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Step 4Laser cutting preparation
To use the vector files created in the previous step with the laser cutter we had access to (laserpro 3000) we exported them as EPS files (version 8).
Our laser cutter is located in our local Art School and many educational institutions have ones that will do work for members of the public at a cost. Look for places near you with engineering or product design courses if you want to try using one.
These instructions refer to the laser cutter we used, but most of the steps will be similar across many brands of cutters.
The EPS files were transferred to the computer attached to the laser cutter and opened in Corel Draw 13. This is what is used to print to the laser cutter.
In Corel Draw the cut lines in each file were set as 'hairline'.
Then colours are selected for the objects to define the cut order. In this case anything black was cut first, red next, then green, yellow after that.
On sheet 1,sheet 2, sheet 3, and sheet back we set the internal pattern of holes to cut first, then the corner, pot, and keyholes holes next, then the outline of the whole piece last. The speed was set to 1.7% and power to 100%. The page size was set to just bigger than the whole drawing.
On sheet front we set the etching to go first, then the corner holes, then the outline of the whole sheet. Page set up was similar to other layers. The etch settings were 100% speed and 30% power.
In the printer page size setting we set the size to the same as the page size of the document and set it to 'relative' so that we could determine the zero-point to start cutting from.
NOTE: To select the correct power and speed settings for etching and cutting we first found the recommended levels for this machine and 3mm acrylic, and then did 'bracketed' tests either side of these figures on a spare bit of acrylic. It is always worth testing, as machines can vary over time and with use.
Our laser cutter is located in our local Art School and many educational institutions have ones that will do work for members of the public at a cost. Look for places near you with engineering or product design courses if you want to try using one.
These instructions refer to the laser cutter we used, but most of the steps will be similar across many brands of cutters.
The EPS files were transferred to the computer attached to the laser cutter and opened in Corel Draw 13. This is what is used to print to the laser cutter.
In Corel Draw the cut lines in each file were set as 'hairline'.
Then colours are selected for the objects to define the cut order. In this case anything black was cut first, red next, then green, yellow after that.
On sheet 1,sheet 2, sheet 3, and sheet back we set the internal pattern of holes to cut first, then the corner, pot, and keyholes holes next, then the outline of the whole piece last. The speed was set to 1.7% and power to 100%. The page size was set to just bigger than the whole drawing.
On sheet front we set the etching to go first, then the corner holes, then the outline of the whole sheet. Page set up was similar to other layers. The etch settings were 100% speed and 30% power.
In the printer page size setting we set the size to the same as the page size of the document and set it to 'relative' so that we could determine the zero-point to start cutting from.
NOTE: To select the correct power and speed settings for etching and cutting we first found the recommended levels for this machine and 3mm acrylic, and then did 'bracketed' tests either side of these figures on a spare bit of acrylic. It is always worth testing, as machines can vary over time and with use.
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