Overview#
Material choice drives almost every other decision in 2D fabrication: how wide the kerf is, whether tabs are needed, what joint style works, how the edge will look and whether the machine can cut the part at all. This page covers common sheet materials, what each process does with them, and how cutting parameters (power, speed, feed, pierce, assist gas, abrasive flow, spindle speed) relate to each other. It also explains where those parameters live in Fusion and where they do not.
Important honesty note: Fusion does not ship a validated cutting database for your particular laser, waterjet or plasma. The numbers in this page are typical orientation ranges. Machine builders publish cut charts for their own hardware, and hobby laser users build their own through test grids. Always start from your machine's chart and verify with a test cut.
Where to find it#
- Material and thickness as design data: Fusion's Appearance and Physical Material settings (Modify, Physical Material) give a body a material. This does not control the cutter; it is documentation and mass property data.
- Cutting parameters in CAM: In the Manufacture workspace, a laser, waterjet or plasma tool (from the Fusion library, Sample Tools, or your own) holds the cutting parameters. The 2D Profile operation's Tool tab lets you select that tool, and its Geometry tab holds tabs, and its Linking tab holds lead-in, lead-out and piercing clearance. Compensation is on the Passes tab.
- Router feeds and speeds: On the Tool tab of the operation, feedrate, spindle speed, plunge feed and per-tooth values; defined in the tool library entry.
- Laser power and speed on hobby machines: Usually set in the laser's own software (LightBurn, RDWorks, the machine's controller) as layer or color settings, not in Fusion at all.
Step by step#
Establishing settings for a new material:
- Identify the material exactly. "Plywood" is not one material; cast acrylic and extruded acrylic cut differently; mild steel and stainless need different gas on a fiber laser.
- Check safety. Confirm the material is permitted on your process and that ventilation is adequate. See the warnings below.
- Measure thickness at several points with calipers. Plywood and MDF vary by 0.2 to 0.5 mm over a sheet.
- Find a starting point in your machine's cut chart or manufacturer notes.
- Cut a test grid: a row of small squares or circles with power or speed varied across the grid (for lasers), or feed varied for routers and waterjets. Label each cell.
- Choose the lowest power or highest feed that cuts clean through with a good edge. Too slow burns or melts; too fast fails to cut through or leaves a rough, striated edge.
- Record the settings together with sheet batch, thickness, lens, nozzle and focus height.
- Enter them into your laser software, or into the Fusion tool and operation for waterjet, plasma and router, then simulate before posting.
Material guide#
Plywood and wood. Baltic birch plywood is the standard for laser-cut boxes and press-fit joints because it has many thin void-free plies and a consistent thickness. Craft plywood from big-box stores has voids and glue pockets that stop the laser mid-cut. Hardwoods like maple and cherry cut but char; softwood cuts easily but resin can flare. Wood moves with humidity so test fit parts the same day. Router: use up-cut or compression bits for plywood to reduce tear-out.
MDF and hardboard. Cuts consistently and cheaply, but the glue content creates heavy smoke and rapid lens contamination on lasers. Dusty on routers; wear a respirator and use dust extraction. Edges are fragile and absorb moisture.
Acrylic (PMMA). Cast acrylic laser cuts with a flame-polished edge and engraves frosty white. Extruded acrylic cuts well too but engraves clear and can crack when stressed. On routers use single flute O-flute bits to avoid melting and re-welding chips. Remove protective film before cutting or cut through the film, depending on the result you need. Acrylic splits at sharp inside corners, so add small radii (0.5 to 1 mm).
Other plastics. Delrin (acetal/POM) cuts on a laser but melts and releases formaldehyde; check your manufacturer's rules. ABS laser-cuts poorly with melting and cyanide risk. Polycarbonate scorches and yellows on a laser and should not be laser cut. PVC, vinyl, and anything unknown: do not laser cut. HDPE and polypropylene melt and are better routed or waterjet cut.
Paper, cardboard, felt, leather. Laser friendly and need low power and high speed. Vegetable-tanned leather cuts well; chrome-tanned leather releases harmful fumes and should be avoided. Cardboard ignites easily, so use air assist and never leave the machine unattended.
Steel. Mild steel: fiber laser with oxygen assist for thicker stock (clean, oxidized edge) or nitrogen for thin, bright, oxide-free cuts; plasma is the economical choice for 3 mm and thicker; waterjet for no heat distortion. Stainless: nitrogen on fiber laser; waterjet and plasma both work.
Aluminum, brass, copper. Reflective and thermally conductive, so CO2 hobby lasers cannot cut them and fibers need adequate power. Waterjet cuts them well. Plasma works with correct gas settings. Router cuts aluminum on a rigid machine with single-flute bits and lubricant.
Stone, glass, tile, ceramics. Waterjet is the standard process. Pierce with a low pressure start or edge start to prevent cracks.
