» Starting your design
» How to design for lasers
» Cutting lines
» Vector line engraving
» Raster fill engraving
» Using text
» Using images
» Removing double lines
» Exporting your file
» How to self check your design
» Print this guide
» Starting your design
» How to design for CNC routing
» Cutting lines
» Pocketing
» Removing an area of material
» Using text
» Detail
» Exporting your file
» Print this guide
You must use our design templates when creating your design.
After downloading, open your chosen template in Illustrator as you would a normal file, ensure File > Document color mode is set to RGB, then create your design.
You can design for laser cutting on our three different material sheet sizes:
The color of the line you draw determines what the laser cutter/engraver will do.
For example, if you draw a bird with a blue outline, the laser will cut out a bird ...
And if you made the same line red, the laser would engrave the bird into the material. And so on.
It's that easy.
Now, here are the details ...
topThe core of your design will be the shapes you want cut out.
The easiest way to visualize how this translates to your design is to imagine laying the pieces you want to make on a sheet of paper, then drawing around the edges before taking them away. Your design should look like the lines left on the paper.
To make a cutting line, draw a line or shape.
Then set the stroke weight to 0.01 mm:
And set the stroke color to blue with RGB values of 0, 0, 255:
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Vector line engraving works in a similar way to cutting, but instead of slicing right through the material, the laser just marks the surface.
The laser will trace along the engraving line you draw in your design package. There are three different strengths available: light, medium and heavy – with corresponding depth and darkness. All three are very thin – approximately the width of the laser's beam.
Vector line engraving needs a stroke weight of 0.01 mm:
Set the stroke color to magenta with RGB values of 255, 0, 255:
Set the stroke color to green with RGB values of 0, 255, 0:
Set the stroke color to red with RGB values of 255, 0, 0:
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Raster fill engraving must ALWAYS be indicated by using a fill color - never a stroke color. To turn a black/gray/white stroke into a filled shape in Illustrator, select your line and use the Object > Expand command, with 'Stroke' ticked in the options box that appears. If you want a very thin engraving line, we would always recommend using vector line engraving instead of raster fill engraving - as above.
The strength of the raster engraving ranges from black as the heaviest, down to very pale gray which is the lightest (or white, which is none). You can actually use any strength in between these two, as long as all your RGB values match. Make sure you only use solid, single color fills – no patterns or textures.
To give your raster engraving a clean edge, combine it with vector engraving around the outside of your shape.
Set the fill color to light grey with RGB values of 230, 230, 230:
Set the fill color to medium grey with RGB values of 128, 128, 128:
Set the fill color to black with RGB values of 0, 0, 0:
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Any text you use in your design file needs to be converted to outlines. This way the laser cutter will follow your design correctly, regardless of whether or not it has the font installed.
This is as simple as selecting your text and then choosing Type > Create Outlines from the top menu. You won't be able to edit the text once you've done this, so do it last after your spell check.
You can create text using raster fill engraving, vector line engraving, or a combination of both.
topOur making system only registers vector artwork. It will ignore images inserted in other formats (such as .jpg or .bmp).
To get around this, you'll need to trace the image you want to incorporate into your design. You can do this by selecting the inserted image and using the Object > Live Trace > Tracing Options command. You'll see there are several tracing options so try out a few until you find the one you want. Make sure your traced shapes are a single solid color.
Next, you'll need to use the Object > Expand command. If the trace has worked correctly, vectors should appear around all of the individual parts of the traced image. There will also be a clear rectangular box around the outside of the traced image – select this with the ‘Direct select' tool and remove it.
Finally, to choose the level of raster engraving you want to use, select all the elements of the traced image and adjust their fill color.
topIf you place objects directly beside each other, it's likely you'll end up with cutting lines sitting one on top of the other.
You should be able to see these quite plainly as being a darker blue than your other cutting lines. You need to change these double lines into a single cutting line – or as we call them, a shared cutting line. Otherwise the line will literally be cut twice – which is not the best for your material, or the machine.
