In 2020, I launched a small laser-cut product enterprise with a run of 150 diorama kits that I designed, reduce, soldered, and packaged myself. I used to be assured in my creative chops on the time, however had by no means manufactured something at scale earlier than — and it confirmed. Three years and a number of other hundred kits later, I’m nonetheless discovering higher instruments and methods to optimize my workflow.
Amongst these instruments is LightBurn, a format and management software program for laser cutters with some highly effective options to assist streamline designs for manufacturing work.
These are my high suggestions for getting probably the most out of your initiatives with LightBurn!
1. Design with a “manufacturing mindset”
Whether or not you intend to make one or 100 of one thing, take into account the manufacturing course of as you strategy your design — this can set you up for fulfillment earlier than even firing up your machine. For instance, it takes a laser for much longer to engrave or “fill” a raster form than it does to easily define the identical form with a light-weight rating or reduce mark. The distinction could also be only some minutes — no large deal for a number of units — however multiply that by a number of dozen and also you’ve added hours and even days to your manufacturing time!
With this in thoughts, I take advantage of crammed shapes sparingly in my initiatives, and as a substitute create particulars and texture with vector strains. This may be carried out inside LightBurn utilizing their native drafting instruments, or imported from one other design software program. I like to attract freehand with a digital pen and drawing pill utilizing the comb instrument in Adobe Illustrator. This system lends an illustrative high quality to the designs, whereas nonetheless preserving their editability as vector paths.
Contained in the LightBurn workspace, a thoughtfully created design might be fine-tuned even additional for optimum effectivity. Clock the overall time estimated within the Preview window (shortcut Alt+P on Home windows, or Choice+P on Mac) after which dig into the Optimization Settings. Just some changes can shave off minutes and even reduce your manufacturing time in half!
2. Assume exterior the default settings field
While you first get began with LightBurn, you’ll possible use the presets on your machine within the Materials Library. However after getting a way for what’s legible and protected (as in, doesn’t catch fireplace, or crash the laser head) you possibly can start to experiment, altering one variable at a time to see the way it impacts the output.
Laser velocity, energy, and interval settings are adjustable within the Cuts/Layers window. Double-click any layer to open the extra superior Lower Settings Editor the place you possibly can check different variables like scan angle, cross-hatching, and z-offset to get totally different results. Right here’s how I take advantage of a few of them in my initiatives:
- Cross-Hatch: engrave each horizontal and vertical patterns inside a fill layer
- Z Offset: defocus the laser head by fractions of a millimeter to get broader, darker strains
- Scan Angle: change the path wherein the laser etches
- Interval: enhance or lower the road “decision” of a fill layer
To simply run a side-by-side comparability, strive the useful Materials Take a look at Generator and Interval Take a look at Device below the brand new Laser Instruments menu in LightBurn.
3. Take some creative license
When a design does name for engraving, I’ve discovered a settings “candy spot” that each etches rapidly and reads nicely aesthetically. The completed impact is a type of hatch sample with daring outlines across the edges — virtually like traditional comedian guide artwork, which properly enhances my design type. Take a look at the main points on this miniature home to see what I imply!
and reads nicely.
As you modify values within the Lower Settings Editor, chances are you’ll discover that interval and features per inch (LPI) are inversely associated: because the LPI goes up, the interval goes down, and vice versa. Low intervals lead to deep, densely engraved fills with crisp edges. Excessive intervals yield fewer strains per inch, so they may engrave a lot sooner, but additionally seem lighter, shallower, and less-defined. This will work for fast “draft high quality” samples, but it surely will also be used to your benefit for completed items by cranking up the facility!
To get this impact on your undertaking would require some testing, however right here is the fundamental course of, which you’ll be able to arrange in your unique design file, or inside LightBurn:
- Choose all areas you need to engrave.
- Set all of them to at least one colour and Fill mode.
- Duplicate these shapes in place (Ctrl+D on Home windows, or ⌘+D on Mac).
- Assign a brand new colour to the duplicated shapes and set them to Line mode (or Stroke, in some design software program).
- In LightBurn, set the Fill colour to a excessive interval, excessive velocity, and excessive energy setting.
- Set the Line colour to a excessive velocity and medium energy. (You need a daring rating mark that appears darkish however doesn’t reduce absolutely via the fabric.)
Warning
Be aware that the values listed below are “low” or “excessive” in relation to the baseline settings for that materials and your particular machine. Be sure you know the protected vary first earlier than experimenting!
You’ll be able to take this a step additional by assigning totally different fill settings to particular options to create various hatch patterns inside your design.
4. Think about the top person expertise
It’s all the time a good suggestion to maintain components organized and labeled, but it surely’s particularly essential for those who received’t be the one assembling the completed product! Tabs and bridges, scored or perforated outlines, and half names/numbers go a protracted method to make last building a breeze, and LightBurn has some helpful options for creating them.
Tabs (additionally referred to as bridges) in laser reducing are small sections of a reduce path which are deliberately skipped or set to not reduce absolutely via the fabric. This retains components hooked up to the sheet till they’re wanted, when they are often simply snapped free. Creating tabs in my package designs was a painstaking means of clipping and deleting particular person nodes, however LightBurn can generate tabs in a specified amount, reduce energy, and width mechanically within the Lower Settings Editor! Listed here are a few of my suggestions for tabbing:
- Set the tab reduce energy to twenty%–30% to stop splintering when components are eliminated.
- Manually reposition any tabs interfering with curves, corners, or delicate components of the design.
- Save on materials price by nesting small components contained in the damaging areas of others and including tabs to attach the inside form.
When a design requires a number of layers, it’s useful to point their placement with a faint scored or perforated define. Any layer set to Line mode in LightBurn might be toggled to attain or perforate as a substitute of a through-cut:
- Duplicate the define of the highest layer half and assign it a brand new layer colour.
- Place this define the place the half must be positioned on the layer beneath.
- Within the Lower Settings Editor, toggle on Perforation Mode to create a dotted line. Or, to make a faint rating mark, set the facility decrease and the velocity larger than the reduce settings for that materials.
One other function your finish customers will thanks for is a transparent half labeling system. This may be descriptive like “Proper Door Panel,” or intuitive: window A clearly suits within the corresponding define on panel A on this instance.
Engraving labels is time consuming, so why not use single-line vector textual content, aka SHX typefaces, which might fireplace off a complete set of half labels very quickly. For a deep dive on single-line fonts and tabs/bridges, test the LightBurn tutorials.
Photographs by Jen Schachter
This text appeared in Make: Vol. 89. Subscribe for extra maker initiatives and articles!
