Any light-weight sheet material suggestions??

[MCMLXXXIX]

im building a wall-like installation for my final project. itll be roughly, lets say 8' x 14'. i need a light-weight material but dont know what i could use

aluminum is out of the question. it needs to be laser-cut and aluminum wont work

im looking for something thats no thicker than 1/4 inch, and rigid. i thought of styrene, or maybe corrugated plastic. my prototypes have been done with corrugated cardboard and my professor tells me that i can not use it as a final material. i really want to because it is lightweight and its easy to work with. also, itll look really nice

it needs to be affordable too (another reason i like the cardboard). i really just want to go against his words and use cardboard as my final material!

any help will be appreciated

[sg///M3]

balsa wood?

[samwoo2go]

BIO MUTHA FUCKING CONCRETE

http://wimp.com/bioconcrete/

[Comet]

Carbon Fiber

I didnt fully understand the project

[Xiaofeng]

1989,

Not entirely sure I understand what you are trying to build or what your material requirements are, but what about something like foamcore? I don't know if your professor will object to using it though, since it is rather similar to cardboard, albeit with a polystyrene foam injection sandwiched in between.

You can usually pick up foamcore in Wal-Mart, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, etc.

Not entirely sure how the laser cutting fits into all of this, unless you were just mentioning it in regards to using a metal sheet as the wall. If you're looking for a rigid, metal product, your best bet would probably be cheap 300-series stainless, although I'm not sure where you could get some (or what your budget is, for that matter).

Good luck with whatever you are trying to build.

[Tondtar]

I am assuming the whole 14' height of the wall is not made from a single sheet of whatever material you have in mind. No sheets of anything comes that big as far as I know. 12' seems to be the limit due to shipping limitations.

If this is indoors, look into Gator board or Sentra board. they are both light weight and very though ...but also expensive.

If this is outdoors, look into 1/4" bendable, lightweight plywood. Again, quite expensive.

Good luck.

[MCMLXXXIX]

its an indoor project pinned/drilled up to the wall. its not single sheet (this is where the laser cutting comes in). itll be made up of dozens and dozens of smaller pieces ranging from 14 inches to as little as 5 inches

we usually use foamcore as a modeling material, and it might be painted so if i use a spray can, itll eat the foam. from what ive heard, Gator board is similar to foamcore, and it is quite expensive but as long as its completely worth it, i dont mind. ill look more into that as well as Sentra board and some Balsa wood or thin Basswood

there will be holes laser cut (or drilled if needed) into the pieces to reduce weight.
i also looked into Acrylic, but that can get quite heavy


im sorry if you guys cant understand the project, i cant really explain any further

[Feyd]

I laser cut aluminum all the time, why do you say that you can't?


*edit* also 4x8 sheets of .125" sintra (or komatex or "expanded PVC") can be had for as little as $35.00/ea and they come in a range of colors and can be painted/finished easily.

Coroplast is also another option. Its an extruded plastic sheet that looks/acts exactly like cardboard. http://www.coroplast.com/ Its also not very expensive... ~$45 for a 4x8.

Coroplast/sintra (up to 3mm or .125") can be cut on a CNC knife cutting table. You can probobly find one of these at a sign shop/corrogate manufacturing house. Beyond that you can also use a flatbed router to cut sheets of this stuff as well, especially if you get thicker than .125". I'm sure there is a cabinet shop or 3 in your area that AREN'T building any kitchen cabinets right now that could help you out for a $100-$150 lot charge.


*edit*

you can check thomasnet.com to find local plastics supply places/places to cut the stuff. All of these materials are stocked readily at any plastic shop that's worth a damn.

[MCMLXXXIX]

i was told numerous times that our model shop laser cutter in school will not cut aluminum. ive never used a laser cutter, so maybe its the laser cutter model? or the people running it dont know what theyre talking about (they tend to be like that)

im having trouble understanding what Sintra is. i was researching it online earlier today but the pictures of it dont do any justice. Coroplast seems perfect but can it be painted? the final project will have certain areas painted

[Citizen Z]

Originally Posted by MCMLXXXIX

i was told numerous times that our model shop laser cutter in school will not cut aluminum. ive never used a laser cutter, so maybe its the laser cutter model? or the people running it dont know what theyre talking about (they tend to be like that)

im having trouble understanding what Sintra is. i was researching it online earlier today but the pictures of it dont do any justice. Coroplast seems perfect but can it be painted? the final project will have certain areas painted

A 1000mw laser can cut through most light plastic/foam materials. It takes up to 6000 watts (6,000,000mw) to cut through most thicker metals, mild steel requiring less wattage since its softer. It all depends on the range their machine has.

[Feyd]

Yeah, i was gonna say... must be the wattage.

They might have a smaller "plastic" laser cutter..


Sintra is for all intents and purposes a plastic sheet. The outer surfaces are a more rigid PVC whereas the inner "thickness" is an expanded rigid PVC foam. Think of a plastic version of gator board/foam core, etc.

Both sintra and coroplast can be painted with NO issues.

[MCMLXXXIX]

our laser cutter only fits a maximum size of 32" x 18". its mostly used by the Architecture students cutting chipboard and paper thin materials

[Feyd]

Yeah definitely a wussy cutter.

You can cut coroplast with an xacto easily and can (though I wouldn't recommend it) cut Sintra with one as well.

[MCMLXXXIX]

hahaha

Heres my plan. Right now, Coroplast seems to be my best option. The closer I can get to a cardboard feel, the better. I dont want to spend more than $160 on this material but if needed, I may spend a little more. I'll let my professor know that I'll either go with cardboard and laser cut (which will take time/money, 25 cents per minute) or get Coroplast and hand cut it with an Xacto

Now I just have to figure out how much material I need

[Gearcraft]

we are building big models right now and i just saw people with thin sheet of really nice finish plywood that they get from airplane shops. also 1/16 corrugated cardboard and corrugated plastic like the colorplast are really nice.