Just a quick question regarding materials with self adhesive backings. Is there anything in the adhesives that could be unsafe to cut with a laser? Or am I overthinking / worrying unnecessarily?
Was thinking of buying some cork with a self adhesive backing…
Thanks in advance!
I’ve never heard of adhesive that wasn’t laser safe, but I’m no authority. Do you know who makes it? Ideally you’d get an MSDS.
In general you have 2 types of worries: things that are bad for you and things that are bad for the machine. If you have good ventilation, you can all but ignore the former, because you’re whisking all the fumes away. The latter is bad all the time, which is why PVC is such a no-go; it eats your machine.
Anyway. If you have more info about the adhesive you might be able to be sure.
Thanks for that, my mind is at least a little more at ease! I’ve emailed the company for info but not yet had a reply. I’ll update once they get back to me.
A lot of adhesives are made by 3M, they tend to be polyurethane or latex based, and in both cases are safe to laser.
Basically the only thing I would worry about is PVC, more or less… but then I have a really leak-free vent setup so the stinkier or more toxic stuff doesn’t really cause me much concern.