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Alan Moberly
12-17-2012, 9:08 AM
We are going to be laser cutting 1/16 cork for cushioning in the gift boxes we are making. The cork comes rolled up and tends to curl even after fussing with it. Any suggestions for keeping the cork flat while laser cutting it. Epilog Mini 12 x 18

Joe Hillmann
12-17-2012, 11:43 AM
Depending on the thickness of the cork you could use a steel plate underneath and strong magnets on top.

Mike Null
12-17-2012, 12:04 PM
If you are cutting it on a flat surface use spray adhesive on the table or whatever you are engraving on.

Cliff Land
12-17-2012, 12:12 PM
have you tried unrolling and rerolling in the opposite direction?

Alan Moberly
12-17-2012, 1:36 PM
Mike the first pieces I cut I did that way, it was my fall back method, great minds think alike. Joe I did some testing and the magnet idea is a stroke of genius. If I cut a pattern for laying out the magnets I think it will work.

David Fairfield
12-17-2012, 1:58 PM
If you are using the proper CFM exhaust fan, you should be able to hold the material down flat using the suction from it, just make sure that the entire surface of the bed is covered, use scrap material to close any open areas. 1/16 cork should really not be any problem. If you don't have the suction to do this, then make sure your fan blades and intakes are clear of buildup and or obstructions. Important to keep the exhaust fan clear anyway.

Dave

Ronald Erickson
12-17-2012, 4:23 PM
I just cut cork for the first time last week. It came in a roll and I had laid it out sandwiched between some plywood for about a week prior... which had no affect on the cork wanting to roll back up. :o

I was cutting 3.5 inch cork circles for 4 inch coasters, so I just used a piece of 1/4 thick ply, cut a 4 inch hold in it, then placed it on top of the cork to hold it down. I then lasered the 3.5 inch disc from within the 4 inch "hole" in the holddown. The cork curled up as it cut, but it still produced the correct sized disc.

Question: I've always used a cutting grid to cut. Can you cut directly on the table without the grid? For instance, can you cut paper directly on the table using magnets? Or should you always have an airspace under the material to be cut?

Alan Moberly
12-17-2012, 4:40 PM
I'm cutting mine directly on the metal table which is why Mike's suggestion for the adhesive would work and Joe's suggestion for the magnets would work. I agree the cork just does not want to lay flat. Ours has the adhesive back on it which I think really keeps it from wanting to uncurl.

Kim Vellore
12-17-2012, 4:55 PM
You could come up with a shape smaller than the actual cut out and cut it in plexi and place it on the cork while cutting. You will have to figure out the butting method while placing the plexi on the cork.

Kim

Alan Moberly
12-17-2012, 5:43 PM
Kim that is a method I have used as well. So far with the exception of the magnets it appears I am on target with most lines of thinking. We are looking at the possibility of hundreds of boxes. I have not decided what is the best method for hundreds of parts. David the cork has just been to stiff for the vacuum to hold it flat.

Mike Null
12-17-2012, 5:57 PM
Ron

I always use a cutting grid for cutting but my work is usually in plastic or wood. Sometimes I engrave a small amount of sign vinyl (no I'm not recommending it) and I spray some adhesive on a piece of scrap metal and place that on my table.

If I were cutting the cork I would use the adhesive or the magnets if I knew where to place them.

Rich Harman
12-17-2012, 6:34 PM
The Shenhui's, and probably most Chinese lasers, have steel honeycombs. I use magnets all the time with it. However, the table is aluminum.

I would think that it should not be too hard to find a steel honeycomb table.

Chuck Stone
12-17-2012, 8:49 PM
I think Kim's idea is on the mark.. don't need to worry about adhesives or what the
table is made of. Scale the whole image down a little bit and cut one out of plexi.
That should make a good weight to hold down the cork. Then you'll just need to
worry about placement..but a few registration marks on some masking tape should
work just fine.

Bill Cunningham
12-18-2012, 9:24 PM
I have a sheet of brass coated steel mounted perm. on my table, and use the rare earth magnets to hold just about everything they will magnetically stick through.. Spray a little windex, or simple green on it and wipe it down every so often just to get the goo off..

Shannon Bruce
12-19-2012, 10:16 AM
Ron, we cut all kinds of things here and never use a cutting grid. I actually just started looking into them for our embroidery dept. because we cut appliques and letters and other things all the time for them. All we do is put a piece of aluminum down under the material being cut so the laser doesn't put burn marks into our table.