{"id":50602,"date":"2016-08-05T11:30:48","date_gmt":"2016-08-05T18:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/?p=50602"},"modified":"2018-03-11T21:07:53","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T04:07:53","slug":"customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/","title":{"rendered":"Customized Laser Cutting For Tech Geeks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"adafruit<\/a><\/p>\n

Designing Your Own Enclosures For Electronics Projects<\/h2>\n

Laser cutting<\/a> has long been the chosen solution for many DIY electronics project enclosures, and with good reason. By building a custom case using laser cutting, you are able\u00a0to protect components, give precise access to\u00a0interface elements, and also add laser etched details that communicate function and branding.<\/p>\n

We’ve previously taken a look at how to make a laser cut enclosure using Box Maker<\/a> and similar plugins for laser cutter-friendly software programs. Another neat browser-based option is MakerCase<\/a>\u00a0(screenshot below) where it is easier than ever to enter design constraints, interact with a 3D model of the enclosure and then save a file that is ready for laser cutting.<\/p>\n

\"makercase\"<\/a><\/p>\n

These fantastic tools and software solutions go a long way in making laser cut enclosure design accessible for projects large and small. While a laser cut enclosure can be quite simple,\u00a0the thorough breakdown by Phillip Burgess on Adafruit<\/a>\u00a0covers a number of key considerations and comes strongly recommended indeed. The eye-catching rainbow Raspberry Pi case pictured at the top of this post is a prime example of the way that the strengths of laser cutting can be leveraged to produce unique, desirable outcomes.<\/p>\n

Personal projects get a serious boost from laser cut enclosures, and the next step is often to produce and sell products that look both professional and highly resolved. A notable example of how custom laser cut enclosures have helped turn personal projects into Kickstarter success stories is the Game Frame<\/a>\u00a0(pictured below) from Jeremy Williams.<\/p>\n

\"gameframe\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So whether you’ve baked yourself a techno treat with the Raspberry Pi, or created new possibilities using the latest boards from Arduino; those electronic projects can get such a boost when a custom laser cut enclosure is added to the mix.<\/p>\n

In short, laser cutting enables customization and full control over the following design and interface elements:<\/p>\n

Protect components:<\/strong> Boards, screens and connectors can all be housed securely.
\nLocation of openings:<\/strong> Plugs, connectors, lights and vents can all be positioned\u00a0in exactly the right spot.
\nCommunication:<\/strong> Adding custom branding, labels to ports, and a bit of personal flair.<\/p>\n

Be sure to read through the Adafruit Laser Cut Enclosure Design Overview<\/a>\u00a0and fire up your Ponoko Personal Factory<\/a> to get the prototyping process started right away. And if you want more tips for making your own electronics enclosures, check out\u00a0Your Guide To Making Electronic Project Enclosures<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Designing Your Own Enclosures For Electronics Projects<\/p>\n

Laser cutting has long been the chosen solution for many DIY electronics project enclosures, and with good reason. By building a custom case using laser cutting, you are able\u00a0to protect components, give precise access to\u00a0interface elements, and also add laser etched details that communicate function and branding.<\/p>\n

We’ve previously taken a look at how to make a laser cut enclosure using Box Maker and similar plugins for laser cutter-friendly software programs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,5796],"tags":[5874],"class_list":["post-50602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-make","category-design-ideas","tag-electronics-cases"],"yoast_head":"\nCustomized Laser Cut Enclosures for Tech Geeks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Designing laser cut enclosures for DIY electronics projects - Protect components, give precise access to interface elements, and add laser etched details.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Customized Laser Cut Enclosures for Tech Geeks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Designing laser cut enclosures for DIY electronics projects - Protect components, give precise access to interface elements, and add laser etched details.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ponoko\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Ponoko\/34020780272\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-05T18:30:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-03-12T04:07:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/adafruit-laser-cut-enclosure-e1470464685811.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Guy Blashki\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Ponoko\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Ponoko\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Guy Blashki\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3c22a47ef5c242145833b6b1d2896bca\"},\"headline\":\"Customized Laser Cutting For Tech Geeks\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-05T18:30:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-12T04:07:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/\"},\"wordCount\":411,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/adafruit-laser-cut-enclosure-e1470464685811.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Electronics Cases\"],\"articleSection\":[\"How To Make: Design, Prototype & Build Stuff\",\"Product & Design Ideas\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/\",\"name\":\"Customized Laser Cut Enclosures for Tech Geeks\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/design-ideas\/customized-laser-cutting-for-tech-geeks\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/adafruit-laser-cut-enclosure-e1470464685811.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-05T18:30:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-12T04:07:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3c22a47ef5c242145833b6b1d2896bca\"},\"description\":\"Designing laser cut enclosures for DIY electronics projects - 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