Laser Cutter
About the Laser
The Universal Laser Cutter is a VLS 6.60 CO2 60W with an 18" x 32" cutting area. Laser cutting and engraving works by using optics (mirrors and lenses) to direct a high-power laser. The laser beam focuses on the material which then either melts, burns, vaporizes, or is blown away by a jet of gas, leaving an edge with a high-quality surface finish.
What to bring:
- Approved material
- Print-ready artwork
Laser systems use two types of paths: raster and vector.
A raster pattern is used to etch the material, putting down “dots of heat,” similar to the way an ink jet printer prints with ink. Raster data is made of pixels. File types of jpg, gif, png, and bmp are all examples of raster data. Images that come from a camera or scanner are also raster data. The laser can be set up to vary the amount of heat delivered for each pixel, resulting in an image burned into your material.
Vector patterns are user to score or cut through material. When following vectors, the laser moves like a plotter and follows your vector paths to draw or carve them into your material. Vector data is expressed in lines—straight lines, circles, rectangles, splines, and hand-drawn squiggly curves are all examples of vector data. The line thickness in Illustrator must be .001 and red (RGB 255, 0, 0).
Materials
The following materials are approved at this time. Please keep all original stickers and tags from purchase on your material until you bring it to the laser.
| Approved |
Not Approved |
|---|---|
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Materials thicker than .25" are not allowed.
