Mobile from TroGlass Pastel

Manufacture this individual mobile out of different acrylic materials.

Preparation

Materials required

TroGlass Pastel 3mm (for the bodies of the elephants) each 1/4 plate in mint, yellow, orange, lilac, pink, light blue
TroGlass Satins 3mm (for the ears, hearts and for the tire for the suspension) each 1/4 plate in lime green, yellow, orange, violet, fuchsia, blue
Cotton thread or silk

TroGlass acrylic is available to order from our engraving supplies webshop.

Laser cutting machine used

Speedy 360, 80 watts
2" lens
Nozzle with large opening
Air assist low
Acrylic cutting grid table

Other machines of the Speedy laser engraver series can be used to create the mobile.

Tip

This tutorial is an excellent way to experiment with combining different colours to create a striking mobile.

trotec-laser-nursery-mobile.zip

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Step by step

Step 1

Step 1: Create your own design or use our template

Make sure that the cutting gap corresponds to the thickness of the material so that the individual parts can then be inserted into each other.
Laser cutting according to our template:

1x suspension ring large
1x suspension eyelet small
8x elephant (in different colours)
8x ears (with desired motives in different colours)
Heart large (in desired number and colour)
Heart small (in desired number and colour)

Use the desired colour combinations to create the print jobs for the respective acrylic plates.
Now send the corresponding job to the laser using the settings below.

Print Settings

Process mode	Resolution	Cut line
Standard	500 dpi	none

Halftone	Others
Colour	optimised geometries inner geometries first

Step 2

Step 2: Laser Cutting TroGlass

The next step is to create the parameter settings. These parameter settings apply to both TroGlass Pastel (3mm) and TroGlass Satins (3mm). Please note that our suggested parameters may vary depending on the laser machine used and the available laser power.

Leave the protective film on both the top and bottom of the acrylic sheets. Place the material on the acrylic grid cutting table in the laser cutting machine. Cover the remaining surface to create the best possible vacuum using a suitable material. Perform the laser process for each acrylic sheet accordingly.

Laser parameters

Colour	Process	Power (%)	Speed (%)	ppi/Hz
Blue	Cut CO₂	10	1	1000 Hz
Red	Cut CO₂	50	0.2	5000 Hz

Passes	Air Assist	Z-Offset	Direction	Advanced
1	ON	-	-	Correction 10
1	ON	-	-	Correction 10

Step 3

Step 3: Assemble the elephants

Once the laser cutting process has been completed, remove the parts from the laser machine. Peel off the protective foil from the top and bottom of the individual design parts.

Prepare all cut out parts.
Put the ears together with the respective part of the torso.
Combine the colours as you wish to create a striking effect.

Step 4

Step 4: Attaching the thread

Now thread a thread through the hole at the head of the elephant.
Then feed the same thread from the other side through the hole in the fuselage.
The resulting crosshairs fix the ears to the elephant's trunk.
Knot the thread above the ears.
Follow these steps for all elephant models.

Step 5

Step 5: Assembly

Now thread two threads of the desired length for the suspension into the opposite, larger holes on the ring. Make sure to also pull the thread through the small oval ring for the suspension.
Hold the tire by the suspension and adjust the length of the threads so that the ring hangs horizontally. Knot the ends.
Finally, hang all elephants and hearts in the desired arrangement in the holes provided on the ring.

TroGlass Pastel – fresh and lively pastel-coloured acrylic

TroGlass Pastel is the newest addition to the Trotec range of engravable materials for laser cutting and laser engraving. These new acrylic sheets make your applications pop with vibrant colours and feature all the benefits of cast acrylics. TroGlass Pastel features one gloss and one matt side, broadening the range of creative applications possible with the material. Available in standard sheet size (1216x606 mm), all TroGlass pastel sheets are 3mm thick.

Be fully in trend with TroGlass Pastel

Inspiration

Make each elephant individual and combine different colours!

This tutorial also works well with other materials, including woods. When using different materials, pay attention to the material thickness and adjust the cutting gap in the graphic accordingly if necessary.

Please note: this mobile is not a toy, it is only suitable for decoration purposes! Install the mobile out of reach of small children!

Speedy series
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Questions about applications or settings?
We're happy to advise you from A for Air assist to Z for z-offset.