Best Way to Cut Down 4x8 Sheets of Foam Core?

[Alamo]

We are planning to upgrade to a 4x8 UV Flatbed, and in doing so, would like the ability to print multiple signs onto a piece of 4x8 foam core and then cut it down. I am wondering what is the best way to cut a 4x8 sheet of foam core down, with good result (ex. minimal tear out).

We currently have a smaller printer, so we have to pre-cut the sheets down to sign size to feed it. We use a 4x8 table, a straight edge, and razor. It takes awhile but the edges are clean for the most part. At one point our foam core supplier offered to cut us the foam core using their CNC router, but since it's embossed with a texture, their CNC router was producing tear out on the edges, which would make printing a nightmare as the fuzzy edges would mess with auto-height, not getting good print result.

Something automatic would be nice, I saw the Summa cutters that might work for us but those won't be in the budget for awhile after buying this new printer.

Just curious what others use or do to cut down 4x8 sheets with good result and to help speed up production? Thanks in advance!

 

[Gino]

How many a day to you think you'll be cutting ??

 

[Alamo]

How many a day to you think you'll be cutting ??

We currently cut down about 20, 4x8 sheets, per week, which takes a couple/few hours depending on size of cuts. Since getting a larger printer would about quadruple our production, we'd be looking at wanting to cut down maybe 80 sheets a week, which using our current method would take someone at least a full day, maybe more.

 

[balstestrat]

Steeltrak is pretty nice but you will still end up with a lot of manual labor if you are cutting it to many small pieces.
I don't see how you can speed it up much without a flatbed cutter.

https://www.keencut.com/product/steeltrak/

 

[rjssigns]

Flatbed cutter with reciprocating knife would be the way to go. The Mimaki in the lab cuts foam board and Omega board nice and clean.

 

[Alamo]

Steeltrak is pretty nice but you will still end up with a lot of manual labor if you are cutting it to many small pieces.
I don't see how you can speed it up much without a flatbed cutter.

https://www.keencut.com/product/steeltrak/

View attachment 153390

We thought about getting something like that but wasn't sure if there was a better way. Could you by chance suggest any specific flatbed cutters? I'm not sure of the best search terms to find them, but upon briefly searching, the Summa cutter was the only one I came across but it's a bit out of budget at the moment.

 

[balstestrat]

We thought about getting something like that but wasn't sure if there was a better way. Could you by chance suggest any specific flatbed cutters? I'm not sure of the best search terms to find them, but upon briefly searching, the Summa cutter was the only one I came across but it's a bit out of budget at the moment.

Well Summa F is one of the cheapest and very doable flatbeds with a belt. I don't think you can go too much cheaper than that.
Don't know anything about this just mentioned Mimaki cutter but that's also without a belt so you lose a lot of capability with that. And I'm guessing it can't be that much cheaper either.

Then you have the more expensive ones, Zund, Kongsberg etc.

 

[Alamo]

Flatbed cutter with reciprocating knife would be the way to go. The Mimaki in the lab cuts foam board and Omega board nice and clean.

Thank you for the suggestion, this is more in line with what we need I think. I see the largest one they have (I think) has a table space of 70" x 48" (the CF2-1218). Would this mean we'd need to cut a 8'x4' sheet down once some other way to fit on the bed? Sorry I'm really a newb when it comes to these types of cutters!

 

[balstestrat]

Thank you for the suggestion, this is more in line with what we need I think. I see the largest one they have (I think) has a table space of 70" x 48" (the CF2-1218). Would this mean we'd need to cut a 8'x4' sheet down once some other way to fit on the bed? Sorry I'm really a newb when it comes to these types of cutters!

[CF22-1225] is suitable to cut 4x8 material

https://mimaki.com/product/cutting/c-flat/cf22-1225/

 

[Humble PM]

As an interim I'd go for the SteelTrak 250, with some spare production stops and a left hand extension. Fast quick (ish) and clean, with a relatively small footprint. Gives you the option of cutting other materials like PVC, without generating dust. Once volume of work picks up, then a flatbed. You'll likely get over 50% back in resale value, or just keep it for doing other things.

