Can you help identify material... neoprene maybe?

[Brent Franker]

Hello!

I'm new to this laser world and don't really know much about what I'm doing so please bear with me :)

I have an Epilog 36EXT 75 watt laser. One of the first projects I'd like to do involves what looks to be neoprene but I'm not sure? I've taken a few pictures of this material here...

http://www.extreme-z.com/gallery/album08/P1000335_resize?full=1
http://www.extreme-z.com/gallery/album08/P1000334_resize?full=1
http://www.extreme-z.com/gallery/album08/P1000333_resize

Can somebody please help me identify what this material is and possibly where to buy it? I'd need different colors like red, yellow, green, etc. and not just black. I'd prefer to buy it in sheets so I know it lays flat when cutting but can buy rolls. I don't need like hundreds of yards... just want to try something and see if it works :)

Thank you!

[Dan Hintz]

Pictures don't say everything... but it looks like Neoprene to me.

[Bill Cunningham]

Yup.. that looks like a chem blown neoprene..

[Steven Cox]

If it is Neoprene the question is is it safe to cut with a laser because I believe it contains polychloroprene. I had a quick look at a some MSDS for a few different grades of Neoprene and all those I looked at say....
Fire and Explosion Hazard : Burning produces noxious and toxic fumes.

[Doug Griffith]

I agree with Dan. Looks like neoprene.

FYI, if you Google "colored neoprene" you will see different colored "neoprene" cloning pucks. I've had my hands on many of them and even had them analyzed to see if they are in fact neoprene. They are not. They are a type of foam. Denser, less flexible, and similar to craft foam sheets. Neoprene is typically "colored" by adding a layer of colored fabric.

[Richard Rumancik]

Maybe search on "wetsuit material" and see if you can find a supplier.

[Brent Franker]

Thanks guys! I did buy some craft foam which I read is for sure safe to cut with the laser. I had thought I read where people were using a laser for neoprene as well??? Basically, what I want to do is make something like a coaster but have different colors other than the typical black. I'll do some additional searching and hopefully will be able to find something that is suitable for this and be able to cut it with a laser :)

The craft fun foam type stuff looks like it is a little less "durable" than neoprene. Not sure how well it'll work but it was cheap enough to try!

[Brent Franker]

Also, I have a few wet suits and know what you mean by a layered fabric color. My suits that are not black look to be black with a layer of color... that would work too. I'm just looking for some color when you look down into a cup holder so even a layer of fabric that is yellow, for example, would be just fine. Now I just need to find it and hope I can cut it with the laser!

[andrew zen]

Can't you test for chlorine using the cooper wire flame test?

Heat copper wire with propane, mapp gas

Take to the rubber and melt it onto the wire.

Hit flame on the wire with the rubber.

Was it a green flame means chlorine?

There is a great video out there with a professor doing this test. can;t find it now.

[Rodne Gold]

Neoprene both cuts and lasers VERY well without fumes or explosions

[Nick Foley]

I've never seen neoprene that wasn't black (or colored with a fabric coating), but if you need colored rubber or different material properties, you can get virtually any type of rubber in a foamed version. Silicone foam, for example, comes in many colors and is even more durable than neoprene. It is also much more expensive...

[Bill Cunningham]

Years ago..35+ they used to use coloured neoprene for wetsuit stripping and seam reinforcement.. Problem was. the colouring would degrade the life of the material, and it would fall apart in a few years. Never seen sheets of the stuff though, only rolls of stripping.. about .75 x .125

[Brent Franker]

Thanks for the additional info! I ordered some samples from a company several days ago but have not yet received them. I'll post back once I get them and let you know how it all works out.

I did get in the Fun Foam and some other brand of craft foam that I ordered. It looks to be a bit thin for what I'd like to do though.

Thanks!

[Martin Boekers]

Brent, do you have a specific size or use that you couldn't find a coaster that would work?
There are a varietiy of rubber coasters covered with fabric that can be sublimated any color
you like, plus they are cheap!

[Brent Franker]

Brent, do you have a specific size or use that you couldn't find a coaster that would work?
There are a varietiy of rubber coasters covered with fabric that can be sublimated any color
you like, plus they are cheap!

Hey Martin! I do need a specific size. I need to make one that is just a certain sized circle but then I need another that is basically a circle with an ~1" tab on one side. I'm not sure how well it'll go over so I'd like to use the laser to cut the specific shapes. If I sold enough of these I suspect it might be cheaper to have a die made and them "punched" out in mass quantities but I'll give it a trial run with my laser to see how it works out :) I don't expect to sell anywhere near the amout it would take to make that worth while but you never know! :)

Thanks!

