BB birch timber-based laminated sheet material with exceptional strength. Because both faces are grade BB, patches and other little knots and flaws are expected. a wood substance that is frequently used for laser engraving and cutting. Known as "laser plywood" in the industry, it is bonded using MR glue line.
Laser cut Plywood
| Our supply | Stock / special order material |
|---|---|
| Thickness | Available in 2mm, 3mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 15mm, 18mm (not every option of plywood is available in every thickness) |
| Sheet sizes | up to 3050 x 1525mm |
| Your supply | Not all plywood can be laser cut, ensure your material is interior grade with MR glue line, contact us if you are unsure on this. |
| Our Laser | Our laser bed sizes vary with our largest size being 1300 x 900mm |
Types of Ply
There’s a variety of different types of plywood for different applications, some are laserable and others are not:
Softwood Ply
The most common manufactured plywood, that comes in a variety of thickness is often used on construction projects.
Hardwood Ply
More commonly used for more hardwearing projects that demand longevity, and constructed from stronger timbers, hardwood ply is ideal for more demanding jobs.
Flexible Ply
Usually constructed from just a few plies, these boards offer greater flexibility for projects that require curved surfaces.
Marine Ply
As the name suggests, this ply is used on marine-based applications due to its water resistant properties.
Aircraft Ply
To add greater heat resistance properties, this ply is constructed from birch.
Decorative Ply
Used where the wood grain will be on show, this ply tends to be made from beautiful woods including oak and rosewood to construct furniture and bespoke finishes.
PLYWOOD Material Properties
Strong: Plywood is often far stronger than regular wood because of its layered composition. The board doesn't shatter or snap under strain because of a straightforward engineering technique that involves adhering small layers of alternating grains. As a general rule of thumb, ply strength increases with thickness.
Flixible: Because it can be built at almost any thickness—from a few millimetres to several centimetres thick—plywood is also incredibly flexible and bendable when necessary. This is the reason why challenging projects requiring a curved surface typically employ thin plywoods.
Stress Resistance: A heavy object placed on a single sheet of wood would flex and eventually break, but because plywood is constructed in layers with alternating grain directions at each layer, the stress would be distributed over a wider surface.
Insulation: Few people are aware that plywood also works quite well as a soundproofing and insulating material.
Laser Cutting Plywood
The top surface is kept from burning, scorching, or charring by using compressed air. Sometimes, especially on thicker plywood, there can be a faint discoloration in the vicinity of the cut line. These are easily sandable using wet and dry paper of fine grit.
Laser Cutting Residue
On the surface where the laser shoots at the start of a vector line or shape's course, very tiny flares may appear. Using wet and dry paper with a fine grit, these marks are simply sandable off.
Laser Cut EdgeS
The laser cutting of birch plywood results in a brown or black edge that gets darker as the plywood gets thinner. When the edge of a plywood piece thicker than 9 mm comes into contact with the surface, it can get quite dusty and occasionally leave marks.
Laser Engraving PLYwood
We can Laser engrave plywood, please contact us for more information.
Other Considerations
We can pre-paint panels prior to laser cutting them, please specify this when sending your enquiry.
We offer a full scale design, cut and assemply service if required. please contact us if this is a requirement.
