templates

[David Rust]

What is everyone using for job templates? I am lasering 100 widgets, thus need 100 placement holes. I tried making a 24"x18" template out of 1/8" birch ply from HD, it warped. I tried using cardboard, it warped. Ideally I'd like somthing cheap and easy to cut but fairly durable to do multiple runs with.

Acrylic is my next choice, has anyone tried it?

Still learning!

Thanks

edit: spelling...again...

[Ernie DeMartino]

How about using MDF, its cheap

[Scott Shepherd]

Just about every fixture I make for the laser is made from acrylic. It works very well.

[Dee Gallo]

I like hardboard, also called chipboard. But I also use MDF sometimes. I've used the same templates for years, hundreds of times.

[Mike Troncalli]

MDF / Hardboard for me too.

[Joe Pelonio]

I have found that 13 ply posterboard (Crescent) works fine.

[Martin Boekers]

I typically use acrylic or plastic sheets, many companies like JDS sell plastic sheets that are off cuts at a big discount. Also
depending upon your table and the widgets, some have used masking tape (wide rolls) and vector cut the holes out directly
on the bed, weed out the holes and run with that.

[Wes Mitchell]

We make some custom sublimation templates out of a .014 teflon coated fabric. It would probably work well for laser templates as well because it stands up to heat so well. It's also flexible (which could have some drawbacks) so you could roll them up to store them.

[Scott Shepherd]

You're not supposed to cut teflon on the laser. It's very bad stuff if I recall correctly.

[Michael Hunter]

Scott is DEAD right.

Heating Teflon (PTFE) to destruction releases flourine gas which combines with moisture in the air to form hydroflouric acid - horrible stuff.

Heating it to degradation (as in the heat-affected-zone at the sides of the cuts) releases nanoparticles of resin.
Breath these in and you quickly go down with the symptoms of a very bad flu infection - because your lungs stop working properly.

[dave cox]

Hi David,

If you are going to use the template again and regularly mdf is good but I have started using wide appli tape, easy and quick to cut and always in the right place, two or three layers of appli tape make things easy to locate by feel.

[Bill Cunningham]

I also use acrylic.. If you have a sign maker/installer in your area they usually have old signs they have replaced, and lots of scrap most are happy to be rid of. My neighbor sign maker supplies me with all the scrap acrylic I need. It makes great templates. She also gives me any other acrylic left over from jobs, and she no longer needs. As a result I have lots of solid colour red, blue & black. the black is great, it frosts white and makes great pictures , particularly with a quick wipe of white acrylic paint and a coat of polymer polish.