Laser cutter
Overview
The laser cutter, available in the prototyping lab, is an extremely useful tool for quickly cutting 2-D plastic parts. The machine uses a high intensity IR laser to cut any two dimensional design out of a plastic sheet. Acrylic is by far the best material for use with the laser cutter; when acrylic is used, the tool is capable of cutting through up to a 1/2" thick piece.
If you are using a plastic other than acrylic, consult with the shop staff before cutting.
If you have never used the laser cutter before, ask for help if you encounter any problems.
Creating and Importing a File
To print to the laser cutter, a drawing must be prepared in CorelDRAW and placed on the laser cutter template, found on the desktop of the laser cutter computer. Drawing simple shapes, such as squares and circles is easy in CorelDRAW, however, for most applications with more advanced geometry it is better to use a more sophisticated CAD program. To transport the geometry from a solid modeler, such as Unigraphics, the part must be saved in a two-dimensional format, such as .dxf or .dwg. The drawing can then be imported into CorelDRAW and printed.
