I'm correct in thinking the plastic covers on acrylic have PVC in them?
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I'm correct in thinking the plastic covers on acrylic have PVC in them?
Acrylite®FF datasheet states polyethylene film or paper masking.
http://www.acrylite.net/sites/dc/Dow...-machining.pdf
Foam board is made from PVC?
Better not cut any of the stuff I've just ordered in then, sounds like a surefire way to kill the new machine!
Dan,
Foam board is typically available in two flavors. PVC and Polyurethane. Obviously the PVC is nastiness personified when cut with a laser. Polyu is fairly benign. Whatever you ordered, check the MSDS that comes with it, or get one from the manufacturer before you lase it to be sure.
Dave
Nope! 'Fraid not!
From a random polyurethane foam MSDS :
Hazardous Decomposition Products:
Combustion may generate carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, aldehydes, organic acids, hydrocarbons, hydrogen cyanide, dense smoke, irritating and toxic fumes.
You definitely need a really good exhaust system if you are lasering this stuff.
Supplier has noted it as being a polystyrene core, CFC free.
Should be OK? I have one of those mega expensive BOFA filters if that makes a difference.
Styrofoam™ cups are EPS (expanded polystyrene)
If you ever question a material, always ask for a MSDS before purchasing/fabricating.
If you're ever brought something to fabricate, you may be able to look for a recycling symbol.
A triangle with a 3 in it and a 'V' below it is PVC.
http://naturalsociety.com/recycling-...ttles-meaning/
It's the 'CHLOR' and perhaps 'FLUOR' you want to look out for in materials, as in:
Polyvinyl CHLORide (PVC), CHLORine bleach,
PolytetraFLUORoethylene, PTFE, Teflon™.
I've come across floral foam blocks containing formaldehyde.
MDF contains urea-formaldehyde.
Toxic Substances Portal - Formaldehyde
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=219&tid=39
TESTING FOR PVC
"Take a copper wire, heat it up and touch the plastic. Then take the copper wire with the plastic residue into a flame. In the case of PVC you should see green color in the flame because copper chlorides are relatively volatile under such conditions. You even don't need a spectrometer. This is a classical method for detecting organic chlorine."
Quoted from: http://www.researchgate.net/post/Is_...sh_PVC_and_ABS