Mark Winlund
01-10-2007, 7:25 PM
Hi group.... I have gotten so much new info out of this group that I thought I would start another list of ways to use your laser for fun and profit. There was a list a while ago, but let's see how many we can come up with! (maybe the moderator can make a sticky out of it....
1. Applying hot stamp foil with the laser
2. Wooden and acrylic hands for clock movements
3. Edge lighted hallway and desk signs (use leds)
4. Door facings and inlays for front doors
5. Wooden "Tiffany" lamps
6. "Brick walls" (tiny ones for backgrounds on plaques)
7. Replacement or new "cathedral" radios (the scrollwork)
8. Stacked 1/16" acrylic sheets, each one lit by different color leds, with different artwork on each one, viewed from the front
9. Veneer with a layer of clear acrylic underneath, edge lit by leds. Makes the edges of the letters light up.
10. Springy things, made by cutting material into a spiral.
11. Old fashioned leather hinges, personalised and decorated, cut to size with holes for screws.
12. Leather handles for equipment.
13. Boxes with finger joints.
14. Working locomotive valve gear out of 1/8" veneers
15. Specialised presentation boxes for precision tools
16. Drilling templates for perpetual plaques
17. Electronic control panels reverse engraved on clear painted acrylic and edge lighted.
18. Custom buttons for sewing
19. Custom shaped business cards
20. Custom mount boards for photographs
21. "Art Deco" type bookends using wood and clear acrylic.
22. The humble label is often disregarded... the laser can make them and cut them out to any size or shape.
23. Labels for custom bottles printed and cut from foil.
24. Rubber, paper, and cork gaskets
25. Cloth items, especially synthetic fibers.
26. Personalised graphics for cars... the laser makes a pretty good cutter of mylar film.
27. Printed circuit boards. Laser away a resist, then etch with ferric chloride. Works well for name plates also. Thin metal parts can be made with this technique also. 2 sided etching requires good registration.
28. Sandblast resist. This has been covered a lot of times, but the applications are enormous. Most materials can be sandblasted one way or another. Most people are amazed at what a ceramic coffee cup looks like sand blasted 1/8" deep.
Lots of these have been suggested before, but the beginners are always asking. There is a ton of stuff out there for holiday decorations, so I didn't try to list them.
1. Applying hot stamp foil with the laser
2. Wooden and acrylic hands for clock movements
3. Edge lighted hallway and desk signs (use leds)
4. Door facings and inlays for front doors
5. Wooden "Tiffany" lamps
6. "Brick walls" (tiny ones for backgrounds on plaques)
7. Replacement or new "cathedral" radios (the scrollwork)
8. Stacked 1/16" acrylic sheets, each one lit by different color leds, with different artwork on each one, viewed from the front
9. Veneer with a layer of clear acrylic underneath, edge lit by leds. Makes the edges of the letters light up.
10. Springy things, made by cutting material into a spiral.
11. Old fashioned leather hinges, personalised and decorated, cut to size with holes for screws.
12. Leather handles for equipment.
13. Boxes with finger joints.
14. Working locomotive valve gear out of 1/8" veneers
15. Specialised presentation boxes for precision tools
16. Drilling templates for perpetual plaques
17. Electronic control panels reverse engraved on clear painted acrylic and edge lighted.
18. Custom buttons for sewing
19. Custom shaped business cards
20. Custom mount boards for photographs
21. "Art Deco" type bookends using wood and clear acrylic.
22. The humble label is often disregarded... the laser can make them and cut them out to any size or shape.
23. Labels for custom bottles printed and cut from foil.
24. Rubber, paper, and cork gaskets
25. Cloth items, especially synthetic fibers.
26. Personalised graphics for cars... the laser makes a pretty good cutter of mylar film.
27. Printed circuit boards. Laser away a resist, then etch with ferric chloride. Works well for name plates also. Thin metal parts can be made with this technique also. 2 sided etching requires good registration.
28. Sandblast resist. This has been covered a lot of times, but the applications are enormous. Most materials can be sandblasted one way or another. Most people are amazed at what a ceramic coffee cup looks like sand blasted 1/8" deep.
Lots of these have been suggested before, but the beginners are always asking. There is a ton of stuff out there for holiday decorations, so I didn't try to list them.