Getting Crisp Detail When Engraving Timber and Acrylic

Timber and acrylic engrave beautifully, but each has its quirks. A few pointers for getting clean, crisp detail every time.

05 Apr 20263 min readGlobal3D Team

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Timber and acrylic are two of the most popular materials for laser engraving, and both can produce stunning results. They behave differently under the laser, though, so a little knowledge goes a long way.

Knowing your material

Timber engraves with a warm, contrasting burn, but grain and density vary, so results differ between species and even between boards. Acrylic engraves to a frosted finish that stands out cleanly, particularly on cast acrylic.

Matching settings and artwork to the material keeps detail crisp rather than scorched or washed out.

Getting it right

We tune the laser to suit each material and test where needed, so your engraving comes out clean. Tell us the material and look you want and we will handle the rest.