![]() This is critical to designing for laser cutting in Illustrator because when you create an object with stroke, it gives your part an outline that doesn’t register as a cutting path. To prevent issues when uploading your file, design your objects and text as fills and not strokes. We’ve got a more in-depth tutorial on Preparing Your Text for laser cutting in Illustrator here. If you’re laser cutting text out of your design, like a stencil, be sure to use a font with stencil properties or be sure to manually create “bridges” to the holes in your letters. This will render a perfect vector path in your final file. To use the shape tool effectively for laser cutting, simply select the shape after you have created it, select Object > Compound Path > Make. However, creating a perfect circle or square is useful when designing for laser cutting in Adobe Illustrator. ![]() Using the line and pen tools in Illustrator will both create a vector path, but the shape tool is an exception to this. Machining software almost exclusively interprets and processes vector paths so it is important to ensure that all your paths in your file are vectors. This means that vector paths are completely independent of scale, unlike raster files which are collections of pixels with a definable limit to their scalability. ![]() Vector paths are collections of lines and curves which represent mathematical perfection: a series of equations graphing the path itself. The most important thing to note when using built-in tools in Adobe Illustrator is that all paths, regardless of how they were created, must be converted to vector paths. Details and small features should never be smaller than the width of the laser beam (.008″-.015″). For example, in 1⁄4” thick material, the smallest cutout should be no smaller than ⅛”.Īvoid sharp angles and intricate details on smaller objects. Anything smaller than that can not be machined successfully and our instant quoting process will reject parts that do not fit within those parameters. Keep all holes and cut-out areas (including type) a minimum width of. Since each individual part will be laser cut with a microtab, having parts smaller than 0.5” makes them difficult to separate from the material.īe aware of what material thickness you plan to choose when initially designing for laser cutting in Illustrator. When creating your drawings, keep in mind that all individual aspects of your design should have an overall size larger than 0.5” x 0.5″. You should also make sure your artboard size is just a bit bigger than the final width and height of your piece. This will make it easier to upload your file to our website and ensure it scales correctly when it’s sent to the laser cutter. The first thing you need to do is make sure your measurement units are set to inches or mm. It can take some getting used to, but it’s easy to get started with these 5 steps to learning Adobe Illustrator. (That is to say, if you already know how to use CAD programs like Fusion 360 or Onshape, go for it! Just be sure to check out our tutorials for those as well to make sure your design fits the necessary guidelines.) With its variety of useful tools, large user and knowledge base, and widely accepted file formats, Illustrator is the perfect tool to add to your belt for laser cut parts. ![]() How to Use Adobe Illustrator for Laser CuttingĪdobe Illustrator is a great tool to use in conjunction with laser cutting because it’s already 2D, so you don’t have to worry about creating a 3D model and flattening it the way you normally do with traditional CAD programs. We have a variety of these tutorials available, covering everything from designing text to setting up an AI file for bending, and this article will walk you through how to use Adobe Illustrator with an easy step-by-step guide. Although it’s not the most beginner friendly software to learn and use, our Adobe Illustrator tutorials will guide you through every step of the way. Utilizing Adobe Illustrator for laser cutting allows you to make precise drawings to ensure an accurate cut every time. Adobe Illustrator is an effective, versatile 2D design tool widely used by almost every industry.
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