Thermally laminated foam boards, methods for making thermally laminated foam boards, apparatus for making thermally laminated foam boards, smaller foam pieces made from thermally laminated foam boards, methods for making smaller foam pieces from thermally laminated foam boards, parts made from thermally laminated foam boards, methods for making parts from thermally laminated foam boards, and tools for making parts from thermally laminated foam boards are disclosed. The thermally laminated foam boards are made by thermally bonding at least two polystyrene boards together.

A rotatable cutting tool includes an elongate body and at least one helical flute extending over a length of the elongate body, the helical flute having a first end and a second end. The flute includes a cutting-edge with a first radius from a longitudinal center of the cutting tool, a trailing edge with a second radius from a longitudinal center of the cutting tool, wherein the second radius is smaller than the first radius, a flute surface between the cutting-edge and the trailing edge, the flute surface including a maximum radius at the cutting-edge and a plurality of foam chip shedding exclusions spaced along the cutting-edge of the helical flute, each of the foam chip shedding exclusions providing a gap in the cutting-edge where the radius within the gap is smaller than the first radius. The first radius defines a maximum tool cutting radius for the cutting tool. A gap distance between the foam chip shedding exclusions and the maximum tool cutting radius equals at least 15% of a radial height of the flute.

An indexable plenum and a method of using the plenum to collect dust and/or debris during a cutting or milling process are disclosed. The plenum, when attached to the spindle nose of a conventional machine, enables the conventional machine that does not have a hollow spindle nose to be used with a hollow or conventional solid cutter to remove dust and/or debris generated during the cutting process. The indexable plenum comprises a hollow body and a base plate. Hollow bodies of different shape and size that are able to fit differently shaped and sized cutters are disclosed. The hollow bodies can be designed to releasably engage with the same base plate such that when the base plate is attached to the machine spindle nose, hollow bodies can be exchanged during a milling or cutting process to accommodate correspondingly shaped/sized cutters. In various embodiments, the object that is cut or milled is low density foam.

An indexable plenum and a method of using the plenum to collect dust and/or debris during a cutting or milling process are disclosed. The plenum, when attached to the spindle nose of a conventional machine, enables the conventional machine that does not have a hollow spindle nose to be used with a hollow or conventional solid cutter to remove dust and/or debris generated during the cutting process. The indexable plenum comprises a hollow body and a base plate. Hollow bodies of different shape and size that are able to fit differently shaped and sized cutters are disclosed. The hollow bodies can be designed to releasably engage with the same base plate such that when the base plate is attached to the machine spindle nose, hollow bodies can be exchanged during a milling or cutting process to accommodate correspondingly shaped/sized cutters. In various embodiments, the object that is cut or milled is low density foam.

A rotatable cutting tool includes an elongate body having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end and a distal end and at least one helical flute extending over a length of the elongate body, the helical flute having a first end and a second end. The flute includes a cutting-edge with a first radius from a longitudinal center of the cutting tool, a trailing edge with a second radius from a longitudinal center of the cutting tool, wherein the second radius is smaller than the first radius, a flute surface between the cutting-edge and the trailing edge, the flute surface including a maximum radius at the cutting-edge and a plurality of foam chip shedding exclusions spaced along the cutting-edge of the helical flute, each of the foam chip shedding exclusions providing a gap in the cutting-edge where the radius within the gap is smaller than the first radius.

A rotatable cutting tool is disclosed and includes an elongate body having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end and a distal end. The cutting tool further includes at least one helical flute extending over a cutting length of the elongate body, the helical flute having a first end and a second end. The helical flute includes a leading cutting wall having an edge, a trailing cutting wall having an edge, and a flute surface between the leading cutting wall and the trailing cutting wall, the flute surface including a curved surface portion including a constant radius from the longitudinal axis of the elongate body. The cutting tool further includes a plurality of reliefs evenly spaced along the leading and trailing walls of the helical flute, each of the reliefs forming a semi-circular cutout on the flute surface, and wherein the reliefs in the trailing cutting wall are longitudinally offset from the reliefs in the leading cutting wall.

A cutting tool having particular usefulness in milling fall includes a plurality of flutes wherein each flute includes a plurality of reliefs spaced equidistant along a leading cutting wall or edge and a second plurality of reliefs spaced equidistant along a trailing cutting wall or edge and wherein the second plurality of reliefs are off set evenly from the first plurality of reliefs. The plurality of reliefs on a second flute are offset from the plurality of reliefs on a first flute by a distance equal to the equidistance of the plurality of reliefs divided by the total number of flutes.