistency and a clear-looking cut edge. Test the exact grade used in your product.

Why are acrylic edges cloudy?

Common causes include an unsuitable speed/energy balance, incorrect focus, a lens that doesn’t suit the thickness, dirty optics, poorly tuned airflow, weak extraction, material variation, or repeated passes. Change one variable at a time.

Can I leave protective film on acrylic?

Sometimes, if the film is confirmed laser compatible and the result is tested. Paper masking can reduce surface residue on some jobs, but unknown plastic film may melt, flame, or produce unsuitable fumes. Ask the sheet supplier and never assume.

Which AEON is best for acrylic?

MIRA 5S and 7S fit compact products and smaller shops, MIRA 9S adds a 100W glass source and larger working area, NOVA fits larger-format cutting, and Super NOVA is for production that genuinely benefits from both cutting-led glass and engraving-led RF capability. Choose the model by working backward from part size, thickness, weekly volume, and required edge quality.

Build a documented setting, not a copied preset

A settings chart can save you time, but it can’t know what’s in your sheet, how clean your optics are, where your focus sits, or what edge your customer will accept.

Start with documented data and respect the operating limits of your exact source. Test the real material, inspect the full part, and repeat the preferred result, then save enough information that someone else in the shop can reproduce it six months later.

That’s how CO2 laser settings for acrylic become a controlled, transferable production process. Ready to put it to work on your own sheets? Reach out to our U.S. team and bring your material, your files, and your questions.

Editorial note: The publisher remains responsible for the final content. Factory acrylic data is reproduced from a July 2026 reference sheet whose exact acrylic grade, machine, lens, focus and acceptance method were not documented. Prices and specifications were checked on AEON Laser USA on August 20, 2026 and can change. Always verify the current product page, machine manual, source limits, material safety information and written quotation.