I know very little about laser cutting but I have an idea swimming around in my head and would like to get some experienced advice to see if it makes any kind of sense.
I want to cut large complex shapes in Expanded Polystyrene. I imagine that there are already laser cutters capable of cutting all kinds of foams with low cutting depths, but Polystyrene melts really easy and high cutting depths (such as 60-80cm) must be very hard to cut accurately. Of course hotwire cutting would be the most useful tool for this material, nonetheless it has its limitations, mostly regarding the size and shape of the cutting bow.
My question is, has anyone tried or do you think its possible, to use a laser like one would use a hotwire, cutting not perpendicular to the surface as is the case of regular cnc laser cutting, but approaching the EPS surface tangentially, like what happens with a hotwire, in effect cutting with a laser line, instead of a point?
Also I have no idea, if this is possible at all, what kind of laser and what power would be needed to achieve this effect.
60-80cm? Do you mean millimeters? Cutting Polystyrene is possible with laser but the fumes are poisonous. Most shops would avoid working with this material because of that.
Actually, no, I really meant centimeters I have cut those sizes with large-scale hot-wires and large EPS blocks, thats why I was looking into alternatives.
On that side note, I have read here or elsewhere that the EPS fumes are not (very) toxic, being mostly water vapor... although we always use a mask and ventilation.
The hotwire will just melt the material. There will be a little smoke but I agree it is not that bad. On the other hand the laser will literally evaporate the polymer making the fumes a lot worse.
I've never heard of a laser machine designed to cut 80cm deep material. As Fixtureman suggested you would never get straght vertical walls with that thikness. Sorry friend...
Thanks for the input.
I imagined that the laser would lose focus, just didn't know how much. Maybe focusing a laser along 80cm is a task for laboratory conditions, if possible at all...I haven't looked into that...
Actually, the silly idea came to me while watching a laser pointer spreading throughout a wall, parallel to it, forming a line...if only that line was focused, the laser wouldn't have to cut a depth of 80cm at all, it would only need to slowly cut something like 5mm per second throughout that 80cm line...
PS: You're right Storen, the hotwire does melt EPS, evaporating it would be a different problem!
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Help with lasers and EPS
I have cut those sizes with large-scale hot-wires and large EPS blocks, thats why I was looking into alternatives.
