Thinking out of the Box

Vinyl Cutting

Graphic Design of vinyl cutting

I used Silhouette Studio Designer Edition V. 4.5 to design these two patterns. For the "Fang" one, I typed in the text and change the font and size into what I like and I was done designing it. The red outlines were what the vinyl cutter gonna cut. I needed to make sure there's no two line cross each other; otherwise, the vinyl cutter would cut several time on the same spot. For the butterfly one, I first found an image that I like on the Internet. And then I used the trace feature to trace the outline of the image. The yellow trace outline of the image is what the vinyl cutter is cutting. In the end, the two patterns are ready to be cut!

Final Vinyl Cutting Design

There's no difference between the final physical product and my digital design except for the color because what color the vinyl is, then what color the sticker will be.

Vinyl Cutting Process

For Text vinyl cutting :

Add a text box.
Type your name and choose font.
Everything in your pattern is gonna cut (check: using the cutting panel ).
Get rid of overlapping lines( tab weld on the modify panel )turn into object.
Change the text box into the scale you like.
Do a box outside of your design (Optional).
Design page settings - cutting mat- choose material.
Cut settings-standard-thickness.
Place vinyl on to the cutting mat.
Line the vinyl with the cutting mat.
Press the Load the Cutting Mat button on the screen.
Send the file to the machine.
After completing the cutting, select Unload button on the screen.
Use transfer tape to move the decal to the box.
Use scraper to burnish so your vinyl is really stuck to the tape.
Use transfer tape to put the decal on wherever you like.
Press hard so that the decal no longer stays on the transfer tape.
Pull off the transfer tape and your decal is on your object !

For image vinyl cutting :

Click on the pattern that likes a butterfly.
Click select trace area. Trace the outline of your picture.
Choose solid fill or outline.
Use Threshold to determine hoe broadly the trace filter is applied to your image.
Despeckle threshold help to eliminate noise in the trace if you have extreme small spots that you don’t want to trace.
High pass filter allows trace line to work from the outside edge in towards the middle good for creating a basic frame outline.
Low pass filter allows trace lines to start at the center of your image and work outwards higher values received from the edge.
Scale controls the smoothness of pixelated edge of your image (the lower the value is ,the smoother the edge is) .

Tres style options (3 kinds)

Tres creates all outer and inner lines (retain the voids and details in a design that are not filled with yellow)
Tres outer line creates a cut line only around your outer edge of your image( print and cut image that doesn’t filled with holes in the center)
Tres and detach will cut out the image from the background this is helpful when you need to remove that background so you can over lap images or have more room to get design closer together on a print and cut job ( objects that are traced with tres and detached objects need to turn on cut lines in the send panels).

Objects with tres or tres edge are ready to cut with their cut lines on

Trace an object with too many details or need to trace lines separated:

1.Have trace lines separated

2.In release compound path to separate those cut lines and access each individual lines.

For cutting the vinyl sticker :

Put vinyl on the cutting mat.
Load the cutting mat to the machine.
Send the file to the machine.
After the machine finishes its work, unload the cutting mat.
Use transfer tape to transfer the sticker onto the object.

For vinyl cutting video :

IMG_0060.MOV

After you load the cutting mat and send the file over, the vinyl cutter starts working. It focuses on its own. You just need to wait until the machine stops to work. The blade of the vinyl cutter will cut through the vinyl. After it's done, you need to press unload on the machine to unload the cutting mat. You cut the vinyl sticker off and using the tweezer to peel the excessive part off. And then you use the transfer tape to transfer the sticker onto something else like a box, a phone case, etc.

Problems Encountered

When I was trying to load the cutting mat, the machine didn't work perfectly. Some part of the vinyl curled up when it was loading into the machine. So I had to unload the cutting mat. I redid it several times and it finally remained flat when I held the vinyl down to make sure it wouldn't curl up on the cutting mat.