 

[FireSprint.com]

SteelTrak is great! We used to use one. Whatever you do, use a really sharp blade!

If you need help with this, we'd love to work with you on it! We can contour cut as well.

https://www.firesprint.com/foamcore-poster/

 

[iPrintStuff]

We use a keencut Javelin (we just bought a new one and I can’t remember the name) but it’s 3.2m, mounts to the table and cuts foam board etc like a breeze. We use it specifically for boards as I cutting posters is a bit fiddly.

Was pretty cheap too. Cuts nice and quick but can’t give an estimate on time as you never said how small you’re cutting them!

 

[rjssigns]

[CF22-1225] is suitable to cut 4x8 material

https://mimaki.com/product/cutting/c-flat/cf22-1225/

Yup, that's the one in the lab. We cut 4x8's on it all the time. When the recip knife is running it sounds like a two stroke weed whacker off in the distance.

 

[Humble PM]

We use a keencut Javelin (we just bought a new one and I can’t remember the name) but it’s 3.2m, mounts to the table and cuts foam board etc like a breeze. We use it specifically for boards as I cutting posters is a bit fiddly.

Was pretty cheap too. Cuts nice and quick but can’t give an estimate on time as you never said how small you’re cutting them!

Down side of the Javelin is when you want to cut an 8x4 down to a 4x4 - need really long arms. Also it doen't have the inbuilt squaring of the steeltrak, but it is really high precision cutting. I reckon that I can get within 1mm on the steeltrak, half that on the bench cutter (have Very picky customers...).

And the sound is pretty subtle, unless I'm really pi55ed off, in which case the Dead Kennedys are playing loud, and no-one can hear.

But if you're looking to take full boards down to a few inches, then get a robocutter.

 

[Gino]

We use a dowel we altered with a grove in the end it we can cut 48" quite easily.

 

[DeadDoc]

Late to the game, we have Two KeenCut Excalibur 1000s. Works well once you get them calibrated out. Can also do glass.

 

[Andy D]

Steeltrak is pretty nice but you will still end up with a lot of manual labor if you are cutting it to many small pieces.
I don't see how you can speed it up much without a flatbed cutter.

https://www.keencut.com/product/steeltrak/

I have never used a Steeltrak, but I have used several Fletchers & I really don't care for them... I do better cutting with a straight edge and knife.
We did have a manual table cutter at one place & it worked great, don't remember the brand, but it looked just like this;

 

[DeadDoc]

Amazing edge cuts if you pay attention to the blade. Probably 100 cuts a side per blade so about 200 cuts a blade. Tall edge is close to 65" but don't quote me.

 

[Andy D]

Thank you for the suggestion, this is more in line with what we need I think. I see the largest one they have (I think) has a table space of 70" x 48" (the CF2-1218). Would this mean we'd need to cut a 8'x4' sheet down once some other way to fit on the bed? Sorry I'm really a newb when it comes to these types of cutters!

Flatbed cutter with reciprocating knife would be the way to go. The Mimaki in the lab cuts foam board and Omega board nice and clean.

Is it a CNC? If you're strictly doing straight cuts, a CNC would be much more expensive, slower & higher maintenance.
I would suggest you start with a decent manual cutter, and if/when you upgrade, you will have a back-up.

 

[Humble PM]

I have never used a Steeltrak, but I have used several Fletchers & I really don't care for them... I do better cutting with a straight edge and knife.
We did have a manual table cutter at one place & it worked great, don't remember the brand, but it looked just like this;

View attachment 153465

That looks very much like a Keencut BigBench with an old style Javelin cutter. Very precise.
I keep meaning to get a new top for ours with T-slots cut perpindicular to the cutting bar.

DeadDoc,
That's like a baby SteelTrak, perhaps without the ACM cutter. The 250cm version will do 8x4's. Those blades are around £20/100. Biggest pain is switching blades - the chasis of the cutter is extruded aluminium, so you can't hang a magenetic spare blade tray on the machine, so you have to step atleast a foot or three to grab a replacement.