Laser vs. Coroplast

[Michael Hage]

I have recently purchased a laser and the question has come up....."Can you use a laser to cut coroplast to shape"? Is it the same as PVC and if so...definitely not. Has anyone done it????

Thanks

[Rodne Gold]

We have tried , the air assist flows thru the tubey grooves internal to the coroplast and helps set it alight - almost impossible to contain flaming. Rather leave it alone.

[Joe Pelonio]

Coroplast, Corex, and others are made with polypropylene and OK to laser. I have cut shapes with it for signs, with some success and no flaming. I use a lower power, frequency, and more speed with two passes. There may still be a few places to hand cut but overall it's still a lot faster and nicer looking than cutting it all by hand.

[Michael Hage]

Ok, I have a Trotec Speedy 300 .. 45 watt. Any idea where to start with the settings???

[Joe Pelonio]

I looked at the settings I used last on my Epilog 45 watt, and it was speed 20, power 50, frequency 1000 for 3mm coro, 2 passes.

[Kevin Groenke]

We've cut it in 1 pass w/60W X-660. Cut's quick and easy, Polypro is less stinky than acrylic and contains no polyvinyls, so it's no problem. I don't recall settings, but we cut most stuff at 100%P and the fastest possible speed. There may have been trailing flare-ups, but no sustained ignition - Don't walk away.

[Michael Hage]

Ok we'll give it a try. Thanks for the advice.

[Scott Shepherd]

The trouble I've had with it hasn't been flaming, but rather the flutes. If you put the power at a point it cuts through the entire sheet, flutes and all, it's way too much power for the non-fluted area. If you make it cut through the non fluted area, it cuts great, but it won't cut the flutes. So I end up running it several times to get it to cut through. I've done it several times, but it's usually because it's for a good customer and I don't want to tell them no, to keep them from going somewhere else.

[Bill Cunningham]

The trouble I've had with it hasn't been flaming, but rather the flutes. If you put the power at a point it cuts through the entire sheet, flutes and all, it's way too much power for the non-fluted area. If you make it cut through the non fluted area, it cuts great, but it won't cut the flutes. So I end up running it several times to get it to cut through. I've done it several times, but it's usually because it's for a good customer and I don't want to tell them no, to keep them from going somewhere else.

I have the same problem with it, so I just use it for quickie templates, and usually finish the cut with a box cutter..

[Ian Stewart-Koster]

I've just had the same question: how do you make it work?
Over here a fair few signies are advertising they can laser cut corflute signs...
But half an hour of fiddling with power and speed settings has led me to no conclusions, fast or slow, high or low power, the vertical webs don't want to cut unless you go super-slowly. and still trim it with a sharp box cutter afterwards.

I don't suppose anyone has any magic figures that worked - even varieties of coro are different, but it takes nothing to cut through the two flats, and a lot to get through the interweb.

[Scott Anders]

It's all in the type of nozzle you use. Needs to be close to the fluteboard (~1mm) and heaps of assist pressure, focus into the material by about a 3rd of its thickness. Remember it is polypropylene so it's trying to melt itself back together you need to counteract this by ablating the molten material with air pressure.

[Ian Stewart-Koster]

That makes sense- thanks Scott.
The machine I was trying it on is the 'new' Golden laser, with air assist. You focus the nozzle by lowering it onto a bit of 3mm acrylic as a spacer.
I'll try & go lower and see.

PS thanks for the offer of help in March - the replacement ULS tube came in time to get the job done on time!

[Kev Williams]

My only experience with the stuff was cutting 24" tall GENERAL STORE letters out of the 3mm thick stuff. Was 7 years ago, for the store at our boat harbor. Still looks brand new, and faces the south-west sun. Good stuff. All I remember is that it WAS slow to cut with my 40w machine, but not so slow as 1/8" plex. I don't use air or nozzles, and there were no flame problems (but my LS900 has a very good exhaust setup that sucks flames away).

[Mark Canada]

At least half the laser fires I've been told about have been on coreflute... watch it very very closely. Its not always the material that burns immediately, at least one person told me there was molten burning plastic dripping which caught fire.

[Ian Stewart-Koster]

The waxed kraft paper on acrylic can do that too- hence removing it first...