Is High Impact Styrene laser friendly?

[SkipW]

Does anyone know if HIS plastic is safe to cut with a CO2 laser? Does it contain PVC?

I was given a piece of white colored 1/4" thick sheet stock and I was wondering if anyone has tried laser cutting this material, and what the edge looked like.

The packing slip only identified it as HIS (High Impact Styrene).

Thanks

[Geof]

I cannot comment on the laser friendliness but I can tell you styrene does not contain PVC, it is a plastic that only contains carbon and hydrogen. When styrene burns it tends to produce large amounts of black soot so it is possible there is a contamination risk when laser cutting.

[SkipW]

Thanks Geof. That was going to be my next question, how big of a mess does it make if you can laser cut it?

Glad about the PVC content though. I had googled styrene and couldn't find any mention of pvc in it but I just wanted to double check.

Thanks

[zax15uk]

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/ite...2883&catid=715

It is laser friendly in that it doesn't cause any noxious gases, but it also doesn't cut well.

In fact I found it a strange material to laser, it melts and burns causing a rounded brown edge. The edge can be sanded fairly easily and you end up with a reasonable finish but it's rounded - so depending on your application it may be good or bad.

Zax.

[SkipW]

Thanks for the info, Zax. I guess I'll stick with routing it. That makes a nice edge and there's usually no smoke or fire involved.


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