Guide to Making Things with a Laser Cutter

Introduction

Good evening! I'm nisshi (@nisshi_dev). Today, I'd like to introduce you to making real goods—something I've been really into lately—particularly creating things using laser cutting.

What I Made

Before diving into the main topic, let me show you some examples of works I've created using laser cutting.

• Real VR Nameplate
  I recreated the nameplate that floats above people's heads in VR space as an actual physical product.

These kinds of gadgets and original goods work really well with laser cutting. While (affordable) 3D printers tend to produce rough surfaces and can reduce the quality of the finish, laser cutting achieves clean, smooth surfaces.

I'm planning to write a detailed behind-the-scenes article about creating this Real VR Nameplate, so stay tuned!

What You Can Do with a Laser Cutter

A laser cutter is a device that uses powerful laser light to "cut" and "engrave" various materials. Specifically, you can do the following:

• Cutting: Cut materials such as wood, acrylic, leather, and paper into any shape you want.
• Engraving: Finely engrave letters and logos into surfaces.

A common example is creating original coasters. As shown in the photo below, a typical piece is cut into a circular shape with a laser cutter and has an illustration engraved on the surface.

While laser cutter engraving alone can't do color printing, full-color expression is possible by combining it with other equipment like UV printers.

Beyond these, you can make various things depending on your application—nameplates, accessories, prototype parts, and more. It's also commonly used for home and shop DIY purposes, such as homemakers and small business owners creating custom signs. If you want to see what laser cutting looks like in action, the following video may be helpful.

How to Create Data for Laser Cutting

To create works with a laser cutter, you first need to create the design data. It's not difficult though—you just need to output path data in the end.

• Create shapes using software you normally use, such as Illustrator, Fusion360, or Blender
• Convert the created data to path data (e.g., .ai or .svg) and export

Once you can do this, you can load that data into the laser cutter and start cutting!

How to Use a Laser Cutter

Like 3D printers, some people might think "I want one at home!" but laser cutters are expensive and not easy to set up and operate. That's why I recommend using facilities like FabLab.

FabLab is a network of experimental citizen workshops equipped with various machine tools from digital to analog. It aims to expand the possibilities of free making by individuals and foster a "culture where people who use things make them themselves." http://fablabjapan.org/whatsfablab/

Fees vary depending on the facility and region. For example, at FabLab Yamaguchi which I used to use, laser cutters were available for about 1,500 yen (around $10 USD) per hour. In the Kanto region (around Tokyo), many facilities charge around 4,000 yen (around$27 USD) per hour.

Even beginners can use these facilities with confidence, as staff will teach you how to operate the equipment. Advance reservations are often required, so it's better to book ahead.

Reference: FabLab Yamaguchi Laser Cutting Usage Manual (PDF, Japanese)

Conclusion

Acrylic goods, coasters, and other commonly seen merchandise can be easily made by yourself using a laser cutter. Since laser cutters can make high-precision cuts as long as you prepare the path data, you can create high-quality original goods by designing with Illustrator, Fusion360, Blender, or similar tools, then processing at FabLab or similar facilities.

If you ever want to create your own original goods, give laser cutting a try!