Cork Board

It couldn't be simpler to create this breathtaking Cork pinboard. Follow our instructions and use the provided design template to make your very own.

Preparation

Required material:

1 sheet of Cork, 3mm
1 sheet of MDF, 600x300mm, 6mm + adhesive tape
Cover material

Machine Used:

Speedy 360, 80 watts
2" lens
Aluminum cutting grid table

Of course, you can also produce this pattern with all other machines in the Speedy laser engraver series .

Tip:

Unlease your creativity and try out various designs to suit your client's or personal preferences.

Step by Step

Step 1: Design

Start by uploading our design template and adapting it to your preferences. With the relief mode and the two gray levels in the graphic, you can engrave two different shades in one go in the cork. To find out which grayscale achieves which color change, first apply the grayscale matrix.

Send the graphic for the corkboard to your Trotec laser engraver with the following settings:

Process mode	Resolution	Cut line
Relief	333dpi	none

Halftone	Others
Color	Enhanced geometries

Tip:

Because the corkboard is mostly viewed from a distance, you can use a coarser resolution of 333dpi. A higher resolution will not be seen by the human eye, so you can save a lot of time in the laser engraving process.

Step 2: Laser process the cork

Place the cork material sheet in your Trotec laser, on the honeycomb table. Cover the rest of the working area that has remained open. This will help to strengthen the vacuum of your material and minimise the material from shifting. We have found that the large nozzle gives the best engraving results with this material. The parameters can of course vary, depending on the laser machine used and the available laser power.

Laser Parameters: Engraving

Color	Process	Power %	Speed %	ppi/Hz
Black	Engrave CO₂	50	70	500

Passes	Air Assist	Z- offset	Advanced
1	ON	0mm	High Quality

Laser Parameters: Scratching

Color	Process	Power %	Speed %	ppi/Hz
Red	Cut CO₂	12	4	1,000

Passes	Air Assist	Z-offset	Advanced
1	ON	+9 mm	-

Laser Parameters: Cutting

Color	Process	Power %	Speed %	ppi/Hz
Blue	Cut CO₂	60	1	1,000

Passes	Air Assist	Z- offset	Advanced
1	ON	0mm	-

Tip:

Cover the workspace very carefully when working with cork. This will help you achieve the best extraction performance and avoid flaming during cutting.

Step 3: Laser-template MDF support plate

To enhance the stability of the cork and to help attach it better, we placed a slightly smaller sized MDF board on the back of the cork. This will also help you mount it to a wall using wall hooks. Next, send the MDF-template graphics to the laser device with the following settings:

Process mode	Resolution	Cut line
Cut Job	1000dpi	None

Halftone	Others
Color	Enhanced geometries

Step 4: Laser process the MDF

Place the MDF sheet on your Trotec laser machine's bed. The below listed parameters can of course be adjusted, depending on the laser machine used and the available laser power.

Laser parameters	Color	Process	Power %	Speed %	ppi/Hz
Cutting	Red	cut CO2	90	0.4	1,000

Passes	Air Assist	Z offset	Advanced
1	ON	0mm	-

We used the JobControl® default settings for MDF with 6mm thickness.

Finishing of the laser cut cork pinboard

Step 5: Cleaning and assembly

To start finishing off our pinboard, we'll first wipe the cut edges of the cork with a damp cloth. Once complete, you'll then attach the MDF plate to the back of the cork.

Your personalized corkboard is now finished! As easy as that.