1. Which materials are particularly good for laser cutting with your Mr Beam? 

  • Wood: laser plywood (poplar up to 8mm, birch up to 5mm), balsa wood (up to 5mm), kraftplex (up to 3mm), various solid woods
  • Textiles / Fabrics: felt (up to 6mm), jersey, cotton, etc.
  • Paper & Cardboard: Photo paper, cardboard (up to 5mm), Finn cardboard (up to 3 mm) Grey cardboard
  • Plactics: acrylic (certain colours, up to 3mm), foam rubber (up to 20mm), foam (up to 30mm), polypropelen (up to 0,8mm)
  • Leather: natural leather (up to 2mm), artificial leather (up to 2mm), vegan leather
    Latex and natural latex (up to 1mm)


All specifications are maximum values under ideal conditions, which apply to our current model (Mr Beam II dreamcut [x]). Depending on which model you have, the software will show you up to which thickness you can process the respective material. Basically, the result also depends on the condition and quality of the material, in this article you will find a detailed explanation for wood as an example.

2. Which materials are particularly good for engraving with your Mr Beam? 

  • Wood: cork, bamboo, laser plywood, most of the wood types
  • Textiles / Fabrics: e.g. coloured and thick textiles like jeans, jersey, felt, etc. 
  • Paper & cardboard: grey cardboard, packaging cardboard (single wave, double wave)
  • Stone: e.g. slate, concrete, pebble
  • Stamping rubber
  • Leather: natural leather, artificial leather, vegan leather
  • Acrylic (certain colours)
  • Linoleum
  • Mirror (the backside) 
  • Dark or black anodized Aluminium (please note that blank aluminium won't, as it reflects most of the laser light)
  • Other Metals (only with the Mark Solid Spray in our Shop, the engraving quality depends on the material composition)


In our shop we offer a range of material suitable for laser cutting and engraving with Mr Beam. You can find an overview of materials on our website.

And this is how our material library looks like in the Mr Beam software app, which we regularly update with new materials and laser parameters:



In the following we would like to explain why different materials react to laser-cutting or engraving in different ways, and what you should pay attention to when planning your next project. 

3. What is happening with the material when it's being laser-cut or engraved?

Laser cutting is a thermal process - this means the energy of the laser light needs to be absorbed by the material. The amount of absorbed energy is the amount of light which is not reflected by the material and is not passing through a (semi-)transparent material. 


Example: A mirror is reflecting 100% of the laser light, a piece of clear acrylic is passing 100% of the laser light. In both cases the material cannot be laser-cut or engraved.


4. Why does the colour of the material matter?

The colors we perceive are the wavelengths a material reflects. Black objects, for example, reflect almost no light, blue objects reflect only light in the spectrum 440-470nm. All other light in the visible spectrum is absorbed. We have a blue laser beam (450nm), this means blue and white objects reflect the laser light best, while black objects absorb it best. Additionally, colors complementary to blue in the color circle (yellow, orange, red) absorb most of the blue light. The more blue light is absorbed, the better our laser cutter works.



Gerenerally speaking: The more blue light can be absorbed, the better can the material be cur or engraved by our laser cutter. Lighter colours require more laser energy than darker colours. E.g. an orange felt is much easier to laser cut than white or light-blue. But apart from the colour of the material, other properties like material density and texture play a major role. Thus, in contrast to white felt, you can laser-cut or engrave white coarse paper fairly well. 

5. Which materials cannot be laser-cut or engraved with your Mr Beam?

Transparent, mirroring or very bright materials are generally very hard or not possible to laser-cut or engrave. This is true for most of the metals, transparent acrylic or glas.


Caution! Do not use materials which contain PVC, vynil or other materials containing chloride for laser-cutting or engraving, as they will release muriatic acid. This is very dangerous for both your health and for your Mr Beam! Also note that you should not laser cut or engrave food, which you are planning to consume, as this will make them inedible. You will find more information on this topic in this article and in our user manual, in the chapter "Intended Use". 


Can Mr Beam engrave the backside of electronic devices (e.g. smart phones, laptops or tablets)?
For safety reasons we do not recommend to laser or engrave any electronic devices with your Mr Beam, as this might damage both your electronic device and your laser cutter.


Is it possible to cut or engrave metals with Mr Beam?

The Mr Beam cannot cut metal, because the laser radiation is completely reflected and therefore has no influence on the material. The Mr Beam can engrave dark anodized aluminum and metals that were previously sprayed with the Mark Solid Spray from our store. The laser only removes the anodized layer or burns in the spray, so you can't really feel any indentation afterwards.


Can Mr Beam cut acrylic? 

When working with acrylic, it's its colour which plays a very big role. Red-ish, black and dark acrylics up to 2mm can be cut with several passings with Mr Beam dreamcut. Thanks to the doubled power of the dreamcut [X] laser head, it can also cut lighter shades, such as pastel acrylic. Have a look at our article on synthetic materials and plastics. 

Can Mr Beam engrave glas?

Unfortunately, glas cannot be engraved with Mr Beam, as the blue laser beam transmits (goes through) the opaque material and has no effect on it.