Mill mat
 

Last month I went to a Technology Exhibition in Hannover. I had no idea how big this was going to be. I thought about all of the Mechmate members that I am sure would find at least one thing interesting there... many CNC machines, robotic arms... It would require the entire week long to see it all.
One thing I thought might be interesting to all was the Mill mat on one of the tables. ( The Germans have a firm grasp on CNC technology)
look herehttp://cnc-plus.de/product_info.php?...b7d06236597fdf
It is a mat to protect your table from the cutter...

Looks interesting, but did you see the price tag on that A3 sized mat? It would cost about $200 to cover a 4x8 cutting area. That's just material, we haven't factored in the shipping and customs yet. My 1/4" or 6mm MDF works just fine and a heck of a lot cheaper when it comes time to replace.

Here is an interesting thought. I find that a lot of times, companies take some inexpensive building material, find that it can be applied to something like CNC machining, jack up the price by a few hundred percent, and market the same thing (under the disguise of specialized material) to those that are unaware of what the original use of that material is. It happens all the time here in Taiwan.

For example, expanded foam boards used in construction is marketed to the sign industry for up to 4X it's value. They say that it's "made for the sign industry" but it comes from the same factory and the stock is the same as basic construction sheet goods. I didn't find out until I went on the hunt for a cheaper source of Acrylic and asked a vendor about it. I've personally fell victim to this type of marketing before.

That matting material looks like something I've seen before in a roll used for gardening and landscaping. I might order one from the above web site just to check.

I think that CNC mat is a thin open-cell foam rubber.

open cell to let the vacuum air out, and
rubber to cause friction so that parts are less inclined to slide around the table, and
thin so that the mat doesn't allow air in from the edges and the "clamped" parts don't sink deep.

I am not endorsing the product, just the idea. I don't know if it is the same product I saw. Just thought it was a good idea and wanted to share it with the Mechmate forum! :)