To remove double lines, select them using the ‘Direct select' tool, then hit delete once or twice. This should leave behind another line, paler than the one you had. By removing double lines you'll achieve a better result.
topStep 1: Use the File > Save As command and select the format as 'Illustrator EPS':
Step 2: Select the version 'Illustrator 8 EPS' and make sure your final ‘EPS Options' panel looks the same as shown here, then click 'OK':
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See this video to self check your Illustrator designs.
topYou must use our design templates when creating your design.
After downloading, open your chosen template in Illustrator as you would a normal file, ensure File > Document color mode is set to RGB, then create your design.
You can design for CNC routing on two different material sheet sizes:
* note: due to shipping requirements the largest piece of work that can be produced must fit within the following sizes: 23" x 47" or 34" x 34"
topThe color of the line you draw determines what the CNC router will do. For example, if you draw a bird with a blue outline, the router will cut out a bird ...
Here are some things to think about when creating your design.
The router cuts and pockets with a 0.25" (0.247") diameter cutting bit which is centered on the line you draw. This means the total amount of material removed is 0.25" wide with 0.125" of material removed either side of the cutting line.
So, if you want to cut out a 24" x 24" square, you need to draw a square measuring 24.25" x 24.25" to allow for the thickness of the cutting line.
If you want to cut out a 1" wide round hole, you need to draw your circle .75" wide to allow for the thickness of the cutting line. If you want to cut out a square hole which is 2" by 2", draw a square 1.75" x 1.75". The minimum sized hole you can have is 0.300". This is defined by a 0.050" circle in your drawing.
If you want to cut out a slot or create a pocket which is 0.25" wide, you can do this with a single line.
Routers cannot cut square corners like lasers. Because the material is cut with a spinning router bit, internal corners will be rounded (with a radius of 0.125"). See our CNC design tips for ways to get around this.
You cannot use a single cutting line to separate two cut-out parts. There must be 0.5" of material left between each of your cut-out parts to support them during the cutting process and in shipping. This means the outer cutting lines of each of your parts need to be placed 0.75" apart so that there is 0.5" left between them after cutting.
topThe core of your design will be the shapes you want cut.
The easiest way to visualize how this translates to your design is to imagine laying the pieces you want to make on a sheet of paper, then drawing around the edges before taking them away. Your design should look like the lines left on the paper.
To make a cutting line, draw a line or shape. Then set the stroke weight to 0.01 mm and set the stroke color to blue with RGB values of 0, 0, 255:
top
A pocket is a partial cut to a depth defined as a percentage of the material thickness, say, 50%. Pocketing works in a similar way to cutting, but instead of slicing right through the material, the router removes material down to the specified depth.
The router will trace along the pocketing line you draw in your design package. There are three different depths available: 25%, 50% and 75% of the material thickness. The minimum width of a pocket is 0.25", which is the size of the router bit.
Pocketing needs a stroke weight of 0.01 mm
Set the stroke color to magenta with RGB values of 255, 0, 255:
Set the stroke color to green with RGB values of 0, 255, 0:
Set the stroke color to red with RGB values of 255, 0, 0:
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If you want to remove an area of material, not just a line, you'll need to place multiple lines next to each other. They should be spaced roughly 0.2" apart so that they overlap and remove material smoothly. For more advice on doing this, see CNC Design Tips > Pocketing tips.
topAny text you use in your design file needs to be converted to outlines. This way the router will follow your design correctly, regardless of whether or not it has the font installed.
This is as simple as selecting your text and then choosing Type > Create Outlines from the top menu. You won't be able to edit the text once you've done this, so do it last after you've checked the spelling.
The router will move along the center of the line so bear in mind the size of the router bit and what this means for the minimum size of your text. You will need to remove any fill color from the text, and add stroke color for either cutting or pocketing.
For more advice on adding text to a CNC design, see CNC Design Tips > Text tips.
topToo much detail can cause problems. Features that are too intricate or small may not be able to support themselves during the cutting process. Design for a minimum feature size of 0.25"/6.35mm (which means the lines you draw to describe them need to be 0.5" apart).
We may ask you to change your design if we foresee issues like this. If pieces break off they can damage the router. Plus we want to make sure you get a result you're pleased with.
topStep 1: Use the File > Save As command and select the format as 'Illustrator EPS':
Step 2: Select the version 'Illustrator 8 EPS' and make sure your final ‘EPS Options' panel looks the same as shown here, then click 'OK':
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