Foldable Materials for Laser Cut

I'm seeking suggestions for materials for fabricating permanent pieces with these properties:

Foldable: I want to make designs that can be unrolled to 2D for fabrication. An ideal material is thin (~1/16th"), rigid to provide structure, but can be folded and glued.

Can be laser cut: Some soft plastics that might meet the above characteristics can't be safely lasercut. Polymer plastics and vinyl may release gases like chlorine during a cut, which will damage people and the laser's optics.

Holds up to light: Paper products are foldable and great candidates for laser cutting. Unfortunately, they'll fade over time with UV light exposure.

So I'm open to suggestions. What do you use for 2D foldable designs? Any safe plastics I'm not aware of? Coated cardstock materials? Pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Simon Denvers on December 23, 2012 at 5:40am

Hi,

There are coatings for paper used in giclee printing which offer long term UV resistance. They also stiffen the paper but are pliable enough to make the paper fold without cracking the coating, and can be sprayed or painted on. I think they're PVA based with a few extra ingredients.

As for plastics, mylar or polypropylene spring to mind though may be harder to fold unless you put score lines in with the laser.

I'm looking at doing similar things myself when I have enough experience with grasshopper/rhino.

Simon

Permalink Reply by Kyle on December 26, 2012 at 8:30pm

I'm experimenting with a two-part solution:

1) A thin rigid material. Delron comes in 1/32" and thinner sheets.

2) A flexible self-adhesive skin for flexible joints.

Prototypes with cardstock and contact paper have been promising, but it's a lot of work to match up and adhere the skin layer. I'm currently planning to use vinyl for the skin on the final piece, which can't be cut safely on a laser cutter, but is conveniently available in large self-adhesive sheets rolls, so it's worth finding a vinyl cutter.

I'll post some photos when I've got something to share.

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