A group of folks in the woodshop are working towards permitting the use of plastics on the CNC Router. This has been a much-requested activity. We’re looking for some material to perform testing with, and hoping some generous souls will contribute to the cause.
We’re primarily testing: Acryllic, Polycarbonate, HDPE, and Expanded Poly (Sintra). I think we have a donation for Sintra, but still looking for the others. We’d like the pieces to be reasonably thick, because of the nature of the testing, so half-inch (or greater) stock is the most desirable, though we would probably be grateful for thinner stock as well. The stock needs to be large enough for us to conduct a variety of test cuts, so the bigger the better.
Likewise, if you would like to see a plastic material not listed added to the test, a suitable donation will ensure that your desires are likely met.
The end goal of all this, is a class that will enable you to cut plastics, the addition of suitable tooling to do it, and methodology to protect the Space’s tools and systems. As a bonus, routing the plastic does not release dangerous gases, as might occur on the laser, so it should be a nice addition to the Space.