Laser Cutting Guide: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:39, 11 April 2013

Many projects require intricately designed parts that would be impossible to make with normal lathing and machining techniques. Laser cutters can make very precise cuts without warping or destroying nearby material, allowing for very elaborate designs.

A laser cutter is a device that uses a focused beam of light to melt or burn through a target material. Laser cutters are computer-controlled to maintain precision. Some things to keep in mind if you are considering using the laser cutter; non-melting materials such as balsa wood will have scorched edges that can be aesthetically undesirable. Laser cutters generally have a margin of error of .001 inches.

Workflow

steps

Material

tips, kerf ...

Files

Links

Neat inspiration and tutorials on the Ponoko blog
Some in depth information on the kerf
General tips on optimizing drawings for laser cutting
Snug joints in acrylic
How to make snug fittings in plywood

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-.. Introduction
+Many projects require intricately designed parts that would be impossible to make with normal lathing and machining techniques. Laser cutters can make very precise cuts without warping or destroying nearby material, allowing for very elaborate designs.
+A laser cutter is a device that uses a focused beam of light to melt or burn through a target material. Laser cutters are computer-controlled to maintain precision. Some things to keep in mind if you are considering using the laser cutter; non-melting materials such as balsa wood will have scorched edges that can be aesthetically undesirable. Laser cutters generally have a margin of error of .001 inches.
 ==Workflow==
 steps