Machine blue foam?

Hi has anyone machined blue foam before? I want to machine some on my nomad.

Has anyone got a toolpath please?

Thanks

Tim

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Yes, it’s easy to do (messy) and you can run at pretty much top speed.

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Thanks @mikep, does the foam hold its form as good as hardwood? Are the fumes toxic if there are any?

This is a little side project to my boat build.

Thanks

Tim

As you aren’t melting the foam like you would with a laser, there shouldn’t be any special fumes that would be different than if you cut it with a knife. It’s a mess though.

Does it hold form as well as hardwood? That’s a complicated question. It will cut nicely with the right bit (upcut single flute?) and have nice clean edges, but your ability to reach deep into a block is limited by the length of your endmill. Cutting forces should be very low, but you can still get some ‘whipping’ with a long endmill if you run it fast.

Foam is foam - as a material it won’t be as durable as an oak part, but if you’re using as a plug for making a composite part, it should be plenty strong for that application.

If you need something more durable, use Renshape (more expensive, more like wood), or even HDPE.

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Thank you, very useful I have a long ball nose end mill. I will give it ago, I am using it as a plug.

Thanks

Tim

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