Laser Cutting and Engraving

Reserve the laser cutter. If you’ve never used it before and/or are unsure of the process, feel free to stop by the MakerSpace and speak with our staff about your project.

Bring your own items to be cut/engraved, we have a list of allowable material further down on this page. You will also need to bring in a digital file of your logo, image or pattern that you intend to cut or engrave onto your material. If you are unsure of anything, we recommend that you just pop into the MakerSpace before the day of your reservation so that we can review your digital files and materials that you intend to use with the laser cutter.

Only allowable materials can be cut or engraved. If you’re unsure of what a material is, we will not cut it. MakerSpace staff is not qualified to determine what materials are made of. As some materials can off-put toxic gas, we can only cut and engrave items of verifiable origin.

Of course! We don’t expect everyone to be familiar with using laser cutters. Feel free to stop by with questions about your project or if you’d like to stop by just to see how it works and get some ideas. We’ll be happy to help.

For cutting: The laser can cut up to 24" in length x 12" width, and 3/16" thickness.
For engraving: it can house flat materials 24 inches x 12 inches x 8 inches deep OR cylindrical objects up to 20 inches long.

The time it takes varies on the size of the project, whether you are cutting or engraving, and the file. Examples of times:
24" x12" wood cutting with many pieces: 20-45 min
engraving aluminum travel mug: 7 min

We cannot offer time estimates, so please overbook the time you think it’ll take when reserving.

The Epilog Zing will engrave anything from vector designs and logos to photographs. Additionally, it can engrave on a variety of materials from denim and fleece to glass and anodized aluminum. It will also engrave cylindrical objects. For more information on what the Zing is capable of, see Epilog’s gallery.

The laser cutter is free to use. Patrons must bring their own materials for cutting/engraving.

You can download cutting projects from various sources on the web including:

• Thingiverse
• You can also do a search for images appropriate for cutting or engraving

Options are limitless!

To make a file for cutting, we recommend using Corel Draw or another vector graphic software like:

• Adobe Illustrator
• Inkscape

(You can find these in the MakerSpace.)

Check out this tutorial for more information on how to create files in Corel to work with the laser cutter. In short:

• you’ll use Hairline lines to cut materials
• All other images will be engraved in grayscale
• Once you have a file prepared, we will load it into Corel to print on the laser cutter for you

Don’t know how to use these software programs? Check out Lynda.com online tutorials free with your library card!

Engraving:

• Wood
• Acrylic
• Fabric/Cloth
• Glass
• Coated Metals
• Ceramics (Including Tile)
• Delrin
• Leather
• Marble
• Matte Board
• Melamine
• Paper
• Mylar
• Pressboard
• Rubber
• Wood Veneer
• Painted Metals
• Cork
• Corian
• Anodized Aluminum

Cutting:

• Wood
• Acrylic
• Fabric/Cloth
• Delrin
• Leather
• Matte Board
• Melamine
• Paper
• Mylar
• Pressboard
• Rubber
• Wood Veneer
• Cork
• Corian