index / materials / hdpe
HDPE and other polyethylene
also: milk-jug plastic, cutting-board plastic
HDPE is the milk-bottle plastic. FSL and xTool support say it melts and catches fire; Monport's table marks polyethylene as fine on every laser.
Board
YES x2 two or more makers say yesNO x2 two or more say noMAKERS SPLIT makers contradict each other1 SOURCE one maker page only, not confirmedNO STATEMENT nothing publishedIF = yes only under a stated condition
| Laser type | Engrave or mark | Cut |
|---|---|---|
| Diode (blue, about 450 to 455 nm) | 1 SOURCE: YES | NO STATEMENT |
| CO2 (10,600 nm) | MAKERS SPLIT | NO x2 |
| Fiber (1064 nm) | 1 SOURCE: YES | NO STATEMENT |
Run hdpe and other polyethylene through the matcher to add a cut thickness.
What each maker says
Diode, engrave or mark 1 SOURCE: YES
Plastic (PE, PP, PET): YES (diode).
Monport, CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog), read Nov 5, 2026
CO2, engrave or mark MAKERS SPLIT
Plastic (PE, PP, PET): YES (CO2). All lasers perform well on these plastics.
Monport, CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog), read Nov 5, 2026HDPE/milk bottle plastic. Catches fire and melts.
Full Spectrum Laser (FSL), What materials are safe and not safe to engrave/vector cut, read Nov 5, 2026
CO2, cut NO x2
HDPE/milk bottle plastic. Catches fire and melts. It melts. It gets gooey. It catches fire. Don't use it.
Full Spectrum Laser (FSL), What materials are safe and not safe to engrave/vector cut, read Nov 5, 2026HDPE. Melts and easily catches fire.
xTool, Support article 363, safety guide, read Nov 5, 2026
Fiber, engrave or mark 1 SOURCE: YES
Plastic (PE, PP, PET): YES (fiber).
Monport, CO2, fiber and diode material compatibility guide (blog), read Nov 5, 2026
No statement found for: Diode cut, Fiber cut.
Fumes
Every page read treats lasering as a fume source. Match your machine's exhaust figure to an extractor on the fume and room lookup.