Soft yet firm lasercutterable rubber?

[Alex Pounds]

Hello,

A few years ago I saw a smartphone stand that was basically a rubber strap
with an angled notch cut at either end. You bent it into a semicircle and
the phone sat in the notches. Something like this (monospace font
required):

/---/ /----------------------\ \----\
| / / \ \ |
| --- --- |
\_____________________________________/

Of course, now I need a smartphone stand I can't find this thing anywhere.
But it's not a lot of work on the laser cutter, so I thought I'd make my
own. I'm not sure what material I need, though; something soft, yet firm
(a bit like a watch strap), and safe to laser cut.

1. Is silicone what I'm after?
2. If not, what other material do I need?
3. Does anyone have an off-cut or small piece I can use for experiments
before ordering a larger sheet?


Many thanks,

--
Alex Pounds
Web Developer & Photographer

http://alexpounds.com/ | http://ethicsgirls.com/

[Adrian Godwin]

Does it need to be flexible ?

Obviously it's got to be bent into a curve initially, but you can soon do that to acrylic with a heat gun.

Or you could make a triangular stand with two short legs, crossed at the back.

[Alex Pounds]

On Mon, Nov 05, 2012 at 01:38:05PM +0000, Adrian Godwin wrote:
> Does it need to be flexible ? Obviously it's got to be bent into a
> curve initially, but you can soon do that to acrylic with a heat gun.

The nice thing about the flexibility is it makes it super-portable; just
throw it in a bag and don't worry about it. (Or stick it in the back
pocket of your moleskine or whatever.) I'd like to keep that property.

[Adrian Godwin]

Maybe some of this, then :

http://www.plasticstockist.com/Foamed-PVC-Sheet.aspx

It's easily available in thinner sheets from craft shops, you might need something thicker from a specialist for your job. You might even find an offcut used as packing material.

You can't cut it on the laser cutter (it's PVC) but it's so easy to cut with a knife you wouldn't want to bother with that anyway.

[Ian Henderson]

You might want to look at Instuctables for some ideas

I liked this one:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Phone-Stand-Headphone-Wrap-Laser-Cut-and-Living

[Alex Pounds]

On Mon, Nov 05, 2012 at 01:59:04PM +0000, Adrian Godwin wrote:
> Maybe some of this, then :
> http://www.plasticstockist.com/Foamed-PVC-Sheet.aspx
>
> It's easily available in thinner sheets from craft shops, you might need
> something thicker from a specialist for your job. You might even find an
> offcut used as packing material.

Is that standard craft foam? Or is it something different?

[Adrian Godwin]

There are several craft foams. I think this is the one that's the thickness and flexibility of felt (though it's springier), not the stiff foam-board.

[Peter "Sci" Turpin]

For watch-strap hardness, you'd be looking at something about 80-shore
hardness.
I have some two-part casting rubber at that hardness. If you make up a
master in a solid material I could do a casting of it. Or show you how
to in the space in a few weeks.