Foam, rubber, gasket sheet. Laser cut some silicones and rubbers (verify composition); waterjet cuts nearly all gasket materials; drag knives cut thin gasket sheet and foam.
| Material | Laser CO2 | Fiber laser | Waterjet | Plasma | Router | Knife / vinyl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltic birch plywood | Excellent | No | Possible but wet | No | Excellent | No |
| MDF | Good, smoky | No | No (swells) | No | Good | No |
| Cast acrylic | Excellent | No | Good | No | Good | No |
| Mild steel | No | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | No | No |
| Stainless | No | Good | Excellent | Good | No | No |
| Aluminum | No | Good | Excellent | Fair | Good | No |
| Glass / stone | No | No | Excellent | No | No | No |
| Paper / vinyl film | Good | No | No | No | No | Excellent |
Understanding the parameters#
Laser:
- Power (percent or watts): energy delivered.
- Speed (mm/s or mm/min): head travel speed. Slower means more energy per length.
- Frequency / PPI and pulse mode for fine control, mainly on fiber lasers.
- Focus height: the focal point is typically set at the material surface, or in the upper third of thick cuts. Focus errors cause wide, tapered kerf and incomplete cuts.
- Air or gas assist: air assist clears debris and reduces flare-ups in wood; nitrogen or oxygen in fiber systems.
- Passes: multiple lower-power passes can cut thick wood with less char but slightly shift the kerf if the sheet moves.
Waterjet:
- Pressure (commonly 40,000 to 90,000 psi), abrasive flow rate (garnet in lb/min or g/min), orifice and mixing tube size, stand-off distance.
- Quality setting (often 1 to 5): lower numbers cut faster and rougher. Taper and corner lag drop at higher quality numbers.
- Pierce method: dynamic or low pressure pierce for brittle materials.
Plasma:
- Amperage, gas type (air, oxygen, nitrogen, argon-hydrogen), torch height (controlled by arc voltage), cut speed, pierce delay, and consumable condition. Worn consumables cause bevel and dross.
Router:
- Spindle speed (RPM), feed rate, plunge rate, depth per pass, stepover for pockets, chip load (feed per tooth). Chip load is the key number: too low rubs and burns, too high breaks the bit.
| Parameter | If too high | If too low |
|---|---|---|
| Laser power | Char, wide kerf, flare-ups | Does not cut through |
| Laser speed | Incomplete cut, ragged edge | Char, melting, wide kerf |
| Waterjet speed | Taper, striations, lag at corners | Slow, wider kerf, no benefit |
| Plasma speed | Rough bottom edge, no cut-through | Heavy dross, wide kerf |
| Router feed | Chatter, tool deflection, broken bit | Rubbing, heat, burned edge |
| Router RPM | Burning on plastics | Rough finish |
Options reference#
Where each setting lives:
| Setting | Fusion location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Material label | Body Physical Material | Documentation only |
| Sheet thickness | User parameter | Used in sketches and joints |
| Tool type | Tool library: laser cutter, waterjet cutter, plasma cutter, end mill | Select in operation Tool tab |
| Feed and cutting speed | Tool tab: Cutting, Lead-In and Lead-Out Feedrate | Cutting Mode and Quality Control also here |
| Lead-in / lead-out | 2D Profile, Linking tab | See the toolpath page |
| Kerf compensation | Compensation Type and Sideways Compensation on the Passes tab | See the kerf page |
| Pierce | Piercing Clearance on the Linking tab; dwell depends on the post | Depends on post |
| Laser power per layer | Machine software, not Fusion | Typically color-coded by DXF layer |
Tips and pitfalls#
Tip: Cut material test grids on offcuts. Record the results in a small table pinned to the machine and in your Fusion project's notes.
Tip: Buy sheets from a single batch for a project. Thickness varies between batches and your joint tolerances depend on it.
Warning: Never laser cut PVC, vinyl, chrome-tanned leather, or materials containing halogens. Do not cut fiberglass, carbon fiber or unknown composites without extraction and a verified safe process.
Warning: Many woods, MDF and plastics are a fire risk. Use air assist, keep a fire extinguisher nearby, and never leave the laser running unattended.
Warning: Waterjet piercing in brittle materials can crack the sheet. Ask your shop about lead-in placement and low-pressure pierce.
Practice exercise#
Create a 10-cell laser test grid in Fusion: ten 10 x 10 mm squares with 5 mm gaps in a sketch, each with a different number as engraved text. Export as DXF. In your laser software assign each square a different speed (for example from 10 to 40 mm/s in steps of ~3 at a fixed power). Cut it, then identify the fastest speed that cuts completely through. Expected result: a short list of two or three working settings for your material, and a measured thickness you store as a Fusion parameter.
Related#
- 2D Fabrication Processes Overview
- Kerf and tolerances
- Cutting toolpaths with 2D Profile
- Sheet metal rules (section 08)