Help With Foam Packaging Material To Laser

[adam smiz]

Hey all,

We are making custom acrylic frames for the aquarium industry and have run into some shipping issues. We have had several arrive broken which is adding up very quickly. We currently are using foam corners and wrapping the piece in a combo of saran wrap and bubble while filling all dead space in the box with packing paper. We'd like to move to using the cut files for the frames to create a negative image to cut on foam so we can insert the tops into the foam for a perfect fit.

I am looking for foam .5-2" thick that can be cleanly lasered. As this is also just for shipping purposes I am really trying to find the cheapest solution. We will be running some tests on insulation's board that you can pick up from HD or Lowes but would appreciate any help or incite anyone has to offer!

[Dan Hintz]

Not sure of your exact plan, but I would think polystyrene blocks and a hot knife would make quick work of custom corner protectors.

[adam smiz]

Not sure of your exact plan, but I would think polystyrene blocks and a hot knife would make quick work of custom corner protectors.

What I'm looking for is more of like what people use for tool holders. We laser cut our acrylic tops and would like to have the negative of that file be made from foam so that we can insert our product into the foam for a perfect fit. I will attach pictures of what im thinking.

[Braden Todd]

http://www.foamforyou.com/custom_foam_packaging.htm#Charcoal Regular

I am sure they will have something thatll work for you

[Bruce Clumpner]

Great resource, I was just trying to source some foam for my own packaging... Thanks.

[Mayo Pardo]

If you want nice EPS foam, try Harbor Foam in Michigan.
If you don't care about the density, your cheapest will probably be the white beadboard insulation from the big box stores. They also sell it in garage door panel sizes which would fit into a vehicle easier than the full 4'x8' sheets.

[adam smiz]

http://www.foamforyou.com/custom_foam_packaging.htm#Charcoal Regular

I am sure they will have something that'll work for you

Great link Braden! I will give them a call tomorrow. Looks promising and not to expensive.

As for the cheap white beadboard foam I tried 1" on the laser. The entry point was perfect and pin sized, however when I flipped it around the exit hole was over 1". There was some serious burning going on before it got through the material. This was also at extremely low power and high speed.

[Jeff Body]

Have you looked into those expanding packs. You break a vial inside the pack and it expands to make a perfect negative of what's in the box.
It's used to ship most of the medical equipment we get at the hospital.

[adam smiz]

Have you looked into those expanding packs. You break a vial inside the pack and it expands to make a perfect negative of what's in the box.
It's used to ship most of the medical equipment we get at the hospital.

My work has a large very expensive machine that uses these. Would work amazing! I was not aware that they sold individual packs, I will look into this!

I also called foamforyou.com and they are sending me a sample pack.

[Chuck Stone]

I use craft foam (EVA) and it cuts well, if sooty. Wipe it down well! You wouldn't want to cut the thickness in one shot anyway.. the shape of your laser beam would become apparent, widening out at the bottom. A full sheet as a backer, then the shape cut out for the middle. I build up the thickness I want from 6mm sheets and a quick spray of adhesive holds them together. I forget the name of the place I got mine .. all the craft stores around here have stopped carrying it and I use it daily. But the name was something like Windex International. I know that's not it, but something close. They're in Hackensack NJ, good prices, my custom order was shipped within a couple of hours after ordering online. Widex? Wandex?

[Mark Sipes]

Newing Hall uses these pacs to ship controllers and tables.

http://www.lpsind.com/packaging-shipping-systems/protective-wrap-cushioning-material/instapak-quick-packaging-foam/

Not an endorsement just a link to a requested product.


.

[adam smiz]

Thanks for all the input guys! I called foamforyou and got several 1" samples. I will give a brief description of the testing we did as far as lasering goes. Samples were as follows:

- Charcoal Firm - Lasered the best out of all samples. Was a very straight cut with very little kerf. Left behind slight green burn marks.
- Poly Med - Lasered equally as well as charcoal. Left behind slight yellow burn marks.
- Minicell - This was our desired foam before testing due to its firmness. Lasering left a very large kerf that started at around 1/8" and ended even larger at around 1/4".
-1030 Polyurethane foam - Worst quality of the samples when lasering. Similar kerf as minicell but it's a more porous material making it very inconsistent.

Ultimately we have decided to go with 1030 Poly for economical reasons but will no longer be lasering these pieces. It would have taken at least two passes to get through any of the samples. And with our products only costing around $200 it would have been around $40-$50 in just foam alone for charcoal firm.

[Bruce Clumpner]

I ended up ordering Fastcap 1-1/8" Kaizen foam from Woodcraft on amazon.com to work up some mock-ups... Ended up cutting squares with a tablesaw and internal cuts 1/2 way through with the laser... Worked great for our needs

[John Blazy]

Best foam seems to be polyethylene foam. It doesn't back melt near as much. Its a tad pricey compared to beadboard, but looks real professional. I bought it at Donby's shipping supply in Cleveland, OH - not sure if there is a branch near you, but any shipping supply place can get it. I used 1" thick for all my sample kits, and after fiddling with settings and focus about 1/3 through, it cut real well. For the thin line cuts in the sample kit below, one line cut left a kerf width of about 1/8" wide - perfect for my .090 samples, and a 1/8" wide rectangle cut a 1/4" wide opening in the foam - same exit size as entry size when focused correctly. See the cut edge on the remaining panel in the left side of photo.

This is the one time I forgot to write down my power/speed settings, but I think it cut 25mm/s @ 75% power, but needed to up the power for the cut to go all the way through the 1". whatever still connected easily teared off like it was intentionally perforated.

[greg lindsey]

I have purchased lots of foam for tooling storage from these guys, I'm amazed at how much product they carry. Kinda one of those places that if they don't have, you better start looking for a different way

If this link is a violation please remove it. I have no affiliation with this company, this is merely a possible help to others. Ask them for a sample box, if i remember right it was like $10-$20, well worth it.

http://www.sterlinghouston.com/

[Aaron Lightfoot]

Personal preference for me would be Plastazote polyethylene foam (https://www.foamdirect.co.uk/plastazote-foam-closed-cell-foam-sheets/).

[Nova Gloriam]

Hey all,

We are making custom acrylic frames for the aquarium industry and have run into some shipping issues. We have had several arrive broken which is adding up very quickly. We currently are using foam corners and wrapping the piece in a combo of saran wrap and bubble while filling all dead space in the box with packing paper. We'd like to move to using the cut files for the frames to create a negative image to cut on foam so we can insert the tops into the foam for a perfect fit.

I am looking for foam .5-2" thick that can be cleanly lasered. As this is also just for shipping purposes I am really trying to find the cheapest solution. We will be running some tests on insulation's board that you can pick up from HD or Lowes but would appreciate any help or incite anyone has to offer!


Have you considered recycled foam options? They're eco-friendly and might be cost-effective too!