Foamalux and Foamalux Ultra are easy materials to work with, using basic wood and metal working tools. When working with any power tool, the sheet temperatures must be kept below the material softening point of 70°C. Compressed air is a suitable and easy to apply coolant. Efficient removal of dust and swarf from the cutting tool helps to lower temperatures.These measures assist in obtaining a good quality cut finish. In general, machining operations require a combination of low feed speed and depth of cut together with a high cutting speed.

Correct tool geometry is also important. The recommendations given for tool geometries and speeds should be used as a guide: some experimenting may be required to obtain best results. It is necessary to have an effective means of removing dust produced by machining operations from the operator’s environment.

Cutting, Shaping & Finishing
Different means of cutting are appropriate for various thicknesses, ranging from hand tools to power saws.

Cutting
Sheets 1mm and 2mm thick can be cut with shears:
sheets 1-3mm thick can be cut with a craft knife:
preheated sheets are easiest to cut. Sheet exceeding 3mm in thickness should be sawn.

Guillotining
Guillotines can be used for rough cutting but are not usually employed to finish-cut as their action compresses the sheet and can give a poor edge finish eg. permanent edge distortion: cracks can also be initiated in cold sheets.
Guillotines with blades heated to around 160°C give a good quality cut edge with less possibility of compressing or otherwise damaging the sheet edge.

Die Cutting
Flat shapes with complex outlines can be die cut from thinner sheets - up to 4mm thick - using sharp, accurately set, steel rule dies: best results are obtainable by preheating sheets to a maximum of 35°C; however, cut shapes should be placed between flat metal plates to cool, avoiding distortion. When designing components to be die cut, narrow
sections and radii less than 3mm should be avoided. Sheets thicker than 4mm can be die cut provided they are preheated and component radii are at least equal to sheet thickness. Edge finishing may be required.

Sawing
Blades designed for cutting plastics are ideal for cutting Foamalux and Foamalux Ultra, as are most types of wood saws - band, bench, circular, hand, jig and wall saws.
Blades must be sharp, with a slight side set. Hold and support sheets to avoid stress and vibration, particularly in cold conditions. Blunt blades and very fine tooth metal cutting blades, or incorrectly held material, produce an unsatisfactory finish. Blades should always cut down into the gloss surface of Foamalux Ultra.
When using power saws, clear swarf and avoid heat build up at the cut to produce clean cuts.

Drilling
Sheet thickness and hole diameter required determine the appropriate drill type. It is more difficult to drill large holes in thinner sheets than small holes in thicker sheets. Thin sheets require a high drill speed and low feed speed. Slower feed speeds are used in deeper holes to minimise heat build up. Standard twist bits for metal are suitable for holes up to 12mm diameter in all thicknesses.
Holes over 12mm in diameter can be drilled with flat bits, normally used for drilling wood. Above 25mm diameter it is necessary to use hole saws or circular cutters.

Milling & Routing
All types of milling machines and routers can be used to machine Foamalux and Foamalux Ultra if suitable tool geometry and cutting conditions are used.
Vacuum clamping machines are ideal as they are less likely to mark the surface than mechanical clamping. Where sheets are mechanically clamped, load spreading pads should be used to avoid surface marks. Cutting tools must be capable of clearing large quantities of chips and cut depths and feed speeds must not be too high to avoid heat build up and poor edge finish. Cutters with single or twin cutting edges are most suitable.

Finishing
Sheet edges can be finished by filing, sanding, grinding, planing or using a deburring tool, for example, a flat steel edge scraper. Such finishing operations on the sheet surfaces will expose the inner cell structure which will be undesirable in most applications. Glossy surface finishes can be obtained using soft buffing wheels and applying polishing compound, but avoid abrading the surface.