[Dee Gallo]

Brent, I've used fun foam in layers for more substantial things like puzzle pieces. It's really easy if you buy one pack of plain and one pack with sticky backs. I like to use two contrasting colors. Still cuts like butter and engraves well too. Something else you might try is getting the sticky back foam and putting fabric on it, then cutting.

cheers, dee

edit: you can buy 1/4" fun foam from craftsuppliesforless.com

[Brent Franker]

Thanks for the tips, Dee! I didn't realize they even made the fun foam stuff with a sticky back. Just getting into this stuff and one of the more difficult things I'm running into is finding good places to buy this kind of stuff so thanks much for the link. I'll definitely check it out!

[Brent Franker]

It's been a couple years since I posted this. I had issues with my laser, got frustrated, too busy with other stuff, and didn't do much with it but got things sorted out finally :)

I did end up ordering several samples from a few different companies and none were really what I was looking for. Since it has been a couple years I'm wondering if anybody has any new sources or ideas? I'm looking for a material similar to what is in the pictures I posted in post #1 but colored (like red, yellow, blue, etc.) and with the texture on the one surface. The texture is my main problem... I can find colored neoprene but what I've found is always black with a colored piece of top fabric. I have found the textured neoprene like in my pics but only in black. ARGH!

Is anybody aware of a source for colored neoprene/rubber that I can cut with a laser that is similar to the black material in the pics? Thanks much!!!

[Dan Hintz]

Try Macro International...
http://www.macrointlco.com/category.jhtm?cid=13

[Alexa Ristow]

Hi Brent,

Search for EVA foam. That what the fun foam is. you can get EVA in different densities and thicknesses with a wide color range.
Ethylene-vinyl_acetate.. google it as EVA

Regards,

Norman

[Mike Audleman]

Another thought and probably closer to home for just about everyone. Lift up your mouse and look at the back of your mouse pad. It quite probably looks exactly like the material in the OP's photo. Mine does at least ;)

And you can get mouse pads cheap or free and they come in a lot of colors and patterns already.

[Dan Hintz]

Another thought and probably closer to home for just about everyone. Lift up your mouse and look at the back of your mouse pad. It quite probably looks exactly like the material in the OP's photo. Mine does at least ;)

And you can get mouse pads cheap or free and they come in a lot of colors and patterns already.

I think the OP wants the neoprene itself to be of different colors, not a colored cloth covering glued to the neoprene. Colored neoprene needs to be made like that at the manufacturer through dyes and cannot be altered after the fact.

[Mike Audleman]

I just discovered this stuff at American Science and Surplus tonight when I went in to get some bottles to store the diluted Cermark in.

295423295424

Its a really nice aqua color and it cuts and engraves very well. The cutting is very clean and leaves a slightly firm finish but its still squishy. Best looking cut came at 75% @ 30mm/s. Locally its $2.00 a sheet of 25" x 17" and nominal .278" thick isn't bad to experiment with. It has the density of cheap dollar store flip-flops. Its firm but flexible and reminds me of foam map toys the girls had as kids.

Engraving got good results too. 20% @ 500mm/s gave a slightly darkened engrave with ever so slight rounding on the corners turning from the surface down into the engrave. The depth is about .055". At 15% @ 500mm/s the engrave is very light and not well defined. At 15% @ 400mm/s seems to be the sweet spot. Little if any darkening and sharp crisp edges. Engraving depth of .028".

Its listed on their website but its a bit more, $4.95 for two sheets.
http://www.sciplus.com/p/25-X-17-TEAL-CLOSEDCELL-FOAM-SHEET_51305

While I was typing this, I had a thought triggerd by what I was typing above. For some experimental materials, how about actual flipflops from the dollar store? They are only a buck and come in several colors. And they feel just like this stuff. Not sure what you want to cut from them or how large, but maybe a few bucks at the dollar store will help you figure out if this sort of material is suitable for your project.

[Mike Audleman]

Well, I had some time to tinker with the settings and cut myself a nice mat to put ammo on while shooting prone at the range. The mat is 10"x15".

295426295427
(For reference, thats a .50cal BMG casing there, 3.9" end to end)

Settings:
Background behind "FIREARMS" : 500mm/s @ 14%p
"FIREARMS" text : 400mm/s @ 15%p
Border and "BARRETT" text : 500mm/s @ 18%p
Cut : 30mm/s @ 75%p

The text "FIREARMS" was a 2nd layer on top of the background. I couldn't figure out how to get the program to leave the text un-engraved but engrave the background so I burned the text a bit deeper. Interesting how the second burn pass made a different texture in the foam than the first pass does. I could see some interesting shading possibilities here.