Dear all,
does somebody has got some experience with cutting foam with the laser module of the A350?
The idea is to create a foam template for a tool drawer.
Thank you in advance!
I actually think it might work better with the cnc module. Using specific bits suitable for this type of work and foam that is sufficiently rigid.
I was going to suggest the CNC route as well. You can see CNC passes in the example photo.
The laser would let you make the outline, but it won’t clear the material. You’d have to figure out some way to cut the bottom loose. I imagine you would want some really good exterior exhaust as well. I don’t think you’ve be able to reach anywhere close to the depth of cut that you want. The laser can cut through millimeters, not centimeters.
If you are willing to ‘stack layers’ you can use the laser. Cut each profile depth as a thru cut, or not, say in 1/2 inch thicknesses, then the bottom is wherever you stop for a given tool in the next topographical layer. (1/2 might be overkill from a focal standpoint…I’ve cut max 8.7mm thick plywood so far [10w laser module] so foam should be no problem, but stepping down the head to make sure I was getting the bottom cut did result in some extra burning on the top of the ply.) And I bet you’d have difficulties with BLUE foam. Pick a different color. 
Do small circular holes out in corners or something for pegs to hold the stack together.
A lot of Kaizen foam kits are sold in pre-‘dash-cut’ gridded layers and you pluck the squares out layer by layer, same concept really.
Might stink pretty bad though (same is true of cutting acrylic or other plastics). Do in summer with open windows and good crossbreeze or have a good extractor of some sort.
Firing foam has been tried and found to be a fire hazard.
It actually caught fire.
Thanks guys!
I Gues I will try it with the CNC module. I thought Laser would be easier but maybe thats the better way. I will post some feedback how it worked out.
I can find a lot of stuff online about cutting foam with CO2 lasers, so I’m sure some are fine, but you’re still going to be both thickness limited and having to stack. (Stay away from any PVCs obviously but EVA or silica based syntactics are possibly ok… I found a page that suggests “However, there are some foams that can be laser cut, and they are usually made up of either Polyester (PES), Polyethylene (PE) or Polyurethane (PUR).”
(Of course they show a picture of BLUE foam which for our laser would likely be the least favored color…)
Hi I am trying today cutting PE foam with the 40W laser modul. After some tries I figured out the key numbers to get a could cut without losing dimensions due to too much heat. Speed 900 mm/min and power 45% will cut PE foam thickness 20mm.
I bought the foam at Lasersheets.de PE hard foam 20mm
2 Likes