Laser cutting rubber/silicon gaskets

Is it possible/safe to cut rubber or something like silicon on the laser cutter, to make a gasket (to seal a metal/acrylic compartment; to make it air tight)?
Thanks.

Alper

Take note of the difference between silicon and silicone. It’s pretty important =P

I’ve never personally tried, but I would imagine it wouldn’t work very well. If you’re trying to make a circular seal, just buy a gasket / o-ring the right size. If it’s an odd size / shape, use silicone sealant and a caulk gun.

But this is just general advice. If you post some more information on your project, I think we’d be able to help more.

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Right, silicone that is :smile:

I have a metal cylinder whose bottom has a number of odd shaped openings and another metal sheet is supposed to cover the bottom but not the openings. Air tight is a must.
I use silicone rtv sealant. It gets messy. A custom rubber/silicone gasket would be much more convenient. Was wondering if it is doable on the laser cutter.
I can cut the shape on the laser cutter and fill it with the rtv silicone sealant and let it cure, to produce the gasket I guess…
Thanks!

Air tight can mean a bunch of different things. Is the system meant to hold pressure? Or vacuum? If so, how much? Is is air or water or something else? Any corrosive substances?

I’ve seen people make a mold for silicone and put it in a vacuum bag with plastic cling wrap around the mold to act as a mold release. It seemed to work pretty well.

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Rubber can be laser cut, but only pre-vulcanized rubber. http://www.rubberstampmaterials.com/laserengravablerubberandpolymer.aspx here is some stuff I’ve used on my laser. Not sure what the official policy on the DMS laser is regarding rubber… Be warned, even the low order stuff from them is pretty stinky…

You could use mold making silicone. It is pretty durable. I would laser cut a mold from wood or acrylic, then mix and pour the mold making silicone into the form to create your gasket. Be sure and use mold release. Reynolds Advanced Materials carries all the Smooth-on products, they are right down the street from DMS and the guys over there are super nice and helpful. I took their mold making class and learned a lot about all the processes (highly recommend it!). Their “Dragonskin” product is super elastic and would make really good gaskets.

Hope this helps…
patrick

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The official word is, Maybe do a little at a time. Don’t go doing a whole
sheet of o-rings and gaskets in one go.

Also leave the vent running after the laser stops moving for a good 2 min
after you finish. (to allow for any excess fumes to evacuate.)

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It is just a air tight seal; no vacuum.

I think I will try the mold approach.

Thanks all!

I’ve used the laser to cut rubber stamps in the past. That was a raster job, & not at all nice. Simply cutting shapes out of rubber sheet should be much quicker & less nasty.

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Just a suggestion - Why not 3D printing the gasket out of Ninjaflex. It’s a polyurethane resin that’s very durable. We can print ninjaflex on the polyprinters at the 'space up to the bed size which is 9x9"

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Any tips on how to laser the stamps? Specific settings? I’m wanting to make a stamp of my logo if at all possible. I know on epilog lasers they have settings to use with stamps.

Any info is greatly appreciated!

I know this is an ancient post… did we ever figure out if the lasers can cut 1/8" thick silicone sheet such as this:
https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Resistant-Silicone-Rubber-Sheeting/dp/B01N4KVHYD

Silicone is neither on the “never cut” list nor on the “safe-ish” list of materials so I was wondering if anyone has run it on the lasers. Most of the websites I’ve found say it cuts pretty cleanly with a bit of soot that is easily cleaned off. Epilog even lists a features a few silicone products on their website:
https://www.epiloglaser.com/how-it-works/rubber.htm

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Silicone is fine to cut on the lasers. I haven’t tried cutting all the way thru, but have used them to engrave custom messages on bands. Fantastic detail on the zing. I don’t imagine why the lasers would not be able to cut thru.

btw - re post above - Rubber must not contain PVC. Several formulations do. So know the data sheet.

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Ok thanks I’ll look at the data sheet before I give it a try!

So I tried cutting 1/8" thick silicone on the Thunder Nova 35. It cut about 75% through the sheet at 20% power at 30mm/sec. No matter if I did multiple passes, increased the power up to 80%, and messed with the focus it would not cut all the way through. I think the problem is the laser chars the material, and then that soot sticks in the crevices and prevents the laser from penetrating further. So I’d say cutting 1/8" thick silicone is a no go. Other have had success with a CNC knife and I’ve used water jet in the past, so those are probably the way to go. For rastering or thinner 1/16" silicone material it should cut ok.