I have a 150W CO2 laser running on LightBurn and need to cut a substantial number of gaskets in castable silicone elastomer, approx. 40mm x 40 mm, x 1 mm thickness. It is not that I cannot cut it, but rather the excessive white charring that results renders the parts unusable. Is there anyone here who knows of a workaround for this? I have been struggling with this for quite a while now, and this is the easiest alternative to having to invest in a mould or cutting stamp, which are relatively expensive. Casting the elastomer in a mould is not productive due to the slow curing time, and 3D printing them does not produce the desired surface finish.
The way I see it from where I stand (and the most viable alternative), is to invest in an injection mould if I don’t find a way with laser cutting.
If you may consider the expense of a mold or specialized cutting stamp, consider to find a Wazer water jet cutter.You’d get your task accomplished with good edges and have another tool for other purposes, perhaps even making a bit of extra income contracting to others.
There’s a sub-reddit for this, which also may allow you to hire at a reasonable cost the service to accomplish your objective.
normally silicon is moulded with a compression tool, not injection, and a compression tool is much cheaper than injection and also requires cheaper machines to run. An aluminium tool for a 4 impressions of a 40x40x1 seal will cost about £3000 here in England
Hi Gianluca, you are correct. What I meant was that elastomer is many times referred to as silicone to convey the texture of the material, at least in my locality. The disadvantage of compression moulding is that the part requires 2nd processing removing gross flash and open hole and slots, such as in my case. With injection moulding this is highly reduced to slight flash, which I can live with.
With only a millimeter of thickness, it’s possible that a craft cutter such as a Silhouette Cameo would be able to do the job. It might take more than one pass, but the precision and accuracy is part of the device.
I have, in the past, cut material that benefited from having a coating applied. In this case, it was a light concentration of dish detergent and water, applied by brush during the cutting process. The usual debris and vapor were absorbed by the water and soap and washed off easily.
If applicable, one could create an extremely shallow basin in which the target is placed and soapy water poured in to the required level.
Yes, that might just work. I had something similar in mind months ago but totally forgot all about that possibility. I see if the local agent can give me a demonstration with this. Cheers.