For highest and best quality!
The Mission
To draft and design the best possible product using the high precision laser cutting and materials to their fullest, but not beyond our capabilities.
Size Matters
Could lose your part
Engraving area smaller than
No sheet to sheet thickness is the same can vary from batch to batch.
Design for lowest price?
Your goal
Big things cost more than small things
Complex designs cost more than simple designs
Nesting multiple parts / products in a single design reduces cost BIG time
Overlapping lines cost more than shared single lines
Curves cost more than straight lines and sharp corners
Area engraving vs line engraving – it depends
Area engraving high volumes of small complex shapes cost less than line engraving
Augmenting designs with line engraving cost less than using area engraving
Area engraved objects located close together cost less than being spread apart
A segmented line cost more than a single line of the same length
Thick materials cost more to cut (and often to buy) than thin materials
Hard materials cost more to cut (and often to buy) than soft materials
LASER CUTTING IMAGINE SETUP
Document Type
- Vector file: .ai, .dxf, .pdf, .svg
- Raster file: .jpg, .gif, .png, .tif
Popular programs for laser cutting
- Adobe Illustrator
- Fusion 360
- Slicer for Fusion
- Adobe Photoshop
- Lightburn
- Easel by inventables
- If you do not have those programs, export your files into .pdf file format and bring your original file just in case. Please email file and carry a copy in a USB flashdrive. All files should be exported to PDF as an end format.
From Illustrator: Save as .AI or PDF
From Inkscape/Corel Draw: save as PDF.
From SketchupPro: 2D export the view as PDF.
From AutoCad: Export to DWF/PDF, save as PDF.
Document Size
Document size should be 12″ height by 24″ wide, always oriented in landscape. Please be sure that any artwork is constrained within the 12″x24″ document size.
To create a design that will cut through materials:
The laser cutter uses vector lines to cut.Programs that use vectors to make drawings are:
- Adobe Illustrator
- Corel Draw
- Inkscape
- but others exist as well.
PDFs are the best file type for both cutting and engraving, so save your drawings as a PDF, but bring the original file and your laptop with you to the Lab. Most first-time cuts will need editing!
To create a design on the surface of the material, (Engraving):
Black and white photographs and graphic designs with thick areas of black will engrave materials and not cut them. Engraving is very time consuming and the more complex the image the longer it will take the laser cutter to engrave the image.
Photographs take the longest amount of time, while thick black lines found in black and white graphic images take the least. Any file that can be exported to a .pdf file format can be used to engrave a material. File formats such as .jpg, tiff, .ai, .eps and many more can be used although they may need to be converted to .pdf file format before being used by the laser cutter.
Laser safe materials
We have 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch acrylic of many colors in stock. We also have 1/8-inch wood and mat board. Any materials that are not determined to be laser safe cannot be cut. Plexiglass Acrylic (not plastic) and wood or paper products (cardboard, mat board) are generally safe materials.
What is manufacturer pricing?
Our ‘manufacturer pricing’ is for businesses who want lowest possible cost. It is designed to ensure you profit when selling your products at both wholesale (2x manufacturer pricing) and retail (4x manufacturer pricing). Manufacturer pricing is less for small & simple parts than it is for big & complex ones.
How to get manufacturer pricing from us (Contact us first)
Send us your design or upload your design here to get a quote in a flash,
If you do not have a design ready to go, (Contact us).
Startup & scale from prototype to production at digital making prices.