Hi all. I’ve found a ton of settings for EVA foam, but I’m having an issue with the finished size of the cut. The GF slices through 6mm Creatology foam like butter, and it cuts a pretty wide swath. So if I try to cut some .25" hexes, they end up as little nubs.
275 and 100 power is just too much, so I’m playing with setttings and multi-passes, but should I just adjust the size of the objects to account for this wider cut or is there a better way?
Foam melts, so I’d definitely adjust the size of the design to account for the kerf if I had to cut something that needed to be a specific size.
Never tried it, but you could easily do it using the offset path function in whatever design program you are using, or by using the new Offset Path function in the Glowforge User Interface. (One of the new free trial functions. I’m really liking it. One click easy.)
Be sure to set your original stroke as a different color so you can Ignore it if you use the Offset Path function in the GFUI. (You won’t want it to cut if you create the Offset Path.)
Multiple lower power passes might help too. Kerf is generally reduced that way in most materials.
Just give it time to cool between passes, either by virtue of cutting several or by pausing between cuts
I just ran 1/2" EVA foam floor mats; I used 500 speed and full power, two passes, on my Basic. I noticed a kerf of about 0.030 inches by my estimation, though I haven’t measured it.
Just adding a few additional “specs” here:
For cutting 2mm EVA foam (notice that if you’re cutting lighter colors you need to reduce speeds)
2mm EVA Black - Cut - 450 speed / 60 power / 2 passes (kerf of 20 thou)
2mm EVA White- Cut - 350 speed / 60 power / 2 passes (kerf of 20 thou). It still cuts at 450, but you need to detach a few spots