Hello all from a warm and surprisingly sunny Wales.
I am looking to cut sticky backed foam (1mm thick) to use as box linings. When cut from the foam side up, the foam cuts well at 2000/20 - without melting back from the cut. Any slower or more powerful and it melts back and is not longer true to my measurements.
But the self adhesive is semi transparent and the backing paper is white. Whilst the foam cuts, the adhesive and backing doesn’t.
I plan to try with a dark mat paint (black spray paint) on the reverse and cut from that side. I hope I can get the backing paper to cut. If that then leaves behind just the adhesive, I should be able to separate easily.
Am I missing anything before I have a go? (other than fumes - HEPA filter extraction etc in place)
Diode lasers don’t work well with light colored materials, so the lack of cutting is pretty much how it is: light colors very effectively reflect visible laser energy and, without absorption, there’s no heating.
If the laser cuts the foam cleanly, can you peel the foam off the (uncut) backing paper and apply it to the box without (too much) wrinkling?
Silicone is possible but polyethylene is a more likely suspect.
I’m attempting some foam cutting but I’m staying out of the adhesive backed materials for now.
Trial application worked as was reasonably wrinkle free. The “challenge” is that the box is made up from x20 40mmx40mm inserts – so need to do this x20 times for the bottom and 80 times for the walls.
I tried working with 1 piece for each insert with the bottom and the walls combined, but was just far too fiddley.
Note to self – next time look for backing paper this is black!
The foam is literally 1mm high (more like flocking really) - so its not deep enough for that.
More “solution” has been to laser the foam to get precise inserts and then cut the adhesive / backing with a craft knife. A little gooey from the melted adhesive, but seems to work.
