Laser Cutting
Parts cut from sheet on a laser (or a CNC router or waterjet): boxes and enclosures joined by their own joints, living hinges, signs and gears, with the leads and tabs the cutter needs. A drawing whose industry is Laser cutting offers these tools in the toolbar and in Edit › Tool.
Tools
| Tool | Does | |
|---|---|---|
| Tab | Tabs (micro-joints) left uncut in a cut, to hold a part in the sheet | |
| Lead | A lead-in and lead-out in the waste, where a closed cut starts and ends | |
| Finger Joint | An edge cut into box-joint fingers and slots | |
| Living Hinge | Staggered slots that let a band of sheet bend | |
| Mortise and Tenon | A tenon on an edge and the mortise it goes into | |
| Hole Pattern | Holes on a bolt circle (PCD), in a row or in a grid, measured from an edge | |
| Slot | A slotted hole: between two points, or round a centre at a length and angle | |
| Bridge | Bridges (nicks) in a cut | |
| Edge Notch | A V or U notch cut into an edge | |
| Fixing Holes | Fixing holes a set distance in from a panel's edges | |
| Routing Inset | A border routed a distance inside a shape | |
| Outline Text | Lettering cut as its outlines | |
| Stencil Bridges | Bridges holding a stencil letter's islands |
The production tools (Registration Mark, Drill Hole) are offered for every industry.
Kerf: the beam takes away a little material (0.1 to 0.3 mm, more for thick sheet). Joints that must fit take it into account: the Finger Joint tool has a kerf allowance; elsewhere, offset the cuts by half the kerf with the Offset Tool, outwards round a part and inwards in a hole. Leads start each cut in the waste, so the pierce mark isn't on the part; put a part's inner cuts first and its outline last, so it doesn't move before it's finished. Tabs (micro-joints) hold small parts in the sheet. Where two parts share an edge (common-line cutting), draw the edge once, on the Cut layer, so it is cut only once.
Exporting for the laser
File › Export › Export… writes the files lasers run from:
- LightBurn projects (.lbrn2), for the many lasers LightBurn runs: each layer a LightBurn layer, set to cut, score or engrave, with its speed, power and passes (from the layer's tool settings where it has them).
- SVG for Glowforge and xTool, at its size in millimetres: cuts red, scores blue, engraving filled black.
- G-code (or a post-processor's) for lasers run from G-code, and DXF for other laser software.
The designs in the library cut on layer 0 and put what is engraved on the standard Engrave layer (9913, see Layers), which the laser exports engrave; marks and labels that are only for you (a gear's pitch circle, a part's name) stay on layer 8 (Dimension), which they leave out. File › Reports… › Laser job time and cost works out how long the job takes (cutting, engraving, travel and pierces) and what it costs (see Reports).
Designs in the library
File › Run Parametric… has a Laser cutting folder (see Run Parametric):
| Design | What it is |
|---|---|
| Finger-jointed box | Five or six panels joined with finger joints |
| Box with sliding lid | A box whose lid slides in grooves |
| T-slot enclosure | Six panels screwed together with T-slot joints |
| Tray with handles | A tray with raised, handled ends |
| Tab-and-slot bookshelf | A bookshelf that slots together |
| Living-hinge panel | A panel with a living hinge across its middle |
| Hexagonal planter | A many-sided planter or lamp |
| Phone stand | Two parts that slot together |
| Cable comb | A cable organiser to screw under a desk |
| Pegboard panel | A grid of holes for pegs and hooks |
| Coaster set | Coasters laid out in a grid |
| Name sign | A plaque with a border and text |
| Involute spur gear | A gear with involute teeth, a bore and a keyway |
Machine profiles
Make It (File › Export › Make It, Ctrl+Shift+M, or the Make It button at the top of the window) writes the LightBurn project (LightBurn laser (project)) in one click, beside the drawing, after checking the design: see Make It.
File › Export › Export… lists this trade's formats first. File › Send Using Machine Profile sends the drawing to a machine in one click, with the format, options, layer names and pens it needs; those that come with the app for this trade: Laser CAM by colour (DXF), LightBurn laser (project). See Export by Industry and Machine Profiles.
See also: Industries and Tool Sets, Tools.