Laser Cut Wall Covering Ideas?

[David Fairfield]

I have an opportunity to cover a 5 foot wide section of office wall with some laser cut panelling or tiles. Its a job that might lead to other jobs so although its not in my niche area, I'd like to take it. Its a marketing company and they want something "neutral." The parts can be no larger than 12"x24". I'm at a loss for a concept. Ideas?

Thanks! :)
Dave

[Dan Hintz]

I'd go for one of those flowing curve cutout types... intersecting, flowing lines, mixed positive and negative space, no discernible pattern.

[Rodne Gold]

A 5 ft wall is 40+ sq ft of material , or 4m2 , cost of material might be an issue.. look at the various formica's (countertop material) you get , they are extremely durable , laser cut well and are cheap compared to acrylic or the like , will hold fine engraving and detailed cutting , comes in a zillion colours and textures , thin , bendable , easy to apply etc etc.. You could do a collage , perhaps tiles of some sort, use a cut layer atop a solid layer and so forth.. a great opportunity to explore your creativity.

[Steve Kelsey]

If I had that opportunity, I would do a gear train of some sort. An interactive one that used several gears offset from each other and in different configurations that a person could actually rotate. More involved and more time consuming than other things but it would be cool!


Edited to add: I just spent a few minutes to mock up something and I think it could be pretty awesome. I used the gear template generate here: http://woodgears.ca/gear_cutting/template.html and just made several different size gears with various spoke sizes. I then just scattered them around a 5'x3' panel. You could layer gears (a small one on top of a big one) and have them cross paths. You could do them in different materials or wood stained in different colors. You could attach a small motor and have a moving sculpture. Lots of options.

[Steve Clarkson]

David,

About a year or two ago, there was a guy on here (can't remember his name.....but maybe someone else can) from some Eastern European country that was doing some incredible interior design work (I know he sold his laser, so he isn't on here any more). He posted quite a few cool pictures of what he was doing......if you can find the thread(s) maybe you can get some inspiration. Here is a picture of one thing that he made that I loved and planned to duplicate some day.

248428

[Dan Hintz]

Are you thinking of Onir, Steve?

[Steve Clarkson]

Yes!!!!!!!!

[Dan Hintz]

Sorry, misspelled his first name... Onur Cakir.

I see him from time to time on IAP selling Turkish Walnut pen blanks. Beautiful stuff, but out of my comfort zone on pricing.

[Uros Sovilj]

Hi
See http://www.lightwavelaser.com. I found some ideas here wery nice.

[Ross Moshinsky]

If you didn't get a bunch of ideas while talking about the project, you're probably going down an avenue that you won't excel in. I'd try to find a designer that could help you with the project. That way if you get another order for something similar, you have the designer to fall back on.

[Mike Lysov]

Here is another example of what you can do http://www.wavywallpanels.com/fretwork-screen-panelling-2-c.asp
They are symmetrical and not hard to create with some quite cheap macros($20-50) available for Corel Draw.
The only problem that you need to have some idea for the original pattern, the macros will do all symmetric alignment but they cannot do it from nothing.

Another one that involves using macros is to use the macro called LineArt See it at http://www.corelvba.com/index.php?pages=lineart_1

It will create eye catching Line Art tiles but it is only for engraving. It can be quite expensive for your client.

[Jeff Belany]

I've been playing with veneers and always thought of making a wall of some type of interlocking shapes, like jigsaw puzzle pieces or a wavy shape that would interlock. Use different color woods and the put a clear finish over the whole piece. Might make a neat accent piece or wall.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

[Mike Null]

JDS has some Rowmark material which would work very nicely. It's called frosted acrylics.

[Dee Gallo]

I would ask some more questions before deciding on a design: what kind of decor is in the office now (modern, retro, organic, homespun, etc.) , what is the color scheme (neutral could mean anything from beige to grey to red), what kinds of materials are in the area already (woods, metals, plastics, fabrics) and if there is any art there now, what is it?

You can go to a couple of hotel/motel lobbies and get an idea of "commercial neutral" designs, to get some inspiration.

Lastly, you should determine if this piece is supposed to be background art or focus art... that makes a big difference in how you approach the job. Creating your own set of tiles which can be rearranged might be a good way to go, using elements which are recognizable but simplified shapes (leaf, circle, star, heart, flower, triangle, spiral) or incorporate their logo into it. A few kinds of materials to consider besides plastic are stretched canvas/colored duck, Rodney's suggestion of countertop material, mirror, cork - something with its own texture which can help make a simple engraving look more interesting. Also, layering elements is always visually pleasing.

This sounds like an exciting avenue for you, be sure to show us the final pix!

cheers, dee

[Doug Griffith]

Its a marketing company and they want something "neutral."

I'd attempt a design loosely inspired by their brand identity. No engraving, just cutting. Mounted on stand offs. Weaving the design to eliminate the visual "seams". Possibly use an acrylic 3-Form type material if the budget allows for it (there's a company that does the process in acrylic but it slips my mind). A material with little contrast to color of the wall (ie. white on white).

[brian fithian]

This thread has really peaked my interest. There are always some awesome ideas and wisdom on this forum. Thanks to all of you.
I decided to mess around with some of this and made my wife a last minute Christmas gift. I've attached a pic at my first attempt, now going to start on another head full of ideas I that this subject has got me thinking about.

[hugh bunker]

Here are a couple I drew up in corel draw

[Deane Donaghy]

Thanks for sharing your files Hugh.
Are these drawn up in corel the hard way, or is there some magic macro that can assist me in making designs like yours.
I have downloaded a free corel lineart macro plugin, but it doesn't do what I would like it to do.
Thanks,
Deane

[hugh bunker]

The hard way is really kind of easy after you do it a couple times. Trying to figure out how to install the macros and make them work is harder for me.

[Michael Kowalczyk]

Hey Hugh,
Nice designs from a simple shape to an intricate repeating pattern. Thanks for sharing. What macro did you use? or what procedure did you use?
Thanks again and ...

[Deane Donaghy]

I found this free Corel macro http://corelvba.com/index.php?pages=frcurv_1 & this one as well http://corelvba.com/index.php?pages=fract_1
And easy to install too.

[hugh bunker]

I just start centered on page and duplicate and align segments with guide lines. Pretty easy once you do it a few times.

[Michael Kowalczyk]

Do you use weld, combine or some other menu item?

[brian fithian]

Here is a pic of the second one I made. Everyone down here in Saints country loves this one

[hugh bunker]

I use remove front from back and weld most commonly. I also use the alignment features a bunch.

[Michael Kowalczyk]

ok thanks for sharing

[Mike Lysov]

Here are a couple I drew up in corel draw

These two are nice but all curves in both are from 33000mm to 40000mm total length. Even with my 100W machine it will take me from 30 to 40 minutes to cut them out of 6mm thick MDF. That will make them quite expensive considering that they are no more than 500x500mm in size. It should be something less complex with a minimum of internal curves. Otherwise it will be hard to sell.

[hugh bunker]

I agree that they take some time. These were for an accent wall in our own home.

[rogers kevin]

I would find a decorative wall decal kit (http://www.wallpops.com/wall-art-kits.aspx). Easy to apply and remove and there are a ton of options online. Will probably save you some money as well. Hope this helps!