Cutting 1 inch foam

This section is for useful tips and tricks for Aspire
Post Reply
oldlogtrucker
Vectric Craftsman
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:14 am
Model of CNC Machine: Cam Master StingerII
Location: Tonasket Washington
Contact:

Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by oldlogtrucker »

I am going to be cutting some 1 inch foam. Can any of you Wizards give me any pointers for holding it down,
for the cutting feeds and speeds
for which bits work better. there will be some v-carve and some pocket as well as a profile cut.
Thanks I look forward to some guidelines.
Thank you in advance
Kathy
Camaster StingerII - FTC, Vac Table - Aspire
Embroidery - WingsXP

User avatar
Phil
Vectric Wizard
Posts: 3026
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:56 pm
Location: Pittsfield, MA

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by Phil »

Some questions; what type of foam, what type of cuts, V-cuts, square bottom cuts, rounded bottom cuts?

Phil

oldlogtrucker
Vectric Craftsman
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:14 am
Model of CNC Machine: Cam Master StingerII
Location: Tonasket Washington
Contact:

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by oldlogtrucker »

Phil
It is cheap pkging foam and there will be v-cuts as well as flat bottom pockets.
Thanks Kath
Camaster StingerII - FTC, Vac Table - Aspire
Embroidery - WingsXP

User avatar
adze_cnc
Vectric Wizard
Posts: 4325
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 10:08 pm
Model of CNC Machine: AXYZ 4008
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by adze_cnc »

By cheap packaging foam do you mean the white stuff that looks like pressed cottage cheese? (As in the attached image.)

The 4" letters below were cut using an Onsrud (there may be other makers) foam cutting square-end bit. The bit has a very steep helix and removes cut foam dust wonderfully. Just ground yourself before touching the cut piece or you'll end up with latent foam dust clinging to your clothes (static electricity is not your friend in this case).

I suppose you could use a v-bit but I don't think I've ever tried that---even on EPS insulation.

Steven
Attachments
styro-earth.jpg

oldlogtrucker
Vectric Craftsman
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:14 am
Model of CNC Machine: Cam Master StingerII
Location: Tonasket Washington
Contact:

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by oldlogtrucker »

Thank you Steven, God to know. I have never done anything like this before. Need all the help I can get. When I did a search most of the information I got was in reference to insulation foam or sign foam.
Camaster StingerII - FTC, Vac Table - Aspire
Embroidery - WingsXP

User avatar
adze_cnc
Vectric Wizard
Posts: 4325
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 10:08 pm
Model of CNC Machine: AXYZ 4008
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by adze_cnc »

Another thing worth considering is using a last pass allowance of 0.03 to 0.06 inches. With a deep cut the foam will grind into the walls of the cut. The last pass offset allows the bit to shear away the wall with room on the outside for the fluff to go. Of course your depth of cut must be less that the bit's cutting edge length.

User avatar
Phil
Vectric Wizard
Posts: 3026
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:56 pm
Location: Pittsfield, MA

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by Phil »

I've never cut that type of foam but I'd be surprised if it didn't create a real mess. Static will make the dust created stick to everything and you don't want to breath it in.

Phil

oldlogtrucker
Vectric Craftsman
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:14 am
Model of CNC Machine: Cam Master StingerII
Location: Tonasket Washington
Contact:

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by oldlogtrucker »

Thanks Phil,
I will ground myself and wear a mask. Appreciate all the helpful advice.
Kath
Camaster StingerII - FTC, Vac Table - Aspire
Embroidery - WingsXP

joeporter
Vectric Wizard
Posts: 519
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 8:22 pm
Model of CNC Machine: ShopBot Buddy Standard
Location: Marietta, GA.

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by joeporter »

https://www.onsrud.com/product/Item/m/l ... tml?q=foam this is Onsrud's list of foam cutting bits..hope is of some help. Maybe get the bit number off this list and shop for a better price. Hope is of some help...joe

oldlogtrucker
Vectric Craftsman
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:14 am
Model of CNC Machine: Cam Master StingerII
Location: Tonasket Washington
Contact:

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by oldlogtrucker »

Thanks Joe
That was a big help.
Kathy
Camaster StingerII - FTC, Vac Table - Aspire
Embroidery - WingsXP

pro70z28
Vectric Craftsman
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:24 pm

Re: Cutting 1 inch foam

Post by pro70z28 »

I've cut a lot of foam over the years. Pink foam from the big box store, White foam from the same place. High density foam for signs. It does make a mess. Before the ShopBot I ran a MultiCam that used a ball screw drive for the "Y" axis (25+ years ago). The foam would stick to the threads and build up until it stalled the CNC. With the ShopBot you have to watch the rack & pinion teeth for buildup. The machine attracts foam dust, pretty hard to catch it all, and sticks to everything.

These are all the cheap white Styrofoam that is one of the worst for static clinging. With these, I used a 1/2 inch drill bit. I bull nosed the end of the bit on the bench grinder. A drill bit has more than enough cutting edge to cut 2"+ foam with a single pass. Poor Man's Tooling.
Angelgroupfinished.jpg
BTW I should mention, the pipes in the harps below are 3/4" copper pipe. My son set one of them up with servos that struck the pipes and He hooked those up to his computer and played Christmas chimes for a Christmas display at Church.
HarpAngelSister.jpg
shoppingmall.jpg

Post Reply