LASER CUTTING
HOURS: 9:00 - 12:30, 13:00-16:30
BREAK: 12:30 - 13:00
GUIDE
GUIDE
$1.50 / MINUTE (for shorter cuts)
$30.00 / HOUR (flat rate for longer cuts)
FOR AVAILABLE AND FORBIDDEN MATERIALS LIST, CLICK HERE.
**LASER CUTTING IN THE FABLAB IS RESERVED FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS AND FACULTY.
Red is vector cut, blue is vector etch and black is raster etch. It costs $1.50 a minute, and acrylic can be cut using the laser cutter.
YOU MAY BE TURNED AWAY IF WE CAN'T GET YOUR FILE GOING IN 5 MINUTES.
If this happens, make sure you approach your studio TA, they can help you.
Rasterizing Images Rule of Thumb
Remember to keep your images in gray scale. The colour is registered to automatically be rastered.
Vector Colours
Lines should be 0.001in. This is an example of what your line work should look like when you save your file. This is assuming that you wish to cut out Cooper and have his interior lines in blue to be etched out on a material.
**the line size here is exaggerated to serve as an example**
Functions for #FF0000
Lineweight: 0.001in
-
cutting through materials
Functions for #0000FF
Lineweight: 0.001in
-
engraving on materials
-
etching
Functions for #000000
Lineweight: 0.001in
-
rastering images onto material
TL;DR
TL;DR
GUIDELINES ON HOW TO PREPARE YOUR FILES
NO CLIPPING MASKS
NO GROUPING
NO SPECIAL EFFECTS (E.G. DROP SHADOWS, ETC.)
NO DOUBLE/LAYERED LINES
**Editing the illustrator file yourself saves everyone time and frustration.
TEST CUT SAMPLE
Please have a sample of what you would like to cut so we can test and find the right material settings for you. Make sure the test cut is within size constraints.
KEEP YOUR FILE NAMES APPROPRIATE!!!
KEEP YOUR FILE NAMES APPROPRIATE!!!
YY/MM/DD_LASERCUTTERSIZE_NAME_MATERIAL
EXAMPLES BELOW:
16/02/07_LARGE_CHANG_MATBOARD
17/03/16_LARGE_BRITTA_CARDBOARD
17/03/27_SMALL_ABED_ACRYLIC
17/03/28_LARGE_TROY_PLYWOOD
17/03/29_LARGE_PIERCE_PAPER
17/04/03_SMALL_SHIRLEY_LEATHER
17/04/05_SMALL_ANNIE_CHERRY
17/04/19_LARGE_JEFF_WALNUT
...
ARTBOARDS
ARTBOARDS
HAVE 2 ARTBOARDS READY TO SUBMIT
Board 1 = Your file(s)
Board 2 = Test board, have a small rectangle in whichever vector cut you require.
Your file
18x24
Test Board
18x24
Where you place the tester image**
SPACING
SPACING
GOOD SPACING IS 0.08"
USE THE ALIGN TOOL (ENSURE YOUR SHAPES ARE CLOSED)
0.08"
0.08"
Vector File Handling: Speeding up the process
1
2
3
Step 1
Use the cut tool or select tool ('A' button) to select
and cut off this section.
Step 2
Step 3
The end result should not have double lines where the boxes meet.