Laser Cutting: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:13, 12 February 2026

Laser cutters use high-powered laser systems which allow for precise and fast cutting of materials. DBE has 2 technician-operated large format laser cutters. There are also small-format, lower-speed laser cutters that students can work directly with a technician to use if desired.

Prepare your files for laser cutting using the information, guides, and templates below.

Laser cutting requires a Makerspace Induction.

Laser cutting equipment

Type	Quantity	Dimensions	Materials	Location
Trotec SP500	1	1245 mm x 710 mm	Strawboard (1 and 2mm), plywood (3 and 6mm)	418 Makerspace
Trotec Speedy 400 Flexx	1	1000 x 610mm	Strawboard, plywood, acrylic, mylar, fabrics, and other materials.	202 Digital Modelling

This equipment is operated only by technical staff. Students must be present at the workshop to have their work cut.

Materials

The following materials cannot be cut or engraved:

Polycarbonate
PVC (vinyl)
Anything containing chlorine
Some metals
MDF
Any materials without a Safety Data Sheet (SDS/MSDS)

Materials that can be cut and/or engraved

In the Makerspace, you can only process materials supplied by the workshop:

Plywood 3mm and 6mm thick, up to 1200 x 600mm in size
Strawboard 1mm and 2mm thick, up to 900 x 600mm in size

You cannot bring in other materials to cut on the Makerspace laser cutters.

In the Digital Modelling Workshop, you can use supplied plywood, strawboard, or acrylic in limited colours, up to 900 x 600mm in size. You can also bring other material that is not stocked, such as:

Cast acrylic
Wood (thin veneers, plywood, balsa)
Fabric (natural or acrylic based)
Leather
Card and paper
Polypropylene
Acetate

Some materials can be engraved only, including:

Glass and ceramics
Solid wood
Some metals

Please discuss using any materials that are not supplied with a technician before bringing them to the workshop. We can recommend suppliers and ensure that you are making an appropriate choice for your project.

Material costs

Some units require you to pay a consumables fee, which covers the cost of some or all of your materials.

If your material costs are not covered by a consumables fee, you will need to pay for supplied laser cutting materials at cost price as you use them.

File Preparation

Vector files only

What is a vector file?

A vector graphic file contains a vector image rather than a raster/bitmap image. Vector graphics are constructed of shapes, lines, and points, which do not lose resolution or quality when scaled – think of text in a PDF.

Software that can create vector files

You can create vector files with software that you might already use, such as:

AutoCAD
Rhinoceros 3D ("Rhino")
Adobe Illustrator
CorelDraw
Inkscape

Many tutorials for this software are available online. You may also be able to get help using these programs from your tutor or from LinkedIn Learning.

Identifying a vector file

Vectors need to be made in your vector program, not just copied and pasted in or imported. If you save your work as a raster format (e.g. psd, jpg, or bmp) it will be rasterized and cannot be converted back into a vector file. If you zoom in on your vector file, you will be able to identify that it does not lose resolution, whereas a raster file will become pixelated or blurry:

Size and colour scheme

Your document/artboard/sheet size should match your material size. Leave a 5mm minimum margin from the edge of your material to your objects.

RGB red: cut

RGB green: vector engraving (“etching”)

RGB black/greyscale: raster engraving

Raster engraving is used to fill areas, either with a single depth/tonality using black or to create gradients, tone, or images, using greyscale.All other colours will be ignored.

Cut lines and vector engraving must be lines of the smallest default stroke width possible in your software (e.g. “hairline” or “0.01”), with no fill.

The laser will see every line in your file, including those hidden under others. For this reason, you need to remove any doubled lines in your file. Double cut lines can cause damage to your work, material, and the laser cutter.

Nesting

Make sure to keep at least 5mm from the edge of your material, and at least 1mm between shapes. This allows latent heat to disperse from your material, preventing charring and the risk of fires.

Work must be nested to make your cutting times and material use efficient.

File size and format

Export each sheet of material as a separate PDF at your material size (e.g. 900 x 600mm).

