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Acrylic coffee caddy
Step-by-step instruction
Produce this stylish coffee caddy using several layers of TroGlass. This is a project for advanced laser users.
Preparation
Required material:
- 1/2 sheet TroGlass Duo Night and Day 3mm (or other various TroGlass products 3mm)
- 1/2 sheet TroGlass Clear 10 mm
- Rest TroGlass Clear 3mm
- Rest TroGlass frosted Light Yellow
(Materials available from Trotec) - Material to cover the working table
- Adhesive tape
- Acrylic glue
- Coffee beans
Machine used:
- Speedy 400 with 120 watts
- 2" and 2.5" lens
This sample can be produced with any laser machine of the SP laser cutter series. For high-quality and efficient cutting of 10 mm acrylic you need laser power of 100 watts or more.
Tip:
Use the acrylic cutting table or the cutting table with acrylic lamellas.
Remove the protective foil on the front right before laser procesing to avoid scratches.
Step by Step
Step 1: Import design
Import our design template into your graphic program. Send the job to your laser using the print settings mentioned in the next step.
Step 2: Kerf correction
When cutting, a kerf develops due to the vaporization of the material and the laser beam diameter.
The difference between the inner edge and the outer edge of the cut is called 'kerf'. The drawing must be adapted to this kerf to ensure durable positioning of the inserted parts.
Simply incorporate the calculated kerf by using the "Contour" command in CorelDraw. With this, the cut is actually as large as required, and the inserted material fits in the base material. (We used a kerf of 0.21 mm.) Expand all green cutting lines to the previously calculated kerf.
Print settings
| Process mode | Resolution | Cut line |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 500 dpi | non |
| Halftone | Others |
|---|---|
| Color | enhanced geometries, inner geometries first |
Step 3: Laser process
Engrave and cut the various parts of acrylic. For optimal suction, positon the material and cover the rest of the engraving table. Furthermore, remove the protective foil from the front of the material.
Use the 2" lens for the 3 mm acrylic, the 10 mm material is cut with the 2.5" lens. Start the engraving from bottom to top for optimum engraving results.
Laser Parameters
| Material | Color | Process | Power (%) | Speed (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TroGlass Duo 3 mm | black | engrave CO2 | 12 | 20 |
| TroGlass Duo, Frosted 3 mm | red, green | cut CO2 | 40 | 0.2 |
| TroGlass Clear 3 mm | red, green | cut CO2 | 30 | 0.2 |
| TroGlass Clear 10 mm | red, green | cut CO2 | 90 | 0.1 |
| ppi/Hz | Passes | Air Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 1 | on | - | Engraving direction from bottom |
| 5 000 | 1 | on | - | - |
| 20 000 | 1 | on | - | - |
| 20 000 | 1 | on | -3 mm | - |
Info:
- We used the JobControl® standard parameters optimized for quality.
- You can download the material parameters from www.troteclaser.com
Step 4: Assembly
Finally, glue the individual parts together. Mount the letters and the storage compartments into the base plates, and secure the coffee bar on the wall with screws and dowels.
Tip:
In order to achieve a special effect, fill some coffee beans in the hollow space behind the storage compartments.
