Laser cutting man-made materials is fast and easy, plus the laser seals the edges when cutting, so it does not fray. We wanted to dress up the office for the holidays, so I came up with a few designs that can be used on ribbon or polyester felt.

Step 1: Video of Ribbon Laser Cutting

Step 2: Materials

1.5” polyester ribbon (not wire trimmed)
3mm polyester felt
¼” ribbon
Laser – laser used: Trotec Speedy 400 120 watt laser

Step 3: Laser Cutting Ribbon

Open the ribbon spool and cut off the first bit so it lays flat. Lay the first portion across the length of your laser, leaving the unused portion on the spool and putting the spool at the bottom of your working area. Make sure that the ends lay flat and the ribbon is straight and smooth across the bed.

Laser Settings for 120 watt laser
Cut: Power – 9%, Speed – 2, Hz – 1000, Air Assist - ON

Cut the first section, and then carefully move the cut section away from the top of the laser and exposing the next uncut section of ribbon. Line up the uncut section to the top of the laser, leaving a small space between where the cut section is and the uncut section will be cut. The file has a small gap at each end that will not be cut so that the ribbon will be cut continuously across the entire length, and not in segment. Leaving a small section between segments means you do not need to exactly line up the segments, as this portion will need to be trimmed with scissors after the laser cutting is complete.

Continue the process of cutting and then moving up the ribbon until you have cut the entire length of the ribbon
Once all laser cutting has completed, separate the cut portions of the ribbon carefully, and trim the ends and small gaps between the sections with scissors.

Snowflake Ribbon.pdf
Download

Step 4: Laser Cut Felt Garland

Lay the felt in the laser and duplicate your file to fill up the entire piece of material.

Laser Setting for 120 watt laser
Cut: Power – 25%, Speed - 2.5, Hz – 1000, Air Assist - ON

Once you have finished cutting, remove the laser cut portions and use ¼” ribbon to tie the sections together. Also attach loops of ribbon to the ends to help hang up the garland. This is a fun, festive, and inexpensive way to decorate for any holiday or special event.