The Laser Cutter is probably one of the most frequently reserved machines at Fablab. Many people come bearing great ideas and materials but do not have any idea on what settings to use. Which is why I have created a reference guide to demonstrate the types of materials and settings that can be used to cut and/or engraving on the laser cutter.
I first began by quickly sketching out a few ideas for my design. My first idea was to have a rectangular board with evenly spaced pegs to hang all the different materials. The second was to have a ring with all different samples you could flip through. Both ideas were okay but I wanted this guide to be more playful and to somehow incorporate the logo for the Waag and Fablab. The logo actually provided a useful direction to the design of my project. I used the shape of the castle as a place to write general information regarding considerations to take and materials not to be lasered. The circle around the castle was cut up to create a sort of puzzle.
Below is a quick mockup I did using Adobe Illustrator, paper, printer and scissors.
In the beginning, I wrote down a list of materials that I wanted to include in my project. These materials included different types of plywood, veneer, balsa wood, mdf, white paper, cardboard, cork, leather, velvet, cotton, foam, foam core, polypropylene, acrylic and rubber. After rounding up all of these materials, I began to test different speeds, powers and ppi's to provide the best results.
Below: Cotton Test Results
Below: Foam Test Results
Below: Plywood Test Results
Below: Results from Laser Tests
Here are the observations and results from each material lasered:
Material: Cotton
Thickness: 0.5 mm
Engraving: Speed - 95; Power - 75
Cutting: Speed - 25; Power - 100
** because the material was so thin, I placed a 3 mm thick MDF board below the cotton so it could be sensed by the auto focus tool.
Material: Felt
Thickness: 3.5 mm
Engraving: Speed - 75; Power - 80
Cutting: Speed - 5.0; Power - 80
** Lasering felt results in a terrible odour. Please wait a few minutes before opening the door after lasering.
Material: Rubber
Thickness: 2.2 mm
Engraving: Speed - 7.0; Power - 30
Cutting: Speed - 1.2; Power - 90
** When lasering rubber stamps, text should be mirrored for the text to read correctly when stamped. Also, when setting up the print job, 'stamp mode' should be selected under Options. Lasering felt results in a terrible odour. Please wait a few minutes before opening the door after lasering.
Material: Polypropylene
Thickness: 0.55 mm
Engraving: Speed - 90; Power - 90
Cutting: Speed - 3.2; Power - 100
** Used double sided tape to get a flat sample and keep it from curling once lasered.
Material: MDF
Thickness: 2.8 mm
Engraving: Speed - 55; Power - 100
Cutting: Speed - 2.2; Power - 100
Material: Plywood
Thickness: 3.8 mm
Engraving: Speed - 60; Power - 100
Cutting: Speed - 2.0; Power - 100
Material: Veneer
Thickness: 0.55 mm
Engraving: Speed - 55; Power - 30
Cutting: Speed - 20; Power - 90
Material: White Paper
Thickness: 0.1 mm
Engraving: Speed - 100; Power - 27
Cutting: Speed - 50; Power - 80
** because the material was so thin, I placed a 3 mm thick MDF board below the paper so it could be sensed by the auto focus tool.
Material: Cardboard
Thickness: 3.0 mm
Engraving: Speed - 65; Power - 90
Cutting: Speed - 4.0; Power - 100
** Cardboard reveals beautiful ridges that can be seen after engraving into it.
Material: Foam Core
Thickness: 4.7 mm
Engraving: Speed - 85; Power - 80
Cutting: Speed - 5.4; Power - 100
Material: Cork
Thickness: 3.0 mm
Engraving: Speed - 90; Power - 85
Cutting: Speed - 3.4; Power - 100
Material: Foam
Thickness: 3.0 mm
Engraving: Speed - 100; Power - 48
Cutting: Speed - 8.0; Power - 95
** Foam melts easily, so it didn't take much engrave or cut into it.
Material: Acrylic
Thickness: 3.0 mm
Engraving: Speed - 45; Power - 100
Cutting: Speed - 2.0; Power - 100
** Acrylic usually comes protected with a sticker layer on both sides. To engrave, remember to remove the top sticker layer. It also emits an unpleasant odour, so please be sure to wait a few minutes before opening the door to the laser.
Material: Acrylic
Thickness: 8.25 mm
Engraving: Speed - 50; Power - 100
Cutting: Speed - 0.4; Power - 100
** Please wait a few minutes before opening the doors after lasering.
Material: Velvet
Thickness: mm
Engraving: Speed - ; Power -
Cutting: Speed - ; Power -
** Info to come
After lasering all the pieces, I hot glued magnets to them so that they could eventually be adhered to the board. I painted the board with a magnetic paint ('t Stilleven Magneetverf Peinture Aimant) I bought from our Houthandel Schmidt. The paint is mixed with metal filings that help to attract magnets to it. To mount the castle to the board, I used Bison supersterk/super forte Contact Glue. I added a thin layer of glue to both pieces, allowed it to set for 10 minutes, and then adhered them together by using my fist to gently press the castle down.
Below: Painted magnetic board and castle with bison contact glue on both sides - waiting for it to set.
Below is the final board for the Laser Cutting Materials/Settings Reference Guide hanging by the laser cutter. There are still three pieces that needed to be added. One for velvet, another sample of Plywood and an engraved piece. Once they are added, I will update the document to show you the "final" product. I hope you find this board helpful!
