» Starting your design
» How to design for lasers
» Cutting lines
» Vector line engraving
» Raster fill engraving
» Using text
» Using images
» Removing double lines
» Exporting your file
» How to self check your design
» Print this guide
» Starting your design
» How to design for CNC routing
» Cutting lines
» Pocketing
» Removing an area of material
» Using text
» Detail
» Exporting your file
» Print this guide
You must use our design templates when creating your design.
After downloading, open your chosen template in CorelDRAW as you would a normal file, then create your design.
You can design for laser cutting on our three different material sheet sizes:
The color of the line you draw determines what the laser cutter/engraver will do.
For example, if you draw a bird with a blue outline, the laser will cut out a bird ...
And if you made the same line red, the laser would engrave the bird into the material. And so on.
It's that easy.
Now, here are the details ...
topThe core of your design will be the shapes you want cut out.
The easiest way to visualize how this translates to your design is to imagine laying the pieces you want to make on a sheet of paper, then drawing around the edges before taking them away. Your design should look like the lines left on the paper.
To make a cutting line, draw a line or shape.
Then in the Object Properties window, set the stroke width by clicking inside the 'Width' field and typing '0.01mm', then press enter:
And set the stroke color to blue with RGB values of 0, 0, 255:
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Vector line engraving works in a similar way to cutting, but instead of slicing right through the material, the laser just marks the surface.
The laser will trace along the engraving line you draw in your design package. There are three different strengths available: light, medium and heavy – with corresponding depth and darkness. All three are very thin – approximately the width of the laser's beam.
In the Object Properties window, set the stroke width by clicking inside the 'Width' field and typing '0.01mm', then press enter:
Set the stroke color to magenta with RGB values of 255, 0, 255:
Set the stroke color to green with RGB values of 0, 255, 0:
Set the stroke color to red with RGB values of 255, 0, 0:
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Generally raster fill engraving is used for filled areas, but you can also raster engrave a line with an outline width above 0.3mm. Raster engraving a line thinner than this is not likely to produce a good result.
The strength of raster engraving ranges from black as the heaviest, down to very pale gray which is the lightest (or white, which is none). You can actually use any strength in between these two, as long as all your RGB values match. Make sure you only use the 'Uniform fill' option – no patterns or textures.
To give your raster engraving a clean edge, combine it with vector engraving around the outside of your shape.
Set the fill color to light grey with RGB values of 230, 230, 230:
Set the fill color to medium grey with RGB values of 128, 128, 128:
Set the fill color to black with RGB values of 0, 0, 0:
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Any text you use in your design file needs to be converted to curves. This way the laser cutter will follow your design correctly, regardless of whether or not it has the font installed.
This is as simple as selecting your text and then choosing Arrange > Convert to Curves from the top menu. You won't be able to edit the text once you've done this, so do it last after your spell check.
You can create text using raster fill engraving, vector line engraving, or a combination of both.
topOur making system only registers vector artwork. It will ignore images inserted in other formats (such as .jpg or .bmp).
To get around this, you'll need to trace the image you want to incorporate into your design. You can do this by selecting the inserted image and using the Bitmaps > Trace Bitmap command. You'll see there are several tracing options so try out a few until you find the one you want. Make sure your traced shapes are a single solid color.
The original image will still be behind your new traced image, so make sure you select it and delete it.
Next, select the traced elements with the ‘Pick tool' and use the Arrange > Ungroup command.
If the trace has worked correctly, when you click on the ‘Shape tool', vectors should appear around all the individual parts of the traced image.
Finally, to choose the level of raster engraving you want to use, select all the elements of the traced image and adjust their fill color using the Object Properties window.
topIf you place objects directly beside each other, it's likely you'll end up with cutting lines sitting one on top of the other.
These can be particularly tricky to spot in CorelDRAW as they look the same as single lines. You need to change these double lines into a single cutting line – or as we call them, a shared cutting line. Otherwise the line will literally be cut twice – which is not the best for your material, or the machine.
Here's the process for removing double lines:
Step 1: Select one of the adjoining objects with the ‘Pick tool', and use the Arrange > Convert to Curves command.
Step 2: Use the ‘Shape tool' to select a node (corner) on one side of the double line you want to remove.
Step 3: With the node highlighted blue, click the ‘Break Curve' button.
Step 4: Click on the node on the other side of the double line, and use the 'Break Curve' button again.
Step 5: Use the Arrange > Break Curve Apart command.
Step 6: Click away from the object to deselect it, and then click on the double line you want to remove. It should clearly be selected on its own, and you can now press delete. The other blue line should be left behind.
