Laser Cut, Inlaid Name Plate at TechShop

How to make a laser cut name plate for your office or desk. I made this at TechShop Austin!

Step 1: Create Cut Lines

Create your cut lines in your design software. I used Corel but you can use Auto Desk, Adobe or numerous other programs.

Step 2: Lase!

Cut your main object out of whichever color you're going to use as the standing piece.
Then I select only the text and cut it out of whichever colors I want to inlay with.

Step 3: Inlay!

Place your text pieces into the main sign piece while laying face down. You'll want to remove any protective sheets off the front facing pieces before gluing in place. I left the protective sheet on the back just because its the back. it doesnt matter.

Step 4: Glue and Bend!

I used a bunch of E6000 on the back and just slathered it around with my finger. Let it dry for a few hours. Turn on the plastic bending heater and let it heat up a bit. Then figure out where you want to bend your sign. Lay it on the plastic bending heater for about 5 minutes.. depending on how hot the bender is. You'll be able to see when its hot enough.. it gets real shiny in the spot you're going to bend. Then place in the bender at the predetermined angle that you have set. i used 80.. its a nice, visible upright angle. Hold the sign steady in the bender until the edges feel cool to the touch. If you dont wait long enough it will straighten out a bit and your angle will be off. Enjoy!