Knowledge
How to draw parts that still fit once they are cut. From the workshop, not from a textbook.
Fundamentals
What matters on every cut — and where most parts go wrong.
Allowing for kerf
The laser removes material. If you ignore that in your drawing, you get parts that are individually correct and still do not fit together.
Designing enclosures from flat panels
An enclosure from the laser consists of flat panels. The real work is not in the cutting but in the question of which dimension depends on which.
Front panels for electronics
A front panel has to fit components you did not make yourself. That is why it is decided by the data sheet, not by the caliper.
Slotting, screwing or gluing
Cutting is quick; durability is decided during assembly. Acrylic forgives less than wood does.
Applications
Typical projects and the questions each one raises.
Laying out a word clock face
With a word clock the front panel decides everything. Two mistakes cost almost everyone their first attempt — both can be ruled out in advance.
Display windows and viewing panes
On transparent parts you see every flaw — and every scratch. Most of them happen during assembly, not in use.
Plates for custom keyboards
On a switch plate a tenth of a millimetre decides whether the switches click in or wobble.
Material and choice
Which material, which thickness, which engraving.
Cast or extruded acrylic
Both are called acrylic and both look the same. The difference only shows when engraving, when gluing, and at the caliper.
Which material survives outdoors
Of our range, essentially one single material is suitable for permanent outdoor use. That is the short and honest answer.
Which material thickness
Thickness decides stability, price and appearance — and in slotted constructions it is a design dimension as well.
Vector or raster engraving
Two processes, one word. The choice determines the appearance and can multiply the price of a piece of lettering.
Ordering without detours
File, samples and the materials that must not go into the laser.
Preparing your file properly
Most queries about orders concern the file, not the design. Nearly all of them can be avoided in five minutes.
Sample first, then the run
A considerable share of our regular customers order a small test sheet first. That is not fussiness but good practice.
What the laser will not cut
A CO₂ laser cuts some materials without any technical difficulty. They still do not go in — because of what is produced in the process.
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