Advent wreath made of acrylic and MDF

Create a modern advent wreath from acrylic and MDF using our tutorial (to order engraving materials, please visit our materials webshop)

Preparation

Required material:

3 half sheets (606 x 606 mm) of acrylic, any colour and thickness
(available at trotec)
1 sheet (1220 x 600 mm) of MDF of any thickness (available at trotec)
Acrylic and Super Glue
Candles and decorations

Laser machine used:

Speedy 400 flexx
80 Watt with 2" lens

You can use any machine of the SP series for this sample. If you want to use a Speedy 360 or Speedy 300, please adapt the cutting files accordingly. The sheets should have a minimum height of 345 mm.

Important:

To cut the MDF, please use the aluminum cutting grid table.
For cutting the acrylic we recommend the acyclic grid cutting table. It prevents the material from reflections of the laser beam on the back of the material

Step by Step

Step 1: Import/create design template

Import our design template into your graphic program or make your own design. We created a design that allows you to produce two advent wreaths in a single cutting step. This not only saves you time but also material. Send your design to the laser using the recommended settings.

Important:

Please cut all 5 different files out of the acrylic. (They differ by the position of the circles for assembly). This ensures that the single elements do not sit exactly above the other, but they are slightly turned. Page 6 of the file is for the MDF.

Print settings

process mode	resolution	cut line
Standard	500 dpi	none

halftone	others
colour	enhanced geometries inner geometries first

Step 2: Laser process

Position the MDF into your laser and cut it out. Then put the first acrylic sheet into your laser and cover the rest of the table to maximise the exhaust power. Remove the protective foil after laser processing.

Laser Parameters Acrylic 3 mm

colour	process	power (%)	speed (%)	ppi/HZ
red	cutting CO₂	100	0.9	1000

passes	Air Assist	Z-Offset	Advanced
1	on	0	-

Laser Parameters MDF

colour	process	power (%)	speed (%)	ppi/HZ
red	cutting CO₂	100	0.5	1000

passes	Air Assist	Z-Offset	Advanced
1	on	0	-

Info:

We used the standard laser parameters from JobControl® optimised for quality
The material parameters of JobControl® can be downloaded from www.troteclaser.co.uk

Step 3: Post-processing

To assemble the advent wreath, position the individual components in any order. The small circles are positioning guides and take the pins of the candle holders. The different elements using acrylic or super glue, however we fixed the pieces with the silver band and the candle holders.

Now let your creativity flow and decorate the advent wreath with any items you like.