Equipment and materials
All available at TAP lab
- Laser cutter
- Acrylic sheet (3mm thick)
- LED lamp base
Software
Inkscape / Corel Draw
Approximate cost
Under $15 (will depend on how much time your design takes to laser)
1
Prepare your design
You can use Inkscape or other vector based program to prepare your design. For tips on getting a file ready for lasering see here. The outline will be a cut line (red) and your picture or text will be engraved (black).
The outline of your shape needs to have a bit at the bottom that sticks out to go into the slot of the lamp base. You can download a template here. These are for a slot size that is 80mm wide by 15mm deep. It would be a good idea to check before you cut incase we have got different stock in since writing this. You don’t have to use one of the template shapes, if you would prefer you can do your own.
Your design needs to be in black to engrave. You can write something, draw something or find a picture on the internet (please make sure you are allowed to use it). You can engrave from a bitmap image (JPG or PNG) but it can sometimes look crisper if you make it a vector image first. To do this in Inkscape:
Import your image, select it and go to Path > Trace Bitmap.
Click Apply
Drag it over and you will see you have 2 versions, the original (bitmap) and your new vector version. Make sure to delete the bitmap one.
2
Laser cut and engrave
You will need a TAP lab member who is authorised to use the laser cutter to help you with this step.
Remove the protective film from the top of your piece of acrylic. Use the settings in Job Control for “.TAPlab > Acrylic > Acrylic 3mm”
3
Assemble
Once it has been cut you can remove the protective film from the back of the acrylic. Gently wash the residue off the acrylic and dry it. Put your piece of acrylic into your lamp base, turn it on and have a play with all the fun colour settings!
