Laser cutting is a manufacturing process that uses a high-powered laser beam to cut, engrave, or etch materials into specific shapes or designs. This process is controlled by a computer and is often used on materials like wood, metal, plastic, and fabric. The laser precisely follows a digital design, allowing for complex and accurate cuts and engravings.
WHAT CAN A LASER CUTTER DO?
Cut
The laser cutter directs the beam of a laser to burn through the material in whatever pattern you design
Engrave / Score
The laser cutter can decrease the laser power to burn the surface of the material, but not cut through
Laser Cut
Laser Engrave
MATERIALS
Cardboard 3/16”
Ensure it is laying flat
Cardstock Paper 60lb or thicker
Be careful to watch while cutting
Plywood & Hardwood 1/8" or thinner
Baltic Birch plywood is best
Acrylic 1/8" or thinner
Don’t cut any other types of plastics
Leather 1/8" or thinner
Ensure it is laying flat
Glass and Metal Etching only
Cannot cut through
Laser Cutting
Student Work
The "Klutz" Robot
Lottery Pig
Rivalship
NuVu Tool(box)
3D Printing
Laser Cutting
Can create more complex parts
Low cost & less waste
Huge support community
Generally slower than laser cutting
Post processing may be required
More experience needed to 3D model parts
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Extremely fast & precise
Can quickly etch details
Material range
Requires active ventilation
Higher cost
Less community support
VS
To laser-cut your design, export it as an SVG (vector) file and send that to the printer or laser-cutting service. There are many programs and workflows you can use to create SVGs.
Laser cutting
XTool (Free, very easy)
Inkscape (free, intermediate)
Adobe Illustrator (, intermediate)
Fusion 360 (License needed , intermediate)
AutoCAD (License needed , intermediate)
Rhino ( License needed , Advanced )
2D Designs
https://www.xtool.com
To laser-cut your design, you need to draw your design. Using the laser cutter software you will draw and save your files as svgs.
An SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is the "language" that laser cutters and design software use to talk to each other. Most pictures (like photos on a phone) are made of tiny colored squares called pixels. If you zoom in, they look blurry and blocky.
But an SVG is made of points and lines. It’s like a rubber band—you can stretch it as big as a house or make it as small as a penny, and the lines stay perfectly smooth and sharp every time!
Laser cutting
2D Designs
The laser cutter is like a tiny, super-fast car. The SVG file tells that car exactly how fast to drive:
Score: The car drives fast and light to draw a thin line.
Cut: The car drives slow and heavy to push all the way through the wood.
Engrave: The car zig-zags back and forth to color inside the lines.
2D Designs
Search online for ready made files
If you want to save time or get inspiration, you can search online for ready-made 2D drawings. Always check the file format (SVG for laser cutting). You can also import images into X Tool. The software will be able to trace the image and extract it for laser cutting.
2D Files (SVG) for Laser Cutting
Makercase
SVG Repo
Freepik
Vecteezy
Boxes.py / Box Generator
Pacdora
TemplateMaker
Once you're done, save your work and upload it on the platform (always have your file backed up online, save as SVG). Also take screenshots of your work to add to your final presentation .
Saving your work
Once ready, send to print. Make sure to imput the speed and power for each cut and engrave lines you have.
Check the next detailed presentation for an XTool tour.
