How's that to start off a Monday. Yesterday was Earth Day. While it is a special day to John and I, because we were engaged on Earth Day, it is a perfect opportunity to talk about acrylic while the thought of Earth love is on everyone's mind.
Admittedly, when we first opened shop we had a couple products that were made from acrylic. Acrylic products is a standard material for laser cutters. They look really nice and are often well received by customers.
When we had a large custom project that was made from acrylic in our first year of business. I was excited about it because things were starting to get going with jobs for us. About a quarter way into the job, it really stank. Cutting acrylic with the laser smelled so bad it grossed us out. We have proper ventilation and everything, acrylic simply stinks. Why is that?
Acrylic plastics manufacturing involves highly toxic substances which require careful storage, handling, and disposal. It also causes toxic fumes and it isn't easily recyclable. Acrylic is a group 7 plastic. Which means it basically ends up in a landfill if thrown away.