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Mother's Day Bouquet:
TroGlass & Wood Veneer
Step by Step Instructions
Here, you will learn how to produce a beautiful, decorative Mother's Day gift.
Preparation
You Will Need:
- 1x sheet - solid wood walnut
- 1x sheet - wood veneer maple
- 1/4x sheet - TroGlass Colour Gloss green transparent
- 1/4x sheet - TroGlass clear
Additional:
- Hot Air Gun
- Bench Vice
- Work Gloves
Machine Used:
- Speedy 400 flexx, 100 watts
- 2" lens / 2.5" lens for TroGlass Clear 10mm
- Vacuum table with honeycomb cutting table resp. acrylic grid
You can use any machine from the Trotec Speedy series to create this sample.
Tip:
Try using the leftover material to create some beautiful 'blossoms'. It's a really good way of making the most out of your material and creating an eye-catching sculpture!
Step by Step
Step 1: Import Design
Have a go at creating your own design if you'd like! Or, feel free to import the template that we have provided – just remember to adapt it to your requirements. For our sample, we engraved a recess out of the blue base plate to hold the TroGlass Metallic Ring in place. Then, send the job to your laser machine using these following driver settings:
Print Settings:
| Process Mode | Resolution | Cut Line |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 500dpi | None |
| Halftone | Others |
|---|---|
| Colour | Optimised geometries, inner geometries first |
Step 2: Cutting the Base Plate
Place the TroGlass Clear onto the acrylic cutting grid and insert the 2.5" lens. Then, cut the base using the following settings. Remember, the parameters may differ depending on what laser machine you are using and its available laser power.
Laser Parameters: Cutting
| Colour | Process | Power (%) | Speed (%) | ppi/Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Cut CO2 | 95 | 0.2 | 20000 |
| Passes | Air Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ON | -3mm | - |
Info:
We decided to use the standard parameters TroGlass Clear (speed optimised) from JobControl®. We found that we had the best results this way.
Step 3: Design - 'Grass'
Send the 'grass' design to the laser machine using the following settings.
Print Settings:
| Process Mode | Resolution | Cut Line |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 500dpi | None |
| Halftone | Others |
|---|---|
| Colour | Optimised Geometries |
Step 4: Laser Process - 'Grass'
Begin using the 2" lens now. Place the dark green TroGlass onto the acrylic cutting grid. Engrave and cut out the design using the following parameters. Remember, the parameters may differ depending on what laser machine you are using and its available laser power.
Laser Parameters
| Process | Colour | Process | Power (%) | Speed (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engraving | Black | Engrave CO2 | 14 | 20 |
| Cutting | Red | Cut CO2 | 100 | 1 |
| ppi/Hz | Passes | Air Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 1 | ON | 0mm | High Quality |
| 1000 | 1 | ON | - | - |
Tip:
When engraving, start at the bottom and work your way up. This will help stop the dust from settling on the engraved area and creating smudges and scratches.
Step 5: Design - 'Stem'
Now, you need to send the solid wood 'stem' design to the laser machine using these following settings:
Print Settings:
| Process Mode | Resolution | Cut Line |
|---|---|---|
| Cut Job | 1000dpi | None |
| Halftone | Others |
|---|---|
| - | Optimised Geometries |
Step 6: Laser Process - 'Stem'
Change over the acrylic cutting grid and swap it for the honeycomb cutting table. Then, position the walnut sheet on top of it. Now, cover the rest of the engraving area so that the vacuum is maximised. Cut the material using these parameters:
Laser Paramters: Cutting
| Colour | Process | Power (%) | Speed (%) | ppi/Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Cut CO2 | 100 | 1 | 1000 |
| Passes | Air Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ON | - | - |
Tip:
By covering the entire engraving area, you will produce a vacuum. This is essential for a clean, consistent cut.
Step 7: Design - 'Blossoms'
Finally, send the abstract bloosom design to your laser machine.
Print Settings:
| Process Mode | Resolution | Cut Line |
|---|---|---|
| Cut Job | 1000dpi | None |
| Halftone | Others |
|---|---|
| - | Optimised Geometries, Inner Geometries first |
Step 8: Laser Process - 'Blossoms'
Place the maple veneer sheet into the laser machine and carefully cover up the rest of the engraving table. Then, cut the blossoms out using the following laser parameters:
Laser Parameters: Cutting
| Colour | Process | Power (%) | Speed (%) | ppi/Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Cut CO2 | 100 | 1.2 | 1000 |
| Passes | Air Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ON | - | - |
Tip:
If you decide to cut the entire sheet for this part, focus on the very middle of the material. This will compensate for any tiny inconsistencies in thickness.
Step 9: Assembly
Stick the stem into the base and decorate it with all your lovely little blossoms. You can combine large and small blossoms to give the piece a random, natural effect. Finally, position the grass into the base plate as well. Your beautiful Mother's Day bouquet is now ready to give to your mum!
Additional Bonus Step:
Twisted blades of grass can be an additional eye-catcher. If you want to make these, you just need to position the 'blades of grass' into a bench vice / heat resistant holder. Then, take a hot air gun and carefully heat the shards of grass. Once they are malleable, deform and twist the hot acrylic. It is very important that you wear gloves if you decide to complete this little bonus step. Hold the acrylic in place until it has cooled down and hardened again. It requires patience, but this can really lift your projects to new heights!
Inspiration
Try using different colours and shades of acrylic! Try some TroGlass Satins or maybe even some TroGlass Frosted. With a little extra creativity, you can even try turning this 'flower bouquet' into an abstract piece of laser art. The sky is your only limit with laser technology!