Step 7: Repeat this process until all of the double lines have been removed.
topStep 1: Use the File > Export command.
Step 2: Change the file name as required, select 'Save as type: SVG - Scaleable Vector Graphics', and click 'Export'.
Step 3: Make sure your final ‘SVG Export' panel looks the similar to the one shown here (width and height will depend on your design template size), then click 'OK'.
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You must use our design templates when creating your design.
After downloading, open your chosen template in Illustrator as you would a normal file, ensure File > Document color mode is set to RGB, then create your design.
You can design for CNC routing on two different material sheet sizes:
* note: due to shipping requirements the largest piece of work that can be produced must fit within the following sizes: 23" x 47" or 34" x 34"
The color of the line you draw determines what the CNC router will do. For example, if you draw a bird with a blue outline, the router will cut out a bird ...
Here are some things to think about when creating your design.
The router cuts and pockets with a 0.25" (0.247") diameter cutting bit which is centered on the line you draw. This means the total amount of material removed is 0.25" wide with 0.125" of material removed either side of the cutting line.
So, if you want to cut out a 24" x 24" square, you need to draw a square measuring 24.25" x 24.25" to allow for the thickness of the cutting line.
If you want to cut out a 1" wide round hole, you need to draw your circle .75" wide to allow for the thickness of the cutting line. If you want to cut out a square hole which is 2" by 2", draw a square 1.75" x 1.75". The minimum sized hole you can have is 0.300". This is defined by a 0.050" circle in your drawing.
If you want to cut out a slot or create a pocket which is 0.25" wide, you can do this with a single line.
Routers cannot cut square corners like lasers. Because the material is cut with a spinning router bit, internal corners will be rounded (with a radius of 0.125"). See our CNC design tips for ways to get around this.
You cannot use a single cutting line to separate two cut-out parts. There must be 0.5" of material left between each of your cut-out parts to support them during the cutting process and in shipping. This means the outer cutting lines of each of your parts need to be placed 0.75" apart so that there is 0.5" left between them after cutting.
topThe core of your design will be the shapes you want cut.
The easiest way to visualize how this translates to your design is to imagine laying the pieces you want to make on a sheet of paper, then drawing around the edges before taking them away. Your design should look like the lines left on the paper.
To make a cutting line, draw a line or shape. Then in the Object Properties window, set the stroke width by clicking inside the 'Width' field and typing '0.01mm', then press enter:
And set the stroke color to blue with RGB values of 0, 0, 255:
top
A pocket is a partial cut to a depth defined as a percentage of the material thickness, say, 50%. Pocketing works in a similar way to cutting, but instead of slicing right through the material, the router removes material down to the specified depth.
The router will trace along the pocketing line you draw in your design package. There are three different depths available: 25%, 50% and 75% of the material thickness. The minimum width of a pocket is 0.25", which is the size of the router bit.
In the Object Properties window, set the stroke width by clicking inside the 'Width' field and typing '0.01mm', then press enter:
Set the stroke color to magenta with RGB values of 255, 0, 255:
Set the stroke color to green with RGB values of 0, 255, 0:
Set the stroke color to red with RGB values of 255, 0, 0:
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If you want to remove an area of material, not just a line, you'll need to place multiple lines next to each other. They should be spaced roughly 0.2" apart so that they overlap and remove material smoothly. For more advice on doing this, see CNC Design Tips > Pocketing tips.
topAny text you use in your design file needs to be converted to outlines. This way the router will follow your design correctly, regardless of whether or not it has the font installed.
This is as simple as selecting your text and then choosing Arrange > Convert to Curves from the top menu. You won't be able to edit the text once you've done this, so do it last after you've checked the spelling.
The router will move along the center of the line so bear in mind the size of the router bit and what this means for the minimum size of your text.You will need to remove any fill color from the text, and add stroke color for either cutting or pocketing.
For more advice on adding text to a CNC design, see the CNC Design Tips > Text tips.
topToo much detail can cause problems. Features that are too intricate or small may not be able to support themselves during the cutting process. Design for a minimum feature size of 0.25"/6.35mm (which means the lines you draw to describe them need to be 0.5" apart).
We may ask you to change your design if we foresee issues like this. If pieces break off they can damage the router. Plus we want to make sure you get a result you're pleased with.
topStep 1: Use the File > Export command.
Step 2: Change the file name as required, select 'Save as type: SVG - Scaleable Vector Graphics', and click 'Export'.
Step 3: Make sure your final ‘SVG Export' panel looks the similar to the one shown here (width and height will depend on your design template size), then click 'OK'.
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