hey there! I am looking for the best settings to start with when cutting foam core. This would be thin foam core, probably 1/4 inch. I read some of the previous posts but could not get any good numbers.
anyone have any info on this?
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I’d start with the settings for equivalent cardboard and go from there:
|Engrave|1000|40|
|Cut|275|100|
|Score|500|13|
(Check out: www.tinyurl.com/GlowforgeSettings/ - and add foam core when you confirm numbers!)
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Faster is better with foam core, and WATCH it. Don’t ever wander away when burning foam. If it ignites it will do it inside the paper covers, and you might not see it.
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To foam core or not to foam core that is the question.
I have read NOT to use foam core. The stuff that is like poster board on each side with foam in the middle. I have used the foam core stuff in the past until I read about it not being good for the machine.
Or is the OP talking about EVA craft foam which is different?
No issue that I’m aware of.
The warnings I’ve seen about foam core are all about the foam retracting into the cut so you’ll end up with a small unsupported edge
https://www.ulsinc.com/materials/foam-core-board
Turns out engraving doesn’t work so well cuz you just expose the foam 
So - can you point to a warning I’m missing?
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this is very accurate. we cut about 100 large sheets of foam core and gator board for our canstruction project last month. you’ll get a concave edge.
you do need to keep a close eye on it. like many other things that have a lot of air pockets, there is a fire risk. we stopped a few time to put out minor flare ups that started melting the edges and burning the paper on top.
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Please be careful – there’s no single starting setting for cardboard, since there’s so many varieties. My experience is that foamcore requires much less power than most paperboard/cardboard materials. YMMV, of course.
Fast speeds, low power, and multiple passes will reduce (but not eliminate!) charring and flare-ups. As Jules said – don’t take your eyes off of FB when cutting.
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Ooh - just ran across this post:
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thanks for all the input! i will try them out and see what happens!
Well, I’m curious. Did you ever try foamcore on your GF? I am very interested how it turned out
I used foamcore from WM today. 1/4”, 230, 60, 2 passes. Came out great. Concave edges as described above. No fires.
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Nice and clean–did you clean it up for the photo? (Thanks for the settings.)
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Nope! That’s exactly how it came out of the machine.
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Worked perfectly for me too. Thanks
Newbie here - what/where is WM?
Probably WalMart… they sell it cheap.