I assume it is OK to cut Foam Core Board on our lasers. Is there anything I have to worry about if I do?
Our material list in the Wiki does not include Foam Core Board but rather Gator Board. Comparing the two I got “Unlike foam board, which can be flimsy and not up to the task, gator board is designed to be strong, durable, and ready for anything . This is achieved from its materials - polystyrene foam that is sandwiched between wood fiber veneer (hard and sense) and melamine. As a result, gator boards are durable and unyielding.”
Danny may have better information but it looks like foam board and gatorboard both use PolyStyrene Foam which is on the do NOT cut list Laser Cutter Materials - Asmbly Wiki .
PolyStyrene Foam Catches fire It catches fire quickly, burns rapidly, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!
I hear ya - no foam core board, and maybe we should change gator board in the wiki table too.
that guide doesn’t seem to have been made by someone highly knowledgable- polycarbonate absorbing the laser is not the problem. it’s the opposite of a problem- a laser cutter is useless if the stock is transparent to the wavelength used. like blue ray diodes can’t cut clear acrylic because the energy passes right through the stock and hits the honeycomb
polycarbonate doesn’t work because its chemistry doesn’t decompose into gaseous and smoke byproducts at high temps. it chars in place
that info may not be reliable. with high power and air assist we have my bet would be that this should cut quite well, but I’d need to test it to be sure
I’d be happy to bring it in, but it’s just a hunk of test material I had laying around to get the feeling for what I am designing. So I’m not very important and I can easily swap it out or just not use it. This is just a small question and not something I’m invested in.
FWIW, I cut a bit of 5mm foamcore recently and it behaved pretty much like Danny theorized: the foam layer melted back a small amount (1-2mm) but otherwise cut cleanly and I expect that the combo of air-assist and properly balanced power vs speed helped keep it clean and safe.
I would definitely have reservations cutting any polystyrene that is thicker/looser and/or less “contained” between paper layers — or without air assist. If foam particles are allowed to heat up more or fly around, that seems like a clear source of danger.
TL;DR: my experience and definitely-not-policy-opinion here says “OK, but take care and watch it closely”
