Laser Cutting Tools and Resources
This section of the website contains a range of information and resources to assist you with laser cutting. Information on this page includes
- A laser cutting request form
- Tutorials for design considerations in TinkerCAD
- Tutorials for setting up your job in Illustrator
- Videos on the operation of the laser cutter
- Other tools (including free software) that may assist you with laser cutting
Preparing Designs in TinkerCAD for Laser Cutting
Design Considerations
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Exporting your file
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Preparing Files to Cut/Engrave in Adobe Illustrator
Setting up your document
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Line widths, line colours and fill colours
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Operating the Laser Cutter
Turning on the laser
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Focussing the laser
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Understanding the printer options
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Completing your cutting
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Other Laser Cutting Tools
Inkscape is an open-source vector graphics program. This free program is similar to Adobe Illustrator and allows you to create models for laser cutting. The button will take you to the page to download the software.
When creating documents for laser cutting or engraving please use the following settings
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An online tool to make very basic box designs using either the internal or external dimensions of the box
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SVGNest and DeepNest are tools that allow you to minimise wastage when arranging parts for laser cutting. It takes your design and tries arrange them in such a way that the gaps are minimised. SVGNest is a free online tool for achieving this, and DeepNest is a downloadable program to do the same thing.
In order for the program to work effectively, lines that must stay together should be grouped, and the file saved as a svg file type. |