Acrylic coffee caddy
Produce this stylish coffee caddy using several layers of TroGlass. This is a project for advanced laser users.
Acrylic coffee caddy
Produce this stylish coffee caddy using several layers of TroGlass. This is a project for advanced laser users.
Preparation
You Will Need
- 1/2 sheet TroGlass Duo Night and Day 3mm (or other various TroGlass products 3mm)
- 1/2 sheet TroGlass Clear 10mm
- 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
You can create this sample with any machine from the Trotec SP series. To be able to cut 10mm of acrylic neatly and professionally, you'll need 100 Watts of laser power or more.
Tip
We recommend using the acrylic cutting table, or even a cutting table with acrylic lamellas. Always be sure to remove the protective foil from the front of the material before you begin laser processing it to avoid damage.
Step by step
Step 1: Import Design
Import our design into your chosen graphics program. Feel free to make any adjustments you wish. Then, send the job to your laser machine using the print settings in the following step.
Step 2: Kerf Correction
While your machine is cutting, a kerf develops due to the vaporisation of the material as well as the laser beam diameter.
The 'kerf' is the differences between the inner edge and the outer edge. So, your designs must be adapted to this kerf to ensure durable positioning of the inserted parts.
It's very simple - you'll just need to incorporate the calculated kerf by using the 'contour' command in CorelDraw. This way, the cut will be as large as required, and the inserted material will fit in its base (we used a kerf of .21mm).
Print Settings
Process Mode | Resolution | Cut Line |
---|---|---|
Standard | 500dpi | None |
Halftone | Others |
---|---|
Colour | Enhanced Geometries, Inner Geometries First |
Step 3: Laser Process
Now, engrave and cut each of the acrylic parts. For the best suction, position the material neatly in the laser machine and then cover the rest of the engraving table with scrap paper. Furthermore, ensure that you always remove the protective foil from the front of the material to ensure it doesn't get damaged!
Use the 2" lens for the 3mm acrylic, but the 10mm material is cut with the 2.5" lens. Start engraving at the bottom of the material and work your way up for the best engraving results.
Laser Parameters
Material | Colour | Process | Power (%) | Speed (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
TroGlass Duo 3mm | Black | Engrave CO2 | 12 | 20 |
TroGlass Duo 3mm | Red, Green | Cut CO2 | 40 | 0.2 |
TroGlass Clear 3mm | Red, Green | Cut CO2 | 30 | 0.2 |
TroGlass Clear 10mm | 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 | -3mm | - |
Info:
- We used the JobControl® standard parameters, optimised for quality.
- You can download all material parameters here.
- The only difference between the parameters of TroGlass Duo and TroGlass Clear is the cutting frequency. You can cut both materials with 5000 Hz if you wish.
Step 4: Assembly
Finally, you just need to glue all the individual parts together! Mount the letters and the storage compartments into the base plates. Secure the coffee bar on the wall with screws and dowels. You now have a nifty, handmade coffee caddy!
Tip:
Want some special effects? Place a few coffee beans into the hollow space behind the storage compartments.