graphite sheet question

[Margaret Turco]

Hi guys- Has anyone tried cutting through .005" thick Grafoil GTB to make gaskets? Thank you for your help!

[Dave Johnson29]

Has anyone tried cutting through .005" thick Grafoil GTB to make gaskets?

Hi Margaret,

Nope, :) but let's know how it goes.

[Margaret Turco]

Yeah, I'm not sure I'm going to quote this one. Still haven't heard back from the manufacturer after leaving a message a couple of hours ago.

[Joe Pelonio]

Before quoting I'd go as far as to request a sample, regardless of what the manufacturer says. As long as it has no PVC, that is. They may not know much about lasers and may say it cuts fine because someone is using it on a YAG, and if you have a CO2 it might not work.

[scott keller]

I have tried with a 120 watt. The grafoil has a foil (metal) thin layer inside it. Graphite is probably different. It did not cut. Send me a note as to what you are trying to make. I have probably die cut what you are after.

[Margaret Turco]

Thanks for your help! This particular material is not tanged as far as I can tell from the website. It's just graphite, no filler or stainless steel insert, pressed into a sheet. My potential customer is a die cutter and I suspect the part is too detailed or something for normal steel rule die cutting although they did not send me the file. I told them to look at getting an etched die and cutting against metal.

[scott keller]

Hi Margaret,
I believe you are correct about the GTB not having anything layered in it. Thank you. I learned something today. I tried several scraps I found around the shop and all seem to have something in them. They did not cut. I found one piece marked compressed graphite. It was very hard and did not cut either. It did not have anything in it but was very compressed. If you do get a chance to try a sample piece please let us know as I would be very curious as to the outcome.
Thanks,
Scott.

[Jon Colley]

Hi all,

Just make sure your exhaust is working very well before doing any graphite. Aside from health issues associated with any airbourne dust, it can cause some issues with your laser. The power supplies in your laser will have cooling fans that suck in ambient air to keep them cool. If this air has graphite dust in it, it will deposit on the electronics and since graphite is conductive, this can have expensive consequences.

Jon