Non-laserable 2 ply on laser ???

[Randy Digby]

The new Speedy 100 is on the way but the racks are full of Rowmark and IPI for rotary engraving (and my supplier won't do a swap). Can I use the rotary material on the laser? I was told that it would engrave ok but would not cut very well. That would be an ok option because we currently score, snap, drill and radius our pieces before engraving (so we can mix colors on the bed), so I could continue doing that until the old stock is used up...as long as it will engrave. What say the Creeksters?

[Bill Cunningham]

yup I've done a lot of the old stuff.. Just decrease the power, and you may have to do a few passes so you don't burn the material. Also, the laser is great for scoring.. You can set your speed so that it goes abt. 2/3 through, and you can literally pop the pieces out like a jigsaw puzzle.. Practice on some scrap first..

[Rodne Gold]

The best way to describe the engraving on non laserable stock is "melty".,..You can get reasonable results tho.
We mask the non laserable stock with application tape and then work it in the laser , seems to do the trick,
Cutting needs LOW ppi or frequency to avoid melty edges.
For one or 2 of my bigger jobs , I have made my own 2 ply by using ABS and spraying with a matt finish automotive paint. This was actually tougher than the commercial stock in terms of the surface and it worked out a LOT cheaper (we had to do labels in their 1000's and the cost reduction was VERY substantial)

[Mike Null]

You will find that the cap on non-laserable plastic is much thicker than laserable plastic hence more passes. Your results should otherwise be good but as others have mentioned cutting will be a problem with the laser.

[Joe Pelonio]

Interesting differences in results so far. I use it a lot for colors not available in laserable. Most of the time the engraving takes two passes at less power for a clean finish. As for cutting, it will bleed onto the surface unless I apply transfer tape but the cut is actually nicer than the laserable, glossy and not sticky.