3D parts to 2D-ish laser cutting/marking

[PeterT]

Has anyone gone down the path of submitting files to typical laser cutters in the format they can readily import? Using this as example, I can generate a 2D outline for the block + holes, guessing some kind of 2D format from which the part would be cut entirely through from sheet stock. But what about associated markings 'partial burn'? I can generate text & 'cut' it into my 3D model which originates from text outline (blue). But I suspect that would not make sense to a laser cutter? Has anyone accomplished this with a typical vendor or laser cutter?

 

[DavidR8]

Yes I could easily do that on my laser.
I would just draw it in a program called Lightburn.
I’d draw the holes as one layer and set the power sufficiently high to ensure it burns through the material (wood or dark acrylic). The text would be another layer programmed so that the laser fires at a lower power and engraves the material.

 

[PeterT]

Thanks David, I'm waiting on a vendor reply so this might get resolved that way. I'm getting the impression they don't deal with 3D models much & what I'm trying to avoid or at least minimize is any extra labor ($) on their part by re-drawing in a dedicated app. I can export my 3D part files in all kinds of formats, but I guess I'm specifically wondering if they can distinguish the cutting layer from the engraving layer from just the one file - maybe just viewing from Top View perspective?

And maybe before I go too far down the vendor path, I forgot, what kind of thickness plywood or MDF can your laser get through? Have you done much plastic? (I hear its finicky).

 

[Matt-Aburg]

Thanks David, I'm waiting on a vendor reply so this might get resolved that way. I'm getting the impression they don't deal with 3D models much & what I'm trying to avoid or at least minimize is any extra labor ($) on their part by re-drawing in a dedicated app. I can export my 3D part files in all kinds of formats, but I guess I'm specifically wondering if they can distinguish the cutting layer from the engraving layer from just the one file - maybe just viewing from Top View perspective?

And maybe before I go too far down the vendor path, I forgot, what kind of thickness plywood or MDF can your laser get through? Have you done much plastic? (I hear its finicky).

2D DXF plan view,, no 3D.. similar to files sent to flame cutter/ If in 3D, there operator will curse at you, and have to convert it, which might cost extra.

 

[DavidR8]

Thanks David, I'm waiting on a vendor reply so this might get resolved that way. I'm getting the impression they don't deal with 3D models much & what I'm trying to avoid or at least minimize is any extra labor ($) on their part by re-drawing in a dedicated app. I can export my 3D part files in all kinds of formats, but I guess I'm specifically wondering if they can distinguish the cutting layer from the engraving layer from just the one file - maybe just viewing from Top View perspective?

And maybe before I go too far down the vendor path, I forgot, what kind of thickness plywood or MDF can your laser get through? Have you done much plastic? (I hear its finicky).

They will absolutely have to redraw it if you send them a 3D file. A 2D drawing is what they will need. Lightburn is pretty much the industry standard software and it can ingest a dxf or svg ideally. DXF files don’t always carry dimensions well into Lightburn which is why svg is preferred.
I can cut 1/2” plywood or acrylic no problem.

 

[Xyphota]

It looks like your screenshots are from SolidWorks, you should be able to just click on the top face and export it as a DXF.

When the DXF is imported into the gcode generating software, that program will take care of kerf width of the cutter and what not

 

[DavidR8]

It looks like your screenshots are from SolidWorks, you should be able to just click on the top face and export it as a DXF.

When the DXF is imported into the gcode generating software, that program will take care of kerf width of the cutter and what not

Yes and no. Lighturn needs to know the kerf width of the laser before it can do that. Simple to figure out by cutting nine squares of a known size, put them back into the space they were cut from, measure the gap and divide by ten.

 

[PeterT]

Vendor reply (this may be a function their specific software/machine). Its kind of how I remembered it from before from a different vendor. So yes, I can output a cutting profile only or a combined cutting + text profile in multitude of 2D formats, but I think it would still require some degree of interaction on their part. The least might be them lassoing the text & changing to blue using their example. I know there were also other issues to be aware of, resolution & line/points connecting etc. And David mentions yet another I forgot about.

The way the laser software works is actually set by color, so I can set all blue, for this example, to be a fill (engrave), and black lines for example to cut. Each color provides a corresponding set of settings/directions for the laser, set by the user. Settings are determined based on the material and in the case of engraving how deep you want the engraving.

 

[DavidR8]

Vendor reply (this may be a function their specific software/machine). Its kind of how I remembered it from before from a different vendor. So yes, I can output a cutting profile only or a combined cutting + text profile in multitude of 2D formats, but I think it would still require some degree of interaction on their part. The least might be them lassoing the text & changing to blue using their example. I know there were also other issues to be aware of, resolution & line/points connecting etc. And David mentions yet another I forgot about.

The way the laser software works is actually set by color, so I can set all blue, for this example, to be a fill (engrave), and black lines for example to cut. Each color provides a corresponding set of settings/directions for the laser, set by the user. Settings are determined based on the material and in the case of engraving how deep you want the engraving.

Almost a 99.99% chance they are using Lightburn because that’s how Lightburn works.
It’s also the industry leader in laser control software.
I can assign different parameters (speed and laser power) to different elements in the design. Each parameter set gets assigned a different colour so the operator can tell what design feature is assigned what parameters.

Sending a 2D file and an isometric view 3D file would allow them to see which features are engraved and which are cut out.

 

[PeterT]

I see, so have you ever imported something analogous to my plate from a 3D app vs drawing from scratch in 2D or 2.5D in a separate app?

btw it may seem silly at first for me to draw a sketch & extrude it to thickness as a 3D part, but I don't think I can export a bare sketch alone like 2D Autocad type dxf. Maybe there is a way but I always assumed a 3D part file would work as long as they were looking at the face view.

 

[DavidR8]

I see, so have you ever imported something analogous to my plate from a 3D app vs drawing from scratch in 2D or 2.5D in a separate app?

btw it may seem silly at first for me to draw a sketch & extrude it to thickness as a 3D part, but I don't think I can export a bare sketch alone like 2D Autocad type dxf. Maybe there is a way but I always assumed a 3D part file would work as long as they were looking at the face view.

Because Lightburn is a 2D application, it doesn’t accept 3D files.
What application are you using?

 

[PeterT]

The 3D modeling app is SolidWorks. I can export to these formats

 

[DavidR8]

Send them a a .dxf with written instructions as to what's cut clean through and what's engraved.