When making stuff, the details can make all the difference in the world between looking clean and polished and looking rushed. To get this right involves spending many hours cutting precise holes or edges. But as industrial technology gets ever more accessible, the possibilities for everyday folks get much better. One such tool is the laser cutter, a shortcut to awesomeness that everyone should try out.
This article is one in a series of Instructables articles about DIY technology. The full list can be seen here.
This article is one in a series of Instructables articles about DIY technology. The full list can be seen here.
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Signing UpStep 1: Point of light
Laser cutters work their magic by focusing a high-powered laser onto a material. The beam is focused down to a point as small as one-thousandth of an inch and can burn, melt, or even vaporize the material it hits. What type of material can be cut depends on the strength of the laser. A 30 watt laser can cut paper, acrylic, and hardboard while a 10 Kilowatt laser can cut through stainless steel that's one inch thick.
To control the path of the laser all you need to do is create a vector file and send it to the laser cutter. Many programs can create these files such as CorelDRAW, or Illustrator, or even the free and open-source Inkscape. Once the laser cutter has its path it can cleanly cut out whatever you want. It's a direct path from idea to real object without worrying about making all of the cuts or messing up along the way.
Laser cutters have been around for quite a while for industrial uses, but in the past few years theyve become more affordable. Epilog Laser now sells its Zing laser cutter which retails for $7,995. Thats not cheap enough for the casual builder, but it is affordable for a small business to use and many crafters have invested in them to make their own creations to sell.
To control the path of the laser all you need to do is create a vector file and send it to the laser cutter. Many programs can create these files such as CorelDRAW, or Illustrator, or even the free and open-source Inkscape. Once the laser cutter has its path it can cleanly cut out whatever you want. It's a direct path from idea to real object without worrying about making all of the cuts or messing up along the way.
Laser cutters have been around for quite a while for industrial uses, but in the past few years theyve become more affordable. Epilog Laser now sells its Zing laser cutter which retails for $7,995. Thats not cheap enough for the casual builder, but it is affordable for a small business to use and many crafters have invested in them to make their own creations to sell.
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I think I'll show a castle I designed. It is made up of about fifty pieces that can be rearranged as the owner wishes.
8>)
Donald Pelton
John Ott
For the smoke you can also try using painter's tape. that might help (just a guess). We use that a ton for double-checking raster placement on an item before etching it.
Also, it's good to cover up the rest of the bed when doing vector so that there's more suction underneath the piece to pull the smoke down.
here
i also made a scale model of the VLS
here