Tapemanblue transfer tape for vinyl

Community Laser Talk
1

Hi there
I am tired of burnt marks over my wood cuts. There is always lots of sanding to do.

In Spain, where I am there is no “wide” masking tape. I just found tapemanblue transfer tape for vinyl (12 inches - 30 cms)

Do you recommend it for laser cutting?

it is 140 euros the roll. Lots of money

thanks

2

I’d be hesitant to use it simply because it states it is also made of a vinyl. Lasers and (most unless specifically stated) vinyl do not get along. It will cut for sure, but you may be releasing some serious toxic fumes. Think mustard gas toxic. And any metal parts in your laser will almost instantly rust.
Usually an air assist and a honeycomb bed can take care of most of the over burning. Usually power is too high or speed is too slow when you are getting alot of burnt marks and residue.

3

Is this the one?

12" x 300’ Roll of Paper Transfer Tape for Vinyl: Amazon.com

I have roll of it but have only used about 18" of it. The 5W diode I initially tried it with didn’t work well with it in extremely limited trials. I haven’t had an opportunity to do any further testing.

If this is the one you’re considering and want some detail I can provide, I’m happy to do so. Unfortunately I don’t have a CO2 machine, so I can’t help with things specific to that.

What I’ve done so far…

I applied to a sanded & sealed (unknown sealant) Acacia wood cutting board and I felt the adhesive wasn’t quite aggressive enough, but one application is far from conclusive, especially with an unknown sealant. The blue diode beam basically passed thru it without much effect to the transfer tape itself. It sorta burned the wood beneath but was diffused/out of focus.

It seems to be paper. Fine grained and kinda “slick” like it’s coated or impregnated. Not bright white, so possibly unbleached pulp? Definitely not kraft. No idea what they’re using for adhesive. It has enough stretch that unrolling it can distort it slightly, making applying without creases/bubbles on a flat board require some careful attention. I squeegeed the paper down with a nylon scraper and it mostly stayed down.

4

I checked with them and no PVC in the tape itself. That sounds good (specially after ordering it)

5

Yes, that’s the one

Thanks for the answer and the offer. I’ll use the CO2, it might be different from diode.

I have already ordered it, so let’s see what the results will be

cheers,

6

Transfer tape should be fine - it’s commonly used.

7

great
thanks

8

Any material that has any chloride or any type of chlorine in it probably shouldn’t be cut. PVC is the most obvious, but other plastics and vinyl can contain chlorides. Not saying you will instantly die from cutting these, as I assume everyone has a well vented machine, but even a bit of those fumes will rapidly oxidize metal parts…not aluminum obviously, but there are alot of metal parts inside the laser module itself. It really doesn’t matter what type of laser you use…diode or CO2…it’ the vaporization of the material and what that does to metal parts. But I trust cggormann in his opinions. Please let is know how it worked for you.

Again, excessive power and/or lower speeds, without the use of an elevated honeycomb and no air assist is the biggest cause of over burning. I personally have never really had this issue. And remember, if cutting shapes out when using a masking medium, it can be alot of weeding.

9

I have no doubt a CO2 will cut it effortlessly. I didn’t have the extra time and material to do proper testing, so it’s entirely possible my little diode could do it nicely. I’ll get back to it eventually.

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