laser cutting shrinky dink plastic?

[Nadia Zois]

i wanted to try laser cutting those shrinky dink shrink plastic things that they sell at the craft store.

i know you can bake them , so they can withstand heat but i am not sure if they are safe to laser cut? any ideas?

[Mike Null]

Nadia

I am not familiar with shrinky dink plastic things. Is that a technical term?;)

Do you have a picture?

[Dee Gallo]

Nadia,

Don't you think the edges would shrink with the heat and just make a humped up shape in the middle?

Mike - Shrinky Dink is a brand name for a thin plastic sheet you draw on with markers, cut out with scissors and then bake. The result is a mini version of your drawing, slightly thicker and denser color on a hardened plastic.

[Scott Shepherd]

Mike, it is a plastic item that's cut into a shape and then you paint it all up (or color it somehow), while it's full size. Then you put them in the oven on a cookie sheet, heat them and they shrink a great deal, retaining their original shapes and all the coloring you did on them.

I don't recall how you color it. I tried them about 30 years ago ;) Honest ;) I'm sure they have changed since then, but not sure how. Haven't seen them since I was a kid.

Dang it, she beat me too it!

[Dan Hintz]

If you don't have any on hand to play with (and don't want to make a special purchase), pick up a salad at your local fast food joint... the clear plastic cartons are made of the same material as Shrinky Dinks (non-extruded polystyrene). Look for the number '6' inside of the tri-arrow recycling symbol embossed into the plastic to make sure it's the correct type. Plenty of posts here about good settings for polystyrene.

For coloring, use permanent markers.

[Mike Null]

Well, I guess it's obvious that I don't get out much. :o

[Dave Johnson29]

Well, I guess it's obvious that I don't get out much.


:D I'm with you Mike, I did not know what it was but figured I'd sit back and let someone else ask.

Scott: 30 years back? Did we have plastics then? :):)

[Scott Shepherd]

Scott: 30 years back? Did we have plastics then? :):)

Sure we did Dave, it's what the handle on your walker was made from :D

Oh, that was wrong. Sorry about that Dave, I know you're not THAT old ;)