substitutes for colourcore

[brian]

I've been asked to cut some gingerbread house stencils.
The sample piece I believe is .o6 colorcore.
The sample is a little different as it's core is red but it only has a white veneer on one side.
Am I right assuming this is colorcore.
It's hard to get this in Canada,no one stocks it
Also is there anything similar that can be used.

Brian

[bleeth]

Check this out:

http://www.johnsonplastics.biz/category/M37/1/1/1632

[brian]

Thanks Dave
I just got a reply back that color core doesn't come in .06
I'm looking for 1100 sheets of 4 x 8
Johnson plastics only list sheets as large as 2 x 4.
I hope they can produce 4 x 8 so I don't have to handle 4 times as much material.

Brian

[bleeth]

No problem. For that many sheets they should be helpful. I would call Laird plastics in Vancouver too.

[brian]

again thanks Dave
I just got a price from King plastics.
Even when buying 4100 sheets of 24x52"x.06
it still costs 28.00 per sheet.
I suggested to the customer we try a single colour material.

Any suggestions.
sourcing material is the hardest part of quoting.

Brian

[brian]

I just got a price on .06 HDPE
It's quite a bit cheaper and comes in 4 x 8' sheets.
How does this material cut?
Can I cut this material with engraving bits?


Thanks Brian

[bleeth]

Color core from King is one type of HDPE. There are different formulations made by a lot of companies. Centurian makes some bits for engraving it that people have reported good results from. For actual cutting always use O flutes. Time to get some samples and experiment!!

http://www.centuriontools.com/router_bits_toolcase/centurion_tools_showcase.html?splashPG=y&__max=6&pageID=1&cart=1302638018148588&id1=374&id2=15&id3=740&startat=1&--woSECTIONSdatarq=740&--SECTIONSword=ww

[brian]

I have 0flutes from Fred.
It'll take 12 days to get a sample.
Thanks

Brian

[srwtlc]

I don't know how they'll compare, but you could check N. Glantz & Sons too.

http://www.nglantz.com/index.html

[bleeth]

They are a fine company Scott but they are a long way from the Northwest US and don't have representation in Canada. That was why I suggested Laird. Branches in Seattle and Vancouver.
I hope they don't need the job done in a week Brian! I go through this all the time with special plastics. I reallly love it when I get a design that calls for a small amount of 3-form plastic as an accent and there are no cuts of it in their "bits and pieces" bin. 1 piece of their stuff can easily be over $1000.00 (no mistake on the zeros) delivered.

[brian]

This is one of those cases were she should have phoned me a month ago.
On one seems to stock anything in Canada.
Laird has been my best option to date.

Thanks
Brian

[brian]

I need some help to see if my estimate of cutting time is close.
To recap I'm cutting .06 HDPE using A .25 22deg colorcore bit from Centurian.
Cutting speeds are 1.5 IPS X,Y & Z 10,000 RPM
184 pcs per sheet
One 7mm hole per pcs
One letter B per pcs
My estimate comes to 1hr& 13 min per sheet
I'll be cutting 272 sheets of this one pcs.
There are 3 more pcs to this needing 50,000 pcs each
Question? Can I speed the feeds up
Is my time estimate close.
Any help or tips would be appreciated

Brian

[bleeth]

That sound about right but the flies in the ointment to me is are as follows:
1. Are you changing bits for the holes and cut-out? For this kind of job I have gone through my whole stack doing all my engraving and then gone back to cut-out with a straight bit.
2. Hold-down-These are some small parts-I have a feeling you will need some tabs in combination with your vacuum. Then either you have to cut the tabs or they do. You also probably can't use dust collection. If you don't already have a widget foot you probably should. That may eliminate the need for the tabs. I think Steve Knight is a sales rep for them (LOL)
3. Your spoilboard must be really flat so assuming it is MDF you may need to re-surface relatively often due to uneven swelling from moisture absorbtion.

[brian]

i do have a pressure foot from widget and i plan on making vacuum jigs for this project.
I plan on using the same bit type for the whole project.
I've got some info coming from Quadrant plastics on cutting HDPE but it's nice to
hear from the people who actually have cut some of this material.

Brian