Can lasers make 3D things?

Can lasers make 3D things?

It’s not a 3D printer

Most laser machines work in 2D – the laser firing downwards from above. In the case of a plotter style laser the laser beam is moved around on an X and Y axis on rails with mirrors. With galvo lasers the beam is redirected from the head by a pair of X-Y mirrors, ‘galvanometer’ being the name for the mechanism. Some galvos have ‘3D’ heads but that only means that it has a third axis in the head which adjusts the beam focus to allow for varying heights like curved objects.

So how does a laser do 3D then?

Think of flatpack furniture, that famous Swedish company say. Your bookcase doesn’t come as a great big 6×6-foot box, it came in a 6-foot by 1-foot box and you had to assemble it. It’s the same with lasered items – you create the components then assemble them. Take our Hellraiser box, for example, that’s made from one sheet of 3mm ply or MDF and a sheet of 0.8mm ply like this: 

As you can see, this assembles into a cube. The surface design is laser cut as six panels from 0.8mm ply to make panels for the faces:

Some paint and glue – you get the idea – and voilà!

Slot it together

Another approach is to slot items together. If you’ve ever made one of those little glider toys you’ll be familiar with this. When made correctly they need no glue and slot together snugly to create the finished item. Here’s a ‘Flatapult’, so called because it’s laser cut from a flat sheet of ply with tabs to hold the parts in place. The tabs mean the parts can be pressed out of the sheet for assembly into a functioning catapult. Ideal for flinging ping-pong balls across the room (or maltesers, if you want).

Or fold it together

One hugely common method is the dieline, used all over the world for boxes. If you’re the one in your house who does the recycling you may well be familiar with this. When flattening a cardboard box you’ll notice how it’s often all one piece, cleverly designed to fold together to make the box. The pattern for this folding box shape is called a dieline and there’s many different types. We use various dielines to create our own boxes. Our GlowTags for example, for which we cut the paper/card and, with the laser at lower power, score the lines for easy folding. The dieline design holds itself together and only a tiny piece of double-sided tape in one corner is needed to stop it unfolding itself. Here’s how the dieline looks along with a finished box (we cut our own packaging inserts too!).

Inspired?

Hopefully you’ve found this interesting, possibly even fascinating. If it has inspired you with some ideas for creations from theatrical props to malteser-flingers then feel free to run your ideas past us