We use metric measurement and work in millimetres wherever possible.
Please check your scale and your units, 1 unit = 1mm.
It is important that drawings are simplified and streamline for quick and efficient cutting. Follow this checklist when preparing your drawings:
Release clipping masks and ungroup all items
Ensure lines are not duplicated or sitting on top of one another.
If shapes are constructed from more than one path make sure they are joined to create a closed shape.
All vector lines should be continuous.
Make sure you check your drawing is ‘outline view’ as this will show the lines that the laser machine will process.
Include as much detail in your drawing as possible. By creating layers and adding notes we will know the characteristic of that layer.
For example. Layer 1: Engrave, Layer 2: Cut through Layer 3: Guidance notes
It is helpful to assign different colours to the different layers.
Any engraved area should have a fill colour.
Line width on your drawing should be stroke 0.01 pt.
The stroke aligned to the centre.
WATCH OUT FOR THE ‘KERF’. The kerf is the material removed during cutting. In laser cutting the laser burns away the line it cuts. The thickness of this line depends on the material properties and the settings of the laser cutter. The line tends to be as thin as 0.8mm up to 1mm.
The kerf is this variable, the cut line width dependant upon material used and laser settings.
It is important to take the kerf into consideration if precision is key in your design. Adjusting your drawing to take the kerf into consideration is crucial in some instances when your parts will be slot together or inset into each other.
Our laser cutting area is 1245mm x 710mm. Larger sheets are fed into the side of the machine. This means that the minimum limitation of your material is 1245mm on the smallest side.
As a general rule the space between separate parts should be equal to the material thickness that you are using. For example. The minimum distance between 1.8mm thick card should be 1.8mm.
This rule also applies to distance from the edge of your material to your work.
All text must be outlined to ensure we don’t run into any font licence issues.
In illustrator ‘Type/Create Outlines”
Remember when cutting out text the centre parts of some letters/numbers will fall out.
You could opt for stencil fonts. Allerta Stencil, Stardos Stencil, Sirin Stencil are all free google stencil fonts.
