Laser Cutting and Engraving on a variety of approved materials (see list below).
Please reserve a time slot with our system below. Please show up 15 minutes prior to your cut time to set up material and laser cutter with lab assistant. Students will forfeit their time if they are not cutting within 5 minutes of their scheduled appointment time.
Laser cutting is done by the students with the help of the Fab Lab Assistant.
Students must submit their files following the instructions below.
Once uploaded, please visit the Fabrication Lab to reserve a time slot.
The templates provide a pre-defined bounding box that matches the laser cutter bed dimensions
(18” x 32” and 24" x 36" ). You can copy the bounding box as many times as you want in the same file; this way you won’t need to have multiple files. The template provides layer colors pre-set for cut, score, fold and skip (the score color will occur before cut).
Download 18 x 32" Template File
Download 24 x 36" Template File
Downloadable 24 x 40" Template File
Blue | Exterior Cut |
Yellow | Interior Cut |
Green | Deep Engrave |
Red | Light Engrave |
Bristol Board - Chipboard: Max 1/8” |
Museum Board: Max 1/8” |
Illustrator Board: Max 1/8” |
Corrugated Cardboard: Max 1/4” |
Basswood: Max ¼” |
Acrylic: Max ¼” |
Students must purchase acrylic and plywood directly from the Fabrication Lab. All other materials are available for purchase in the Fabrication Lab, but students may bring their own alternately sourced materials.
Lexan – PVC – Styrene – Polyesters – PET films – Polypropylene – Vinyl – Glass – Metal – And materials not listed in the approved list of acceptable materials.
If a material is not listed above, please speak to the Fabrication Lab Manager to add it to the list.
Check layers and TURN OFF the cut and engrave layers. All objects should DISAPPEAR in the template. If not, there is a mistake in the layers and you will want to fix it.
Once the layers are correct, the file can be PURGED (purge) of all excess layers. The ONLY layers should be the ones that come with the template. Erase EVERYTHING outside of the templates. All layer settings should be BY LAYER.
Tips: Save time and headaches by running the OVERKILL command on your DWG file before laser cutting. This will remove duplicate lines and combine line and arc segments that overlap. If your file has lines on top of lines, it can result in a much slower cutting time, or excessive charring of the edges. From the AutoCAD command line, type overkill, or from the menus, click Express, Modify, Delete Duplicate. Don’t save over your original file in case something goes wrong.
In order to accommodate as many students as possible in the Fab Lab, these new policies will take effect during our busiest time periods. This would include the two weeks leading up to midterms, two weeks leading up to final reviews, and/or any period where attendance is abnormally high. There can be exceptions made to these policies, but management must be made aware of them as soon as possible.
When making laser cutter appointments, please only make the appointments if they are necessary. Do not book unnecessary appointments as that only prevents other students from being able to utilize the lab. There are also some policies that should be followed all semester long.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Fab Lab management:
Michael Cannon, Manager
msc55@miami.edu
Max Jarosz, Director
mxj655@miami.edu
Please sign up with the link below: