Hi.
Welcome to the LB forum @tsitalon1 .
I do agree with the previous posters that laser is somewhat incorrect tool to cut soft packaging foam.
Denser foam varities can be cut quite succesfully with CO2 laser though, as can be seen in this great thread:
On that thread there’s also IMO quite an ingenious way to digitize the silhouette of a complex shaped object, worth a look.
That said:
Based on personal foam cutting experiences in past, I’d say that it is unlikely that You will find a cost effective on-site cutting method that will meet Your requirements.
Especially if those requirements are anywhere near the examples in Your post #16.
So if this was a poll, my vote would go for outsourcing the foam inserts as well, even though I fully understand why that’s not the optimal solution.
The cheap hot-blade cutter You linked will most likely make the examples @ednisley posted look actually quite good, while ones cut with a hot-wire cutter will look a whole lot nicer but still have a rough, dense, somewhat uneven surface.
I’d be surprised if foam varities that are better suited to be either hot-wire or even laser cut aren’t available, but I have a hunch that the cost -and probably the minimum order size- will be at least somewhat prohibitive.
And if used to store sensitive (plastic) items, off-gassing is definitely something that has to be kept in mind when choosing the foam in order to avoid nasty surprises.
If You insist on doing the cutting Yourself, then I’d suggest buying a cheap jig-saw looking handheld hot-wire cutter to find out what kind of surface texture can be acchieved.
And whether that’s acceptable or not.
Depending on the design of Your 3D printers, it might be possible to convert one as a hot wire cutter as well.
As @patricr said, You’re not wrong about that.
Ocillating knife cutters usually can, but those babies are pricey and extremely rare.
If You don’t for some reason wish to glue the lead-in cut, It is however rather easy to cut a hole/holes into the foam with a tubular drill, thread the hot wire through a hole, cut that shape, switch the wire onto another hole, and so on.
Excactly the same way as internal shapes are cut with a jig-saw.
Regards,
Sam
