Laser Cut Name Plate and 3D Printed Base

Today you will create a custom name plate and mount it (on an acrylic stand or a 3D printed stand) or create holes on either side to hang it.. You'll cut your design on the laser cutter.

(Acrylic stands for 1/8" made by John are available for download on Tinkercad here: https://tinkercad.com/things/5MhoG73YHRq-copy-of-stands-with-quarter-eighth-inch-slots/edit )

Download the Template

At the bottom of the page is a download link for the file Name Plate Template.svg.

Right-Click on the down arrow and download it to the Desktop. Right-Click on the file and select Inkscape.

You'll see a sample name plate at the top, and the template you'll modify at the bottom.

Delete the Sample

You can delete the Roosevelt sample by Right-Clicking and selecting Delete, or clicking on it and hitting Delete on the keyboard.

Your Name

Double click on text and enter your own.
Click Text > Font and Text to change font. Impact, Arial Black, and Rockwell work really well for this design.
Stretch or shrink text as needed by
- Clicking Arrow/Selection Tool
- Clicking on text
- Clicking and dragging a corner handle
The text should be as wide as the rectangle base.

Transforming your text

With your text active, go to Path > Object to Path. (You cannot change your font after Object to Path.)
Go to Object > Ungroup
Each of your letters now has a dashed line around it.
Use the Escape key to deselect the letters
Hover the cursor over the edge of a letter. You will notice a hand icon appear. When the hand icon appears, click once to activate your letter. When the arrows are pointed outward, you can resize your letter.
To rotate a letter: hover the cursor over the edge of a letter. You will again notice a hand icon appear. When the hand icon appears, click once more so the arrows are curved. Hover the cursor over the rounded corner. When it turns green, click and drag it to rotate your letter.

Unite your design!

Once your letters are arranged, select your letters and go to Path>Union. If nothing happens, go to Object>Ungroup, and try Path>Union again. You can tell if the Union took effect because you'll have a single object instead of object lines around every letter. Take this time to line up your letters and base. Now select your name and base and go to Path>Union.

Before Union:

After Union:

Set the Fill and Stroke

The design is now one piece. Select your design and go to Object > Fill and Stroke and verify you have the following settings:

Saving

Save your file to the Desktop. Use your name, for example: teddy.svg

We will come around and collect files for cutting.

Survey

Surveys are here: https://sites.google.com/site/cplmakerlab/surveys

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