Laser Cutter Guide
Laser Cutter Guide
The laser cutter engraves and cuts laser approved materials.
Plywood and cardboard are the most common materials used in the makerspace. The following materials are stocked in the makerspace.
baltic birch plywood - 1/8"
acrylic - 1/8" and 1/4" in assorted colors
cardboard - various thicknesses
Only approved materials are allowed on the lasers! PVC and other materials can generate poisonous gases.
Some materials such as metals and glass can be engraved but not cut on the makerspace laser cutters.
Additional materials that have been used on the Academies lasers include glass, brick with Cermark tape, Siser Easyweed vinyl and matboard.
Suggested settings for common materials are posted on the wall next to the laser cutter.
Designs for engraving (raster) can be made on any software that can print an image or text to a regular 2D printer or copier.
Designs for vector cutting should be created in a vector drawing program. Adobe Illustrator is recommended and is available on the makerspace laptops and for install on LCPS Windows computers from the software portal. Stroke width should be set to 0.001" for vector cutting lines.
The preferred format for documents for laser cutting is an Adobe .pdf with the original design file available for edits.
Check-off on the laser cutter requires the following:
Laser Cutter Orientation
100% on ITEEA Safety Test https://www.iteea.org/Resources/Safety/Laser_Engraver.htm
Demonstrate independent operation of the laser cutter
Below are some quick steps to preparing your design in Google Slides before coming to the makerspace.
Basic Laser Engraving Design with Google Slides
Page Setup
-Create a new Google Slides presentation
-Click File → Page Setup
-Select Custom in the Page Setup drop down box
-Enter the dimensions of the piece you want to laser engrave
-Click Apply
Insert Text
-Click Insert→ Text Box
-Type text in text box
-Select font and font size
-Position text box on the page
Save as PDF
-Name the presentation with your name and the project name
-Click File → Download → PDF Document (.pdf)
-Bring the (.pdf) file to the makerspace to laser engrave your design
Tip: Align the text in center and middle of text box. This helps when centering/aligning the text to the page or other elements.
Tip: Add new fonts to Google Slides by clicking the font name→ More fonts. Click a font name to select it and then click OK to add it to your My fonts list.
Tip: Handwriting fonts can be great for personalized gifts. Click Show Handwriting when viewing More fonts.
Next Step: Click Insert → Shape. Select shape and size and position on the page. Select black as the border color and select a border weight.
Next Step: Click Insert → Image. Image and clipart should be black and white or high contrast grey-scale image to get the best result. Pixelation on images will show on the laser engraving.