Examples



Artwork prepared for Trotec laser cutters, including cutting (red), vector engraving (green), and raster engraving (black/greyscale)

Laser cutting and engraving styles produced by the above image

Software-specific guides and templates

Illustrator

Coming soon

External Links

Guide: Creating a Contour Model by Melbourne School of Design's Fab Lab

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Laser cutters use high-power laser systems which allow for precise and fast cutting of materials. DBE has 12 laser cutters in total; 2 are technician-operated large format laser cutters, and 10 small-format laser cutters that students can operated once trained.
+Laser cutters use high-powered laser systems which allow for precise and fast cutting of materials. DBE has 2 technician-operated large format laser cutters. There are also small-format, lower-speed laser cutters that students can work directly with a technician to use if desired.
 Prepare your files for laser cutting using the information, guides, and templates below. {{Note
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 |1245 mm x 710 mm
 |Strawboard (1 and 2mm), plywood (3 and 6mm)
-|418 Makerspace
-|-
-|Darkly Labs Emblaser 2[[File:Emblaser 2.png|thumb]]
-|10
-|500mm x 300mm
-|Strawboard (1 and 2mm), plywood (3mm)
 |418 Makerspace
 |-
@@ Line 35: / Line 29: @@
 | inline = 1
 | type = info
-| text = <strong>Trotec SP500 and Speedy 400</strong> This equipment is strictly operated only by technical staff. Students must be present at the workshop to have their work cut.<br><br>
+| text = This equipment is operated only by technical staff. Students must be present at the workshop to have their work cut.
-<strong>Emblaser 2 </strong>This equipment can be operated by students who have completed a laser cutting badge. Students must watch the equipment for the entire process.
 }}
@@ Line 102: / Line 94: @@
 Your document/artboard/sheet size should match your material size. Leave a 5mm minimum margin from the edge of your material to your objects.
-==== Trotec laser cutters (SP500 and Speedy 400 Flexx) ====
 <span style="background-color: #FF0000">RGB red</span>: cut
@@ Line 109: / Line 100: @@
 <span style="background-color: #000000;color: #FFFFFF";>RGB black/greyscale</span>: raster engraving
-Raster engraving is used to fill areas, either with a single depth/tonality using black or to create gradients, tone, or images, using greyscale.
+Raster engraving is used to fill areas, either with a single depth/tonality using black or to create gradients, tone, or images, using greyscale.All other colours will be ignored.
-==== Emblaser 2 ====
-Raster engraving is slightly different. Use the following colour scheme:
-<span style="background-color: #FF0000">RGB red</span>: cut
-<span style="background-color: #00FF00">RGB green</span>: vector engraving (“etching”)
-<span style="background-color: #0000FF;color: #FFFFFF";>RGB blue</span>: solid fill raster engraving
-<span style="background-color: #000000;color: #FFFFFF";>RGB greyscale</span>: raster engraving to produce gradients, tone, or images
-All other colours will be ignored.
 Cut lines and vector engraving must be lines of the smallest default stroke width possible in your software (e.g. “hairline” or “0.01”), with no fill.
@@ Line 141: / Line 118: @@
 |+
 ![[File:Laserdemo trotec.png|alt=Artwork prepared for Trotec laser cutters, including cutting (red), vector engraving (green), and raster engraving (black/greyscale). In green is an icon showing a laser beam, and the year 2023. The text "LASER" is in solid black. There is a greyscale gradient at the top, and a red rectangular outline with curved corners.|frameless]]
-![[File:Laserdemo emb2.png|alt=Artwork prepared for Emblaser 2 laser cutters, including cutting (red), vector engraving (green), and raster engraving (blue/greyscale). In green is an icon showing a laser beam, and the year 2023. The text "LASER" is in a blue outline. There is a greyscale gradient at the top, and a red rectangular outline with curved corners.|frameless]]
 |-
 |Artwork prepared for Trotec laser cutters, including cutting (red), vector engraving (green), and raster engraving (black/greyscale)
-|Artwork prepared for Emblaser 2 laser cutters, including cutting (red), vector engraving (green), and raster engraving (blue/greyscale).
 |-
-| colspan="2" |[[File:Lasercut logo.jpg|alt=Laser-cut and engraved piece of ply based on example artwork. The ply is rectangular with rounded corners, with a shaded gradient at the top. It has an engraved line drawing of a laser beam, with the words "2023 LASER" engraved below.|center|frameless]]
+|[[File:Lasercut logo.jpg|alt=Laser-cut and engraved piece of ply based on example artwork. The ply is rectangular with rounded corners, with a shaded gradient at the top. It has an engraved line drawing of a laser beam, with the words "2023 LASER" engraved below.|center|frameless]]
 |-
-| colspan="2" |Laser cutting and engraving styles produced by the above image
+|Laser cutting and engraving styles produced by the above image
 |}