Make an attractive rotating display table using TroGlass Mirror
Make this extraordinary rotating jewellery display from TroGlass Mirror - all you need is a little bit of fingertip skill.
Make an attractive rotating display table using TroGlass Mirror
Make this extraordinary rotating jewellery display from TroGlass Mirror - all you need is a little bit of fingertip skill.
TroGlass Mirror adds style to this amazing rotating display table. All you need is TroGlass Mirror, a Trotec Laser and you can showcase jewellery or other special items.
Preparation
Required material
- 1/2 sheet TroGlass Mirror rose gold
- 1/4 sheet MDF 6mm
- 1/4 sheet TroGlass Clear 3mm
- 1/4 sheet TroGlass Clear 8mm
- 1 sheet LaserPaper Synthetic 300g
- Ball bearing with 42mm outer diameter
- Covering material
Machine Used
- Speedy 400 flexx, 120/50W
- 2" lens & 2,85" flexx-lens
- Vacuumtable with Honeycomb cutting grid and acrylic cutting grid
Of course, you can also laser cut this rotating table using any lasers in the Speedy laser engraver series or SP laser cutter series.
Tips
You can easilly adjust the size of the table to suit different sized items.
This TroGlass Mirror rotating table uses battery powered LED lights to light the inside. For a non-lit version thats ecconomical, choose TroGlass and MDF.
Step by step
Step 1: Design
Import the graphics template into your preffered graphics program. Edit the size of the design to suit the items you wish to display. Send the four seperate files to your Trotec laser using JobControl.
The first two files are the circular graphics which should be laser cut from MDF. We reccomend using the following settings:
Process mode | Resolution | Cut line |
---|---|---|
Cut Job | 1000dpi | none |
Halftone | Others |
---|---|
color | Optimized geometries, inner geometries first |
Info:
The small circle with the blue outline (the outline is only there to assist with assembly) is used to attach the cube to the ball bearing. The size of the circle is determined by the inner diameter of your ball bearing + 0.2mm kerf.
Step 2: Laser process the MDF
We reccomend the 2" lens for this project. Place the MDF on the honeycomb bed. Cover the rest of the bed to create a vacuum and increase suction. The parameters below are an example only, and should be adjusted to suit the model and power of your laser.
Laser Parameter | Color | Process | Power % | Speed % | ppi/Hz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cutting | Black | Cut Co2 | 5 | 1 | 1000 |
Cutting | Red | Cut Co2 | 100 | 0.6 | 1000 |
Cutting | Blue | Cut Co2 | 100 | 0.6 | 1000 |
Laser Parameter | Passes | Air Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cutting (black) | 1 | On | 0mm | - |
Cutting (red) | 1 | On | 0mm | - |
Cutting (blue) | 1 | On | 0mm | - |
Tip:
Use the small nose cone with small hole nozzle to improve the cut quality on wood.
Step 3: Graphic TroGlass Clear 3mm
Use a clear cube made from TroGlass to position LED lights inside the display. The MDF circle (Ø20.2mm) can be attached using acrylic adhesive to allow the cube to rotate smoothly on the ball bearing. We reccomend the following settings for the TroGlass cube:
Process mode | Resolution | Cut Line |
---|---|---|
Cut Job | 1000dpi | None |
Halftone | Others |
---|---|
Color | Optimized geometries, inner geometries first |
Step 4: Laser Process TroGlass Clear 3mm
Place the 3mm TroGlass on the honeycomb cutting table. Cover the remaining area to create a vacuum. Adjust the parameters below to suit your laser model and laser power:
Laser Process | Color | Process | Power % | Speed % | ppi/Hz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cutting | Black | Cut CO2 | 8 | 1 | 1000 |
Cutting | Red | Cut CO2 | 80 | 0.5 | 5000 |
Laser Process | Passes | Air-Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cutting (Black) | 1 | On | 0.5mm | - |
Cutting (Red) | 1 | On | - | - |
Info:
The honeycomb table is suitable for this application because the pieces will not be visable in the final project. However, for best results use the acrylic table when cutting acrylic.
You can create cubes or varying sizes using makeabox.io. In the settings, enter 0.25mm as the kerf to ensure the joins of the cube remain strong once joined.
