I've wanted to try using a laser cutter but haven't had the opportunity until today. There is a campus of Portland Community College (PCC) just up the hill from me. Spring term was the first time that they've offered Maker community education courses (3D printing and laser cutting). I was fortunate to get into the first laser cutting class. They have 3 laser cutters from Universal Laser Systems in their MakerLab. They have a 60 Watt model with a work area of 32"x18"x9", a 30 Watt model with a work area of 24"x12"x9" and a 30 Watt model with a work area of 16"x12"x4". They mainly work with wood and plastics and active ventilation is required to remove the smoke that is generated. They don't have the capability to process metal. The class that I took was a single 3 hour introduction to laser cutting but even with the queuing time we were each able to make a pre-designed LED "lantern" box and also a project that we designed ourselves. The software that they use to design the projects is Adobe Illustrator.
Laser cutters
LED lantern box
You can see the good detail in the cutouts. I was impressed by the ring around the planet.
Here is the bottom with the MakerLab logo engraved into the wood. Engraving is done at a lower power level and it takes longer than cutting does.
There is a great website to design boxes and save them in the SVG format that can be imported into Illustrator.
For my individual project I designed a "treat" box for my granddog.
I had a great time at the class. I'm glad that PCC is creating new opportunities for the community to be able to access their maker equipment. I'd really like to make some case designs for my electronics. Maybe try engraving and cutting some acrylic panels.
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