I finally got to use a laser cutter yesterday! I had never used one before, and no other members of our
Makerspace were around at the time, so I could only play with stock settings, which were set for etching, not cutting.
I plan to use the laser cutter to cut plexiglass to make a clear case for my 500-amp Open Revolt controller in the Electro-Metro. That way, I can show off the guts of the electronics while at the same time keeping the weather out. A clear case will also make it easy to see the power and troubleshooting LEDs. Should I ever let the magic smoke out again, it will look very cool having a cloud of black smoke contained in a clear box.
Besides cutting, the laser can also mark and etch materials.
I have the Open Revolt logo as a vector file and loaded it into the system. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to optimize the image for the laser, and I tried etching it as a small version on several different materials.
When I have the finished plastic case made, I will etch the logo right into the top of the case (actually, mirrored, etched from the back-side to keep the top clean and smooth.)
Here's some photos of my first tests.
Logo etched on black construction paper. Looks just like mechanical pencil!
Test etch on scrap plexiglass.
I also have a green plexiglass clipboard. What the heck, I'll etch that as well!
Anyways, I was just really excited to get a chance to use a laser. I'll make sure to take some photos and post other info when I get to actually make the case.
I'll have to figure out how to embed some LEDs and edge-light the logo as well!
See other photos I took of laser tests at:
MobileMe Gallery