Service · Cosplay & costume
Laser-cut cosplay armor and costume props in LA.
EVA foam armor, layered acrylic accessories, mat-board prop builds, convention badges, and costume hardware — cut on industrial CO₂ lasers in Downtown LA. Anime Expo, LA Comic Con, and DesignerCon deadlines welcome. Standard turnaround 3 to 5 business days, next-business-day rush available.
Foam-armor builds at the cleanest cut your local shop can give you.
Cosplay is detail work — chamfers, score lines, mirrored panels, layered builds. A clean laser cut beats X-Acto for clean edges and saves you hours on cleanup. Same shop that cuts foam props for Disney also cuts your AX build. Send a file or send a reference photo and we will help vector it.
What we make.
Armor plates & body panels
EVA foam plates cut to your pattern — chest, pauldrons, gauntlets, leg armor, full sets. Clean edges, score lines for bend points, perforations for stitching where needed.
Helmets, masks & headpieces
Foam helmet panels, multi-piece masks, crown bases, visor mounts, ear/horn details. Cut your panels, you do the heat-form and finish.
Sigils, badges, accessories
Layered acrylic insignia, faction badges, group sigils, layered metal-look brooches, lapel pieces, layered crests for cloaks and tabards.
Prop weapons (foam blanks)
Foam blanks cut to your pattern — swords, axes, hammers, polearms. You sand, prime, and paint to finish. We do not laminate or finish.
Convention badges & vendor displays
Custom convention badges, lanyard tags, vendor table displays, signage for artist alley booths, and giveaway pieces for activations.
Pattern testing & mock-ups
Mat-board mock-ups of complex pieces before you commit to your final foam — much cheaper to test the fit in cardboard first.
Materials.
We stock the essentials cosplay uses every day. Bring laser-safe specialty stock if you need a finish we do not carry.
EVA foam
1/4″ to 1/2″ EVA foam — the workhorse for armor, props, and helmets. Stocked black. Bring colored EVA if you want to skip painting.
Cast acrylic
Cast acrylic 1/8″ and 1/4″ — clear, frosted, mirror, black, white, color — for badges, sigils, and accessories.
Mat board & chipboard
For mock-ups and prototype panels before you cut your final foam. Way cheaper to iterate.
What we will not cut
No PVC, vinyl, polycarbonate, ABS, polystyrene foam (the white packing kind), Sintra, or any chlorinated material — those release toxic fumes when lasered. Worbla and EVA are fine.
How to order.
Send your pattern, your convention date, and your foam thickness — we quote, usually within a business day.
Email americanlaserco@gmail.com with your piece type (armor, prop, badge), material and thickness, quantity, dimensions, your convention or event date, and your file (AI, DXF, or PDF). No file yet but you have a reference photo? Send the photo and we can quote a vectoring pass. Or start on the quote page.
Common questions.
Can I make a build for Anime Expo / LA Comic Con?
Yes — convention deadlines are normal for us. Tell us your build week and we will tell you what is doable, including next-business-day rush if you are late.
What EVA foam thicknesses do you stock?
1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″. Bring your own if you need thinner (1/8″ for accent layers) or thicker (3/4″ for big armor pieces).
Can you cut Worbla?
Yes — Worbla is laser-safe. Many of our regulars use it for finer detail pieces.
Can you cut Sintra, PVC, or vinyl?
No. Those release chlorine gas when lasered. We do not cut them and most reputable laser shops do not either.
What about thermoplastic helmet bases?
For laser-safe thermoplastics (Worbla, EVA), yes. For polycarbonate or ABS, no.
Can you vector my reference photo?
Yes — we can trace clean reference photos to vector for a small fee, then cut the foam.
What is the turnaround?
Standard orders run 3 to 5 business days. Next-business-day rush is built in because we know conventions never wait.
Start your cosplay project.
Send the file or a reference photo and we will quote it.