How to store your laser materials

Wood or PatternPly MDF

We recommend storing all wood completely flat with weight evenly distributed on top of the stack. Wood should never be stored somewhere that is susceptible to temperature and humidity fluctuations, such as a non climate-controlled garage.

Why is this? It is because wood expands and contracts depending on temperature and humidity. Do you have a wooden door in your home that gets stuck during certain times of year? Humidity changes cause the wood to react, either expanding with the increased water content in the air or contracting when moisture is low.

Plywood is susceptible to warping; the thinner the plywood, the most likely it is to warp. Some varieties are more prone to warping than others, particular aromatic cedar, maple, and Baltic Birch. If you have any of these varieties, make sure to put extra weight on top. The same is true for wood veneers--these will curl up on your if you don't keep weight on top. 

Acrylic or PatternPly Acrylic

Like wood, we recommend storing all acrylic flat in a temperature-controlled room. Acrylic will not warp like wood, so adding weight on top of the stacks is not necessary. Store acrylic away from sunlight, as this can weaken the acrylic. 

It is not necessary to keep weight on top of the acrylic, but you may if you prefer. We suggest putting a coversheet on top to help prevent surface scratches. 

Flex

Because of their thin, flexible nature, all of the flex materials (e.g., white flex, clear flex, peel and stick clear flex, laser safe vinyl, fire and ice iridescent peel and stick flex, mirror peel and stick flex) are more delicate than plywood or acrylic and should be stored accordingly. Make sure that your storage area doesn't contain sharp points that could scratch or tear the material. It is not necessary to keep weight on top of the flex materials, but you may if you prefer. We suggest putting a coversheet on top of the flex materials before adding weight to the top of the stack. We recommend that all flexible materials be stored flat. 

Veneers

Store these flat with a coversheet and weight on top. Make sure that your storage area doesn't contain sharp points that could scratch or tear the material.