Useful Tips for laser cutting

- If you are using Rhinoceros or Autocad or something similar, don’t export your files as
Illustrator files! You should export your file as .dxf directly from the software you first
used, otherwise you spend your time for no reason in Illustrator.

- Make sure what you export is in proper scale. Don’t export your drawings in scale 1:1, the
laser cutters are not in the size of your building elements! For scale 1:100, scale the
drawing using the factor 0.01, for 1:50 the factor 0.02 etc.

- Make sure you export what you’re going to cut and not everything your drawing contains
(i.e. deign attempts, notes, not necessary designs etc.)

- Make sure what you export is close to the 0,0 axis! Otherwise, if your drawing is outside
the laser bed dimensions as indicated by the software, press CTR+Y to center your
design to the laser cutting area. (PICTURE BELOW shows the difference)

- If you have multiple files to cut, prepare them altogether and copy all of the .mol and .txt
files in the lab’s USB flash drives – don’t use yours. One more useful tip is that if the flash
drive contains only your files, you can press ALL at the download menu at the laser cutter
(PICTURE BELOW) Also, if this menu is not appearing, press ESC once you’ve plugged the
USB
- If you are creating the material sheet border, don’t forget to delete it before exporting your
drawing from the laser cutting software.

- Before exporting, unite the lines by selecting everything (CTRL+A) and then go to Tools ->
Unite Lines.

- You can estimate how long the cutting will be by pressing the button shown below in the
picture.

- Don’t fill your sheet entirely, leave a margin of 15 to 20mm

- If you’re using illustrator, make sure that you export the outlines for letters and not the
actual typing.

- Make sure that when you are placing the material inside the laser cutter you place it
according to the way you drawn it – i.e. landscape or portrait.

- Laser cutters can’t cut hair-thin elements! Make sure what you draw is at least 2mm. I
mean distance between lines, no thickness of material. If you are using thin cardboard
(i.e. 1 and 2mm you can go down to 1.5mm)
 - Don’t remove this, it’s not a USB flash drive, it is the LaserCutter software license! If you
remove this you might lose your work. (PICTURE BELOW LEFT)

- Check for overlapping lines. In Autocad you can do Overkill and kill double lines. In rhino,
run the command SelDup and all duplicate lines will appear.

STEPS TO REMEMBER!

1. Place sheet portrait or mirror according to what you’ve exported from the software

2. Secure the sheet in place using the holders PROPERLY

3. FOCUS!!! Using the Perspex square says focus. Place the square on the surface you’re
cutting and use the UP and DOWN buttons to move the bed of the laser cutter – not the
nozzle – so the square fits between your material and the plastic surface without
deforming it!

4. Plug the USB and download the file(s) on the machine. PRESS ESCAPE AFTER
DOWNLOAD IS FINISHED TO EJECT IT!!!

5. Run test after placing the nozzle at the right top corner of your material sheet. If the
toolpath is crossing with the metal holders or is out of the material bounds, move
accordingly and run a test again.

6. Once all these steps are ready, press Start!

7. DO NOT LEAVE THE MACHINE UNATTENDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to do something for
few seconds make sure you press the Start button to pause the process and then press
the same to resume.