Step 1: Prepare the Design and Send it to Your Laser
To prepare the artwork for your mobile, you will require the following components.
1 large suspension ring
1 small suspension eyelet
8 elephant cutouts
8 elephant ear ear cutouts
8 heart cutouts (large and/or small)
You can choose whichever colour combinations, as well as ear and heart designs, you like best for your mobile. We suggest using the TroGlass Pastel sheets for the bodies of the elephants, and the TroGlass Satins for the ears and hearts.
We prepared a template (above), which you may download and adjust as desired.
Once your artwork files are finalized, send them to your Trotec laser using the settings below.
If you are preparing your own custom artwork for this project, ensure that the slots for the elephant ears corresponds to the thickness of the material. If the slots are too big or too small, the pieces won't properly fit together.
Print Settings
Process mode
Resolution
Cut line
Standard
500 dpi
none
Halftone
Others
Color
optimized geometries inner geometries first
Step 2: Process the TroGlass Sheets
Leave the protective film on both sides of your TroGlass sheets. Proceed to place the first sheet you want to process on the acrylic grid cutting table in your Speedy laser. Cover the remaining work area with scrap paper (e.g., standard printing paper) to concentrate the laser's vaccuum suction on your material. This trick will prevent it from moving while being cut and engraved.
Select the design you wish to cut from the sheet in your laser, and enter your laser processing settings. The recommended parameters below apply to both 1/8" TroGlass Pastel and 1/8" TroGlass Satins.
Please note that the optimal processing settings may vary based on your particular laser and its maximum wattage.
Repeat this process until you have all of the required components for your mobile.
Laser Parameters
Color
Process
Power (%)
Speed (%)
ppi/Hz
Blue
Cut CO2
10
1
1000 Hz
Red
Cut CO2
50
0.2
5000 Hz
Passes
Air Assist
Z-Offset
Direction
Advanced
1
ON
-
-
Correction 10
1
ON
-
-
Correction 10
Step 3: Assemble the Elephants
Once you have processed all of the crib mobile components, peel away the protective foil from both sides of each piece.
To make an elephant, simply insert an ear cutout into the slot on a body cutout.
Step 4: Secure the Elephant Ears to the Body
Once all of the elephants are assembled, select one of them. Thread the string through the first hole on the elephant's head (i.e., the one in front of the ears, closest to its trunk). Then continue to feed the same string through the hole at the back of the elephant's ears (as pictured below).
Finish by cutting the string, leaving enough to tie a knot above the elephant's ears to keep them firmly in place.
Repeat this process with the remaining elephant cutouts.
Step 5: Construct the Mobile
Take the large cutout, and choose a larger hole on the outer edge of the ring. Thread a long (for example, 3 ft.) piece of string through that hole, as well as the same-sized hole directly beneath, closer to the interior of the ring.
Take the small-oval-shaped ring, and thread the same piece of string through its centre. Finally, thread the string through the large holes directly opposite to the first and second holes you threaded. Do not yet tie a knot.
Repeat the same process with the remaining large holes on the large ring. Be sure to thread the string through the small ovular ring. Once you are done, lift the mobile by the small ovular ring (see the image below).
Adjust the length of the strings as desired, and tie a knot at the ends when you are ready to move to the next step.
Finally, cut pieces of string to hang all of the elephant and heart cutouts to complete your mobile.
IMPORTANT
This project is intended for decorative purposes only. Ensure to keep all parts out of the reach of infants and children.
TroGlass Pastel Acrylics
In addition to nursery decorations, TroGlass Pastel acrylics are ideal for spring-themed décor and dessert cafe signage.
These materials feature one matte and one glossy side, and are available in six different colours: mint, lilac, yellow, pink, orange and blue.
Despite their delicate appearance, TroGlass Pastel sheets are durable! They boast high colour stability, and are highly resistant to bleaching and fading.
