Magnetic Sheeting

[Kevin Hirata]

Does anyone cut magnetic sheeting made by Magnum in their laser cutter. I called Magnum to see whether their sheeting may contain any PVC, and the rep there didn't sound very sure of himself, but he said that it may contain trace amounts, and that if I wanted something which was 100% PVC free, I'd have to special order the material. Not sure how they would alter their formula, but why not just produce 100% PVC material in the first place. I have a fair amount of magnetic sheeting in my inventory, and I'd sure like to be able to use it in my cutter.

Thanks,

Kevin

[Tim Bateson]

I can't speak to PVC content, but you can also buy a plotter/cutter for just a couple hundred $ that you can do sheets of magnets.

[Rodne Gold]

Vincent de Klerk , my pal in SA does tons of magnetic sheeting , he has lasered many different brands and he has no problems , I don't believe there is any significant PVC content in the stuff , maybe some brands have white PVC atop them for printing , but that should pose no threat as the amount of chlorine emitted will be minimal and any 1/2 decent exhaust will evacuate it.

[Wes Mitchell]

I've vector cut the Rowmark LaserMag. The only issue I had is that it leaves a residue that is very abrasive. So, if you do try it, make sure you clean it well before sticking it to anything susceptible to scratching.

[Daniel Wolanski]

We have cut it several times with a laser. It cuts fine but it makes a mess of your laser! The cleanest way to cut it is die cutting.

[Kevin Hirata]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Rodney - I assuming from your response, as well as your response in another thread regarding PVC is foil, that the presence of a small amount of PVC is not a problem as long as you have good ventilation and it's not done over a prolonged period of time.

Wes and Daniel - Are you cutting all the way through the magnetic sheeting? Right now I cut everything by hand using a razor. All I need to do is score the top layer then snap the magnet apart, kind of like drywall. If you are cutting all the way through maybe the mess is caused by the depth of your cut? Just a WAG.

[Rodne Gold]

Yeh , limited kiss cutting of sign vinyl type PVC is really not a huge issue , most pools probably generate a lot more chlorine ...
I have seen machine damage where a lot of PVC was cut all day long , the machine was considered a consumable in that job which was so profitable , it didnt matter.

[Joe Pelonio]

If it has white or another color on the top, that is vinyl and does contain PVC. it would be the same as kiss-cutting vinyl, not terrible for a few cuts now and then, but in a large production job it could damage your machine. Yopu can order it with no color, just the magnetic sheet itself, and cut safely but it is messy and the edges come out rough. The cleanest method is to cut part way through then break apart.

[Kevin Hirata]

Rodney and Joe, Yeah the magnetic sheets I use now have a thin layer of vinyl over the actual magnetic material. I was hoping the laser would allow me to do jobs involving curved magnets and also relieve me of the chore of having to cut each piece of magnet by hand. But if as you say infrequent short runs are okay, looks like I'll still be able to use the laser.

Thanks for your input.

[Mohammed Issa]

you can do a simple copper burn test to see if the sheets you have contain PVC or not, just to give you an idea of what you already have.