Laser cutting

Graphic Design of laser cutting

I use the CorelDraw to design my point box. The point box is made of five. To make the box, I first draw two 2" x 2" square. Next, I use line tool to make lines on the square. I use nudge distance to make sure the distance of each line is the same. I use the Virtual Segment Delete tool to make the tabs I want. Then I flip out of the two pieces and get a female one and a male one to match the tabs. I copy the two pieces and I get four pieces of the box done. For the bottom piece of the box, I first measure the inner distance between tabs of one piece. And then I make several identical rectangles attached to the edges of the square. I use the Virtual Segment Delete tool to delete the lines I don't want. The bottom piece is done. I did the same thing on these four pieces to make the bottom pieces fit for the four pieces. The difference is just the places I delete is the outer edge of the small rectangles instead of inner edges. I check if there's any double-ups which is created when coping the patterns. I also put my name on one of the pieces and convert it to the curve to have it rastered. And my parts of my box are ready to be cut.

Final Design of Laser-cut box design

Test Design of Laser-cut box design

Laser Cutting process

Videos of the laser cutting :

IMG_0056.MOV

IMG_0024.MOV

The laser cutter starts working when you send the file over. It autofucuses on where you want to cut the thing. When it is cutting, it will burn away some of the material. The material that is burnt away is called kerf. For vector, the laser cutter will cut through the material. For raster, it won't cut through completely It will only engrave the thing on it. Use raster when you want to engrave your name on the box.

Small Epilog :

1.Download the file

2.Open CorelDraw

3.Turn on the VENT before use the laser cutter

4.Know where the file is downloading(desktop/downloaded folder) Important for searching.

5.Vector (cut): Change to Hairline (equivalent in Inkscape to 0.001inches on your stroke line for cutting through)

6.Raster (etch/not completely cutting through): NOT be hairline

7. After complete the file, save.

8. If there’s filled color, it’s going to engrave and raster that color

9. Go to file and print

10. In the Print layout, set the paper size to the actual paper size that you put in. If you only want to do the raster part, just click the raster button.

11.Go to Preference, turn on AutoFocus.

12. Change the page size to the actual cardboard size!

13.Different material, different settings.

14.Check Job on the screen to ensure it’s cutting yours.

15.If the cutter doesn’t turn on before you send the file, the file may not be sent over, send again(CHECK settings!)

16. Click the file you send over on the screen.(Don’t forget to check how long it’s gonna take)

17.Print.

18.After the work is done, MAKE SURE the cutter has cut the vector area through (usually the pieces will fall).

19.If it didn’t cut through, run again.

Large Epilog :

1. FIRST IMPORTANT THING TO DO IS TURN ON THE EXHAUST VENTILATION 2. If it catches on fire, leave the lid down and don’t pick it out of the fire.

3. The file needs to be in CorelDraw.

4. Download the file you need to cut.

5. Make sure all the cutting is in Hairline.

6. Go to File, and click Print.

7. Put the cardboard in to the laser cutter, REMEMBER cut the thing in the corner, Don’t cut it in the center.

8. Select the material you want to cut.

9. Hit Print.

10. Move the handle and move the cutter thing over where we think we’re going to cut.

11. Select Autofocus.

12. If you think there’s emergency, hit the red dial.

13. Don’t touch the key.

14. If it doesn’t cut through, run it second time. Don’t move the card board if you find you need a second time to cut.

15. If you hit pause button, it needs time to stop.

Kerf is the thickness of the cut on the material when the laser cut through it.

This chart is used to change the setting of laser cutting according to the material used to be cut on. MAKE SURE you change the settings when cutting on different materials.

ONE IMPORTANT THING FOR SETTING: Always remember to change the paper size on the preference to the actual size of material you're cutting on. Otherwise, the laser cutter won't cut the thing on the right position of the material.

Problems encountered

When I was gong to send the file over, there was a tab said one issue. I found out I didn't change the printer to the laser cutter. I must change it into the laser cutter; otherwise, it wouldn't work.

I changed the printer into the Epilog Engraver Helix 30 which is the laser cutter.

After I changed the printer to the laser cutting, the One Issue tab disappeared. The file was ready to be sent over.

Page updated

Report abuse