Safety Glasses Name Plate

Part 1: CAD the Nameplate Design

Safety is very important and the number one most common PPE that we use is Safety Glasses. In this activity you will learn to use the laser cutter to make a name plate for your Safety Glasses Cubbie in the innovation lab. You will begin by using CAD to create the plate. Then you will export a DXF file to Light Burn and then use the Omtech laser to Engrave and Cut the Sign.

Follow along with the tutorial to CAD your name plate. Create a final Sketch and project the geometry of the plate. Then export a DXF file.

(Follow along with the video below)

CAD Tutorial

Safety Glasses Name Plate New.mp4

Once you have finished the CAD and created a final sketch to project the lines on, you can export the sketch as a DXF. This file will be imported into the LightBurn Software and used to create the path for the Laser Engraving and Cutting.

Part 2: Laser Cutting the Design

This tutorial assumes you have already turned on the laser and water cooler.

If you haven’t… Please follow the Tutorial in the Omtech Cutting Tutorial.

Next, Login to the Computer next to the Omtech Laser and open the LightBurn Software Located on the Desktop of the computer. The Icon can be seen to the Right.

In the upper left corner of the software, go to File -> Import (or press CTRL+i). Navigate to your DXF file, select it, and click Open.

Lightburn workspace will now look like this:

Move your design (using the arrow keys or the mouse) to the lower left corner of the workspace, and place your material in a similar position in the laser. (We will fine tune this later.)

Now select just your NAME, either by clicking somewhere else and carefully drawing a rectangle around just your name (and not the outline), or by selecting everything and then CTRL- left click on the outline to deselect that.

With just your name selected, in the lower left corner of Lightburn, select Layer 01. You should see the name turn blue and match the color around the 01.

Note that your outline will remain Black. That is the default color for layer 00.

Your cuts/Layers tab will now show two operations.

Once you create the 01 layer, you will see it in the Cuts / Layers Dialog box. In this case, we are cutting and engraving the 2-color acrylic so the Engrave settings should be set to match the values below. (Mode = Fill, Speed = 250, 15-25% Power, 1 Pass.)

Next, use the Arrows on the right to Re-order the operations so the engraving happens first. (You can also Left click and hold on Engrave, then drag up to above hole). Verify the Cut settings and make sure the window matches the picture below.

To adjust your cutting area you can either a) move your design in Lightburn (click and draw to select all then use arrow keys or mouse). Or b) move the material on the laser bed itself. You can use the Show Last Position button to aid in this process.

Now we will place the material in the machine and move the laser gantry system until it is above the material.

There are two more things to check before we can cut. We need to properly position the material in the machine, and check that the laser is cutting at the correct depth. These steps need be completed in order to prevent damage to the machine.

Depth Check

Begin by moving the machine over the material you want to cut. To do this:
- Go to the Move tab (right side panel)
- Left click on the Left, Right, Up, or Down arrows until the machine moves over the material.
- Notice there are lots of support struts under the material we are cutting
Now use the [+] Focus Z button to run the auto focus cycle. IMPORTANT NOTE: You must have sturdy material below the red feeler gauge BEFORE pressing the the Focus Z button. The machine will then automatically touch off on the top of the material and set the proper height for the Z axis on the laser.

Frame Check

The last thing to do is to position the material precisely under where the laser will cut.

To see where the laser will cut based on the current position in Lightburn, press the square Frame button under the Laser tab (bottom right of the screen). Watch carefully as the laser traces the outline of the shape it will cut.
Adjust the material and then click Frame again until the Frame outlines the exact area of the material you wish to cut. Position the material/design to conserve material but ensure your entire part is cut.

Frame Check.mp4

Cutting

Close the lid to the laser.
Then press Start in the laser tab
The laser should first do the engraving for your Name Plate
Next it should cut out the outside of the Name Plate.
DO NOT OPEN THE LASER WHILE IT IS CUTTING.
DO NOT STARE AT THE LASER WHILE IT IS CUTTING EITHER.
Once the operation is complete the laser will move out of the way
BEFORE YOU MOVE THE PART, VERIFY THAT IT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. IF IT DIDN'T, YOU COULD RUN THE PROGRAM AGAIN.
If it is cut all the way, you can remove your part and pull the remaining stock for another project in the future.