Napkin ring made with technical cutting for bending applications

In this tutorial we will show you how to use the "Kerf Cut" process to make a napkin ring out of wood.

Preparation

Required Material

1 sheet TroLase Foil, White/Black
1 sheet Wood Veneer, Walnut
Material to cover the engraving table

Machine Used

Speedy 360, 120 Watt
1.5" Lens
Big and small nozzle
Vacuum table with acrylic and honeycomb cutting tables

This design could also be made with any other laser machine in the Trotec Laser Speedy series.

Tips

We decided to use a 1.5" lens because of the design's small and intricate cuts.

napkin-ring.zip

ZIP

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ZIP

Download now

Step by step

Step 1

Step 1: Design

Import our image into your program and change it to fit your needs. We have already tested cutting techniques that can be used for bending applications for you. See our "Kerf Cut" article in Tips & Tricks to find more examples.

Print Settings:

Process mode	Resolution	Cut line
Vector Job	1000dpi	No

Halftone	Others
Color	Optimized Geometries, Inner Geometries first

Step 2

Step 2: Laser processing the wood veneer

Put the honeycomb cutting table inside of your Trotec laser, then put the small nozzle on the laser head. Put the walnut sheet inside and then cover the rest of the table's surface. Send the following settings to the laser, keeping in mind that they may be different for you depending on your machine and laser power.

Laser parameters:

Color	Process	Power (%)	Speed (%)	ppi/Hz
Red	Cut CO₂	100	1.2	1,000

Passes	Air Assist	Z-Offset	Advanced
1	On	0mm	-

In our Tips & Tricks section, we explain why and how to pick the correct nozzle for a project.

Trotec print settings for Trolase Lights

Step 3

Step 3: Send the graphic

Send the file for the TroLase Foil embellishment to the laser machine with the below parameters:

Process mode	Resolution	Cut line
Vector Job	1000dpi	No

Halftone	Others
-	Optimized Geormetries, Inner Geometries First

Step 4

Step 4: Laser process the TroLase Foil

Take out the honeycomb cutting table and the small nozzle, then put the acrylic grid cutting table and the large nozzle in their places. Place the TroLase Foil in the laser machine and cover the rest of the working surface.

Laser parameters:

Color	Process	Power (%)	Speed (%)	ppi/Hz
Red	Cut CO₂	20	1.0	1000

Passes	Air Assist	Z-Offset	Advanced
1	On	0mm	-

Tip:

It is important to pay close attention to the suction on the thin TroLase Foil to be sure that the surface stays flat during the entire laser process.

Step 5

Step 5: Cleaning and assembly

Wipe each individual part with a damp cloth. It may also be good to wipe the back of the wooden ring so the napkin will not get dirty later on.

Have the wooden ring sit flat and then glue the TroLase Foil roughly halfway off.

To be certain that the napkin will not stick to the foil half that is hanging off, we score and remove half the foil on the back using a craft knife. To finish it off, create a ring around a cloth napkin and then hold it in place using the circular connector.