Laser cutting foam, leaves residue on products

Community Laser Talk
1

I plan on making foam box inserts to hold/protect products. The products are laser cut acrylic parts and the foam is only 10-12mm thick.

The issue I have is the edge of the laser cut foam leaves residue on the product. Not immediately, and not a lot but after shipping to the customer, all the movement and vibrations could make the product a little dirty.

I’ve tried EVA, PE and EPE foam so far and the ideal foam is hard EVA. EPE (expanded PE) doesn’t seem to leave residue at all - but it’s far too soft.

So am I doing something wrong or is this unavoidable?

I haven’t tried PU based open cell foam yet. That stuff is probably too squishy (like EPE) though, as i’m after more rigid cushioning.

2

Can you share a picture of the products you already cut?
Which power do you use?

3

Have you ever tried using a closed cell foam like Plastazote?

4

Did you solve the problem with the EVA residues?