Introduction: IPad Etching
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About: Matthew was previously a STEAM integrator with a private K-8 school. He loves taking things apart to see how they work, and will sometimes put those things back together. Much of his time is spent working with…
jeff-o won the grand prize in the Gorilla Glue Make it Stick Contest! His awesome Desk Lamp won him a laser cut iPad. After chatting back and forth with him for a while, he sent me some images and showed me how he wanted it laid out. All I had to do was etch.
I did an initial run on some trashed clear acrylic sitting around the office, to make sure everything matched up, and a second pass on tape, to make sure everything would be fine.
I encountered one major problem. The curve of the iPad, is enough to offset the focal point of the laser cutter, rendering certain parts unetched. I had to do two passes.
The etching actually came out perfectly!
In case you want to see a short clip of the etching taking place...click here!
I did an initial run on some trashed clear acrylic sitting around the office, to make sure everything matched up, and a second pass on tape, to make sure everything would be fine.
I encountered one major problem. The curve of the iPad, is enough to offset the focal point of the laser cutter, rendering certain parts unetched. I had to do two passes.
- The first pass was at 100% speed and 50% power, with the focus on the highest part of the iPad back.
- The second pass was at 100% speed, 25% power, with the focus on the lowest part of the back.
The etching actually came out perfectly!
In case you want to see a short clip of the etching taking place...click here!