Laser Cut QR Codes

My friend Willy and I were kayaking down the river, talking about things we wanted to make. We came up with the idea of laser cutting QR codes into things. I thought it would be cool to laser cut a QR code into acrylic. Partially, I was just curious if it would work.

Step 1: Materials/Tools

Tools

• Laser cutter
• Sandpaper

Materials

• Acrylic

or

• Wood

or

• Paper

or

• Anything

Step 2: Create the Code

The very first step is to come up with what you want to say. Some pickup lines I have come up with are as follows

For wood:

• WOULD you like to go out with me.

For acrylic:

• It is CLEAR we should go out sometime.

The next step is to create the label. I used this website.

Step 3: Laser the Code

Download the code from the website. Then, import it to the laser program. draw a box around the code to cut it out. If you want to engrave a code onto something without cutting it out, then don't draw the box.

Step 4: Sand (for Wood)

If you cut it out of wood, there is going to be a lot of smoke residue in the wood. The best way to get rid of it is with sand paper. Make sure you keep it really flat, so one side is not thinner than the other.

Step 5: Done!

When scanning the code cut into acrylic, place it over something black, or it won't scan. It really makes a huge difference. It works really well while over black, but not at all over something of a lighter color. If you have any other ideas of phrases to cut in, please comment them. I had fun making this project, hopefully you had fun reading it.