Design for Laser Cutting

Effective designing incorporates the essential consideration and techniques for creating designs that are optimized for laser cutting. Learning what kerf is and how to work with it will ensure you have the knowledge to make accurate designs for your project, and understanding how to make 3D things from 2D sheet gives you the tools for making effective designs.

Accounting for Kerf

Understanding and accounting for kerf is an important aspect of designing for laser cutting. Kerf refers to the width of material that is removed during the cutting process, resulting in the laser beam vaporizing or melting away a small portion of the material. While kerf may seem like a minor detail, it can affect the overall dimensions and fit of your final design. There are instances where considering kerf is crucial:

  • Interlocking Parts: If you're designing parts that need to fit together snugly, such as puzzle pieces or interlocking joints, you must account for the kerf. Failing to adjust the design for kerf could result in parts that are too loose or too tight, compromising the functionality of the final assembly. In such cases, you can offset the design by the kerf width to ensure a precise fit.
  • Enclosures and Boxes: When creating enclosures or boxes with tabs and slots, the kerf should be taken into account to achieve proper alignment and fit. Without accounting for kerf, the slots may be too narrow, preventing the tabs from fitting correctly, or they may be too loose, resulting in an unstable structure. By adjusting the design dimensions based on the expected kerf, you can ensure the pieces fit together seamlessly.
  • Dimensional Accuracy: If your design requires precise dimensions, such as when creating parts that need to fit into existing objects or mechanisms, accounting for kerf is essential. Neglecting to adjust for kerf could lead to components that are slightly larger or smaller than intended, affecting the overall functionality and fit of the final product.

However, there are situations where the kerf width may not be as critical to consider.

  • Artistic Designs: If you're creating artistic or decorative designs where precise dimensions are less important, the impact of kerf may be negligible. In such cases, you can focus more on the aesthetic aspects and overall visual appeal of the design, rather than worrying about exact final measurements.
  • Proof-of-Concept or Rapid Prototyping: During the initial stages of a project, when speed and iteration are more important than precise dimensions, you may choose to forego accounting for kerf. Rapidly creating prototypes and proof-of-concept models allows you to quickly test and refine your design without getting caught up in minor details like kerf.

Remember that the kerf width can vary depending on the material being cut and the specific laser cutting equipment used. It's always a good idea to consult the laser cutter's manual, check with your instructor, or communicate with the laser cutting facility to obtain the most accurate information about the expected kerf width for your particular setup. By understanding when and why to consider kerf in your designs, you can ensure that your laser-cut projects meet your expectations and requirements, resulting in precise fits and successful outcomes.

Turning 2.5D to 3D

Laser cutting takes your 2D vector file and cuts that out on a sheet material with some thickness. This means that your designs will have some more dimension than the flat file you created, allowing for exciting making opportunities. 3D boxes and other structures can be made with your sheet material, joined together through appropriately-dimensioned tabs (Remember to account for kerf!). The thickness of the sheet material can also support nuts for boxes joined together with screws. In addition to these methods of joining, acrylic cement, wood glue, or another adhesive for your material can be used to join laser cut parts together.

Kerf cutting is a technique that takes advantage of the kerf by weakening your material to allow for flexible sections (shown below). This works best in thinner wood materials, with downloadable templates.

Selecting Materials for Laser Cutting

Welcome to the "Selecting Materials" section of this laser cutting document. In the exciting world of laser cutting, choosing the right materials is crucial to achieving optimal results and unlocking your creative potential. Whether you're a student exploring the possibilities of laser cutting for the first time or an experienced maker looking to expand your repertoire, understanding the characteristics and properties of various materials is essential. In this section, we will delve into the considerations involved in selecting materials for laser cutting, providing you with valuable insights to make informed decisions and unleash your imagination with precision and finesse. So, let's embark on this journey of material exploration and discover the fascinating realm of laser cutting together!

Materials can be cut, engraved, and etched with a laser cutter. Due to what different materials are made from, some cannot be cut for safety concerns or poor cut quality. It is important to use materials that are safe to cut, ensuring both operator safety and optimal cut quality. Find the material you would like to use on the list to make sure it’s safe to use on a laser cutter. Practice safety: ask a staff member if you are unsure about the material you want to use. Different making spaces and equipment have different capabilities, so don’t hesitate to ask.

In some cases, the settings of the laser cutter are tuned to preset material settings already saved in the software. It’s good to have a conceptual understanding behind the general differences between materials and how the laser interacts with them. Let's break it down. Firstly, the thickness of the material plays a crucial role. If you're cutting through thin material, you won't need as much laser energy compared to cutting the same material but in a thicker form. Thinner materials require less laser power to make a clean cut. Secondly, consider the density of the material. Materials with lower density usually require less laser energy to cut through. So, if you're working with a less dense material, you won't need as much laser power to achieve the desired result. However, it's worth noting that increasing the laser power level can generally improve the speed of laser cutting. So, if you need to cut through materials quickly, increasing the laser power can help you accomplish that.

Materials Documentation

What are Vector Graphics?

Vector graphics are a fundamental concept in digital design, and understanding them is essential for creating designs suitable for laser cutting. Unlike raster graphics that are composed of pixels, vector graphics are made up of mathematical equations and geometric shapes. These shapes, such as lines, curves, and polygons, are defined by their starting and ending points, as well as the mathematical formulas that determine their paths. The advantage of vector graphics lies in their scalability without loss of quality. You can resize vector images to any size without pixelation or distortion, ensuring crisp and sharp lines and edges. This scalability makes vector graphics ideal for laser cutting because the laser cutter follows the precise paths defined by the vectors, resulting in accurate and detailed cuts, engravings, or etchings. Design software like Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, or CorelDRAW allows you to create, manipulate, and customize vector graphics, giving you the creative freedom to bring your ideas to life with precision and clarity. Vector files can also be made in other softwares, just make sure they are saved in a file format that can be read by the design softwares listed above to send to the laser cutter. Great tutorial videos exist online for the things you’d like to do with a design software. 

Adobe Illustrator Tips

  • Shape Builder - tool to join, divide, or delete intersecting paths
  • Image Trace - converts imported images into vector graphics
    • Image Trace Panel - fine-tune the tracing results

Inkscape Tips

  • Trace Bitmap - convert an image into a vector file