I need to laser cut some templates for my pastry employees. They are extremely simple rectangles, but I’ve not cut acrylic or plastic, just wood.
Can someone recommend:
Which type of plastic I should cut for food safety? Used at room temps only, will not apply heat to the templates while in use.
Where should I purchase the material? Preferably locally, but online is fine also.
My current template material needs to be at least 1/16", but I would prefer to use thicker (1/8" or 1/4") if I can compensate for the kerf and end up with a virtually perpendicular edge.
LDPE, HDPE are good choices for food. I most often see it used with cutting-boards and consumer containers. Buying a cheap cutting-board from a retailer is good way to acquire raw stock. Not all plastic cutting-boards are made from polyethylene (the “PE” in LDPE/HDPE). The recycle code tells you which plastic… Resin identification code - Wikipedia
Polypropylene is a great choice for food. I most often see it used with containers. You would probably have to buy raw stock from a plastic supplier.
All three are good choices for machining.
I have no idea if they are good choices for laser cutting. But, I suspect someone else can answer that question.
Oh, and you can get food-safe finish for wood. Is there a particular reason you want the templates to be plastic?
Last I heard, cutting plastic wasn’t approved with the CNC router (anymore then aluminum). Don’t know if that changed, but I would ask first.
Depending upon the size of the piece, you could potentially use the EMCO mill or the HAAS as well.
As to using the laser cutter with polyethelene, I found this quote from a [commercial site that provides laser cutting services][1].
[quote]
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) thicker than 1/16" – We are unable to
cut HDPE thicker than 1/16", and HDPE of any thickness melts badly when
laser cut.[/quote]
The good news, at least according to the FDA is you should be able to get by using acrylic on the laser cutter.
How thick will depend upon which lens is in the machine.
But all cuts are ‘tapered’ to some extent. It is just more noticeable as you get thicker. I have helped @artg_dms cut out pieces of 1/2" thick acrylic.
Okay, so I’ve got the Johnson catalog. To cut 300 rectangles, looks like I’ll need 4half sheets plus a couple for practice.
There are tons and tons and tons of choices. Can anyone give me a budget recommendation if I don’t want to engrave it? Meaning I don;t need the multiple ply options? Just basic sturdiness and one color?
Then, on the flip side, can someone recommend which one to use if I want to engrave the company logo into it?
Yes it does; however, I’m still hoping that someone else has already done this style of project and can help me pick a sku from the catalogue before I go though it page by page.
If you’re going to engrave it, I suggest that you get something in a transparent color (like clear blue, clear yellow, etc.) and engrave a mirror image of the logo on the non-food side of the template. You can nicely see the engraving through the plastic and it will keep food out of the engraving.
i’ve used Allied Plastics before, they are helpful guys and may be able to answer some specifics as far as usage goes. they are prompt and really reasonably priced. Google Maps