Step 5: Graphic TroGlass Clear 8mm
Use a circle of 8mm TroGlass to support the side panels. The paper strip with the TroGlass Mirror rectangles will be glued onto this later. Use the following settings as a guide, and adjust to suit your laser model and power:
Process mode | Resolution | Cut line |
---|---|---|
Cut Job | 1000dpi | none |
Halftone | Others |
---|---|
Color | Optimized geometries, inner geometries first |
Step 6: Laser Process the TroGlass Clear 8mm
Place the 8mm TroGlass onto the table. Cover the rest of the working surface to create a vacuum and reduce the risk of fire. The parameters suggested below will need to be adjusted to suit your laser model and power:
Laser Parameter | Colour | Process | Power % | Speed % | ppi/Hz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cutting | Black | Cut CO2 | 8 | 1 | 1000 |
Cutting | Red | Cut CO2 | 95 | 0.25 | 20000 |
Laser Parameter | Passes | Air Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cutting (Black) | 1 | On | 0mm | - |
Cutting (Red) | 1 | On | - 2mm | - |
Step 7: Graphic TroGlass Mirror
The last step is to laser cut the most important parts of the display using TroGlass Mirror. Send the files to JobControl, with the rectangular side parts and the engraved circle graphics sent individually. The same settings can be used for both. This helps to better position both jobs later.
Process mode | Resolution | Cut line |
---|---|---|
Standard Job | 500dpi | none |
Halftone | Others |
---|---|
color | Optimized geometries, inner geometries first |
Step 8: Laser Process the TroGlass Mirror
We reccomend the 2.85" flexx len to laser cut TroGlass Mirror. Don't forget to change the lens setting in JobControl to 2.85" flexx.
Affix double-sided tape to the back of the TroGlass Mirror acrylic. Position the design with the rectangles (the green border indicates the size of the paper), after laser cutting the adhesive film can be removed and the rectangles glued to the paper. This creates a suitable distance between the rectangles on the paper.
Place the engraved circle in a position where there is no adhesive tape on the material.
Adjust the parameters belowto suit the laser and power:
Laser Process | Color | Process | Power % | Speed % | ppi/Hz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Engraving | Black | Engrave FLP | 25 | 30 | 30000 |
Cutting | Red | Cut CO2 | 15 | 1.5 | 5000 |
Cutting | Blue | Cut CO2 | 35 | 0.4 | 5000 |
Position | Green | Positioning | - | - | - |
Laser Process | Passes | Air-Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
---|---|---|---|---|
Engraving (Black) | 1 | On | 0mm | High Quality |
Cutting (Red) | 1 | On | 2mm | - |
Cutting (Blue) | 1 | On | 0 | - |
Positioning (Green) | - | - | - | - |
Info:
Using the fibre laser of your Speedy Flexx, you can engrave the mirror layer of theTroGlass Mirror material - without marking the TroGlass itself. The fibre laser will provie the best engraving result when engraving on TroGlass.
Tip:
The LaserPaper strip can be cut easilly using a retractable blade/craft knife or Tixo. The length of the strip (circumference of the TroGlass Mirror circle) should be 610mm, with a height of 105mm.
Step 9: Build the display
The first step to assembling the display is to place the ball bearing into the middle recess of the large circle of MDF (Ø194mm). Glue the small MDF circle (Ø160mm) underneath. This lifts provides a pedestal effect to the display and gives the appearance of floating.
Assemble the TroGlass cube. Use acrylic glue to position the smallest circle of MDF (Ø20,2mm) on the center point (marked with an X). Follow thr manufacturers instructions in regards to curing time for the glue. Once dried, place the cube into the ball bearing. The 8mm thick TroGlass disc is provided with a double-sided adhesive tape around the edge.
Now you can affix the disc to the cube using either adhesive dots or acrylic glue. Use the centre points marked with an X for ease of alignment.
Turn the display made up to now on the head, remove the adhesive strip from the edge of the window, and carefully glue the paper strip to the TroGlass Mirror. Ensure that the start and end of the strip are placed at the open part of the cube. Don't glue the strip in place if you intend to backlight the display (so that you can still reach inside the display). Modify the design with a magnetic closing mechanism if desired.
Finally, use adhesive dots to glue the TroGlass Mirror cover plate made to the transparent section.
Congratulations! You've now created your own eye catching rotating table display using TroGlass Mirrorred Acrylic.
Why is TroGlass Mirror perfect for this application?
Range. Colour. Finish.
These three words perfectly describe the Trotec TroGlass range of acrylics. TroGlass was designed specially to provide the best finish for laser processed applications, such as cutting and engraving.
This project demonstrates how to make an attractive rotating table from the latest additoin to the TroGlass range: TroGlass Mirror.
TroGlass Mirror is an extruded acrylic that features a reflective surface. TroGlass Mirror is a durable, safe and easy to laser process alternative to glass mirror.
Inspiration
- The display looks great on your sales counter to showcase exceptional or special merchandise such as perfume, watches or cakes or chocolates.
- As a simplified version, you can also build the display without lighting and without ball bearings.
- With a few technical adaptations, you can also use the display upside down as a funky lamp - why not try it today!