OUGD 504 - Laser Cutting

Thinking about 'Design For Print' and other techniques and methods that I wanted to look at, I decided to book a laser cut induction which would allow me to use this process within future projects.

We were initially informed about the various different materials that can and can't be used within the laser cutter.

• Acrylic - Although we are allowed to use acrylic, it lets off a very toxic fume that can be very harmful if enough is inhaled. Due to these dense toxic fumes, we are limited to only using the laser cutters for one hour a day; if we need to use them for longer and we are not using acrylic then we need to speak to a technician when booking the slot.

There are many materials available to us within college, but there is also a short list of materials that cannot be used for various reasons. These are:

• Metal
• Mirrors or Reflective surfaces - As the laser cutter actually uses mirrors to bounce the laser all around the machine, we cannot cut through a mirror. However, there is a shiny acrylic available to use that has a reflective side as well as a matte side; this being the side that is cut through.
• Glass - If you want to cut through glass you are unable, but if you just want to mark the surface of the glass there are ways around it.
• Lino - There are three types of lino that are readily available to us at college, and only one type is usable within the laser cutters, again due to the dense toxic fumes that are released. In order to ensure you have the correct lino, you are best off asking a member of staff before you cut anything.

Despite being given a small booklet that explains how to do most things on the laser cutter, I almost made some notes in order to get a deeper understanding of how to do various things on the laser cutters. There are four settings that can be used to get different outcomes, these being shown in the image below:

• Cut-Through - This setting cuts completely through the material
• Engrave - This engraves a thick line around the selection
• Kiss Cut - This also carves a line around the select, this time being much more subtle
• Raster - This burns out the inside of the selection by cutting individual lines

We were shown how these settings could be applied to numerous different materials, shown below:

After having gone through the entire process of creating a design through the laser cutter, from setting up the laser to changing the settings on the computer, we were then asked to set up a simple job. This was to create a small test piece which would be a simple task to ensure we knew what we were doing. This is how the test piece looks:

It has all four of the techniques used within this simple design:

• Cut-Through - This is used to cut the actual shape out from the large piece of wood.
• Engrave - This is used for the box around the outside, as well as around the text in order for it to stand out more from the background.
• Kiss Cut - This is used for the smaller box around the word.
• Raster - Raster was applied to the text in order for it to be slightly cut away from the design, making it much more obvious and readable.

After having successfully completed the induction, we decided to book a session and use the machines on our own; applying this technique to my practice in order to create something different from what I had been making previously. I experimented once again with the combination of the different techniques, including the rastering of a photograph. This is how my design looks and how each setting has been applied:

• Cut-Through - I cut through the circumference of the design, so that it was the same shape and size as my other designs.
• Engrave - I engraved the text, the lines underneath the words 'Design For Print' as well as the geometric shape at the bottom of the image. These are the main parts of my design and had to stand out, engrave being the setting that I felt would work most efficiently. 
• Kiss Cut - This was applied to the boxes within my image, giving my image an obvious edge without being too garish and dark.
• Raster - I applied raster to the photograph within my image. I was unsure about how this would work, but it came out very successfully. By changing the grey levels, I was able to capture a lot of detail, which I didn't think was possible through the use of a laser cutter.

Overall, I think that the use of the laser cutter is something that I will definitely use within the future. It is a very unique process that when applied correctly can create something very specific and professional.