Can a laser cutter cut or engrave glass?

Question

Accepted Answer

Plan on not cutting it, and treat engraving as something only some programs allow.

Plan on not cutting it, and treat engraving as something only some programs allow. School lists disagree: the University of Victoria lists glass as engraving-only with a frosted look, Georgetown’s maker hub allows engraving on glass but not cutting, and Harvard’s lab prohibits glass outright. These are other schools’ lists, not approval for your machine. This applies to enclosed machines at Class 1 or Class 2 in the configuration you run; open-frame, open-bed, pass-through, converted, or Class 3B or Class 4 machines are outside this answer and need a laser safety officer and written program first. Glass: lists disagree, breakage is the hazard Left: three school lists on glass. Harvard prohibits glass outright in a stop color. Victoria lists glass as engraving only, with a frosted look. Georgetown allows engraving on glass but not cutting. Beneath, a note says the hazard is breakage: targets may shatter if heat cannot dissipate quickly enough, leaving fragments inside the machine and a job you can no longer trust. Right: if glass chips, cracks, or breaks, stop with the emergency stop or the switch you were trained to use, then get staff or the EH&S office involved, and only then clean up or resume. A band below says to plan on not cutting glass, and to engrave only if the machine maker and program allow it, with program-approved glass, and never with settings from the internet. School lists disagree Harvard prohibits glass outright Victoria engraving only, with a frosted look Georgetown engraving allowed, cutting not The hazard is breakage: targets may shatter if heat cannot dissipate quickly enough, leaving fragments inside the machine and a job you can no longer trust. If glass breaks in the machine Stop emergency stop, or the switch you were trained to use Get staff or EH&S involved before cleaning up Only then clean up or resume Plan on not cutting it. Engrave only if your machine maker and program allow it, with glass the program approved, and never with settings from the internet. These are other schools' lists, not approval for your machine. Any flame or smoke means following your school's written fire procedure; this figure covers only the breakage case. The hazard is breakage. The University of Florida’s laser manual notes that laser targets may shatter if heat cannot be dissipated quickly enough. A shattered piece means fragments inside the machine and a job you can no longer trust. So do not assume any glass is acceptable. Engrave only if your machine maker and program allow it, using glass the program has approved, and never use settings from the internet. Stay with the machine for the whole job. If glass chips, cracks, or breaks in the machine, stop with the emergency stop or the switch you were trained to use, and any flame or smoke means follow your school’s written fire procedure. Get staff or your EH&S office involved before cleaning up or resuming.

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