VIP PlasticsVIPPLASTICSCUT TO SIZE · SINCE 1998

Diode laser · usable bed 12" × 12" sheet · 12" × 11.8" cut area

Acrylic for the Glowforge Aura

Cut to 12″ × 12″ — nothing to trim.

The Aura is a diode machine, not a CO2 one, and that single fact should decide your order. Its bed is near enough square at 12" × 11.8", so a 12" × 12" lands with almost nothing to spare and nothing to trim.

Order opaque colors, not clear. A diode laser cannot cut clear or transparent acrylic — the beam passes through it instead of being absorbed. That is the light source, not your settings, and no power level or number of passes changes it. Black, white and the solid colors cut normally. Why this happens.

Order it at 12″ × 12″

Each link opens the calculator already set to this size — pick a thickness and it prices instantly.

Want every edge of the finished part to be a laser edge? Order about half an inch over on each side and cut inside the sheet — we cut any size, so type whatever you want.

Every other color works the same way — browse the full maker range and choose Glowforge Aura from the laser-bed menu on any product page.

Running this machine

  • ⚠ A diode laser cannot cut clear or transparent acrylic. The blue beam passes straight through it and almost nothing is absorbed — this is physics, not a settings problem. Order opaque colors: black, white, and the solid colors.
  • Black is the safest starting point on an Aura and the most forgiving to dial in.
  • 1/8" is the practical ceiling for cutting; 1/4" is better treated as engraving stock on this machine.

Never put these in a laser

PVC, vinyl and Sintra release chlorine gas when lasered — it is toxic to you and corrodes the machine from the inside. Polycarbonate (Lexan) discolors, cuts badly and can catch fire. Acrylic is the material these machines are built around. More on choosing laser stock.

Other machines

Bigger bed, or a size that is not listed? Send the dimensions and we will price the cut.