Reference specs, per-sheet math, and laser settings for 3mm cast acrylic — the standard for flame-polished signage, display stands, and layered light-up builds. Punch in your sheet price below for an instant per-part quote.
Cast acrylic is made by pouring liquid resin between glass plates rather than pushing it through an extruder, which gives it a more consistent thickness and — the reason laser shops prefer it — a glassy, flame-polished edge straight off the cut, no separate polishing pass needed.
Cast vs. extruded matters more than the spec sheet suggests: extruded acrylic is cheaper and more dimensionally stable for machining, but it melts and re-fuses at the kerf more readily under a laser, leaving a duller, more matte edge. If a supplier doesn't say which one you're buying, ask — the laser settings and finished look are genuinely different.
The same math the calculator above runs — worked out longhand, so you can sanity-check it against your own numbers.
Acrylic's tighter scrap allowance is one of the few places the math genuinely favors the material, not just the layout software — no grain direction means nesting software can rotate parts freely to close gaps that plywood can't take advantage of the same way.
This is the material line only. A full shop quote adds machine time, labor, and finishing — KraftyQuote's cost engine rolls all of it into one number automatically.
Ballpark settings for a through-cut in one pass with a flame-polished edge — always run a test strip first, and keep air assist dialed back slightly versus wood to avoid disturbing the melt pool.
That's usually air assist blowing too hard and disturbing the melt pool before it can flame-polish, or speed set too low so the material overheats and micro-bubbles. Try dropping air assist slightly and bumping speed 10–15% before touching power.
Poorly, as a rule — clear cast acrylic transmits a lot of a diode laser's wavelength instead of absorbing it, so cuts are slow and edges rougher. Colored or opaque cast acrylic absorbs much better and is the easier starting material on a diode machine.
Less — acrylic has no grain direction to fight, so a good nesting algorithm can pack parts tighter, typically 8–10% versus 12–15% for plywood. Watch for chip-out risk near thin necks between parts, which is the main reason to keep any scrap allowance at all.
KraftyQuote's full cost engine handles materials, machine time, labor, and margin in one quote — free to build, no card required.