Laser cutting for idiots?

[Dave V]

Reference my thread about the PRR Huntingdon depot (https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=60459.msg833102#msg833102), it was suggested that a laser cutter may be the answer.

Well, I'm a neophyte when it comes to incorporating software into my hobby. Is there somewhere someone could point me to learn the process? I've seen Dave Meek's stuff on YouTube but I still feel like I have no idea how or where to start. The sum of what I know:

1) I would need some sort of software to design the project. No idea which one to use.

2) And that's way easier said than done. Assuming I have the dimensions I need I'll still have to translate what I see into actual plans.

3) Then I need to find a laser cutter. I would guess Colorado Springs has a maker space as was suggested...but I don't know if all laser cutters are created equal.

All of this is immediately intimidating, way more so than building a trestle from scratch.

But if I could figure this out, then my need for a standard PRR interlocking tower would also be met.

[Chris333]

I used AutoCAD, with it you just change the color of the lines for "cut" or "etch".  I imagine what program you use depends on who has the laser and what they use. I have sent files to Monroe Models to have cut. And Robert Ray cut some stuff for me a while back. I never bought a laser because of all the people I know with them. Easier to just ask them.

This was a depot I drew and Monroe cut: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KyhZsAXDvbCEse1v5

[Chris333]

This is the artwork for the depot walls:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/H3kKiLpnYLZ66ceb8
White is cut, red is etch. You can see the little tabs I left so the parts don't blow away as they are cut.

Here are the windows:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2pmqYQaLYWofq9ke7

If you ever built a laser kit you can figure out what you need.

[AlwaysSolutions]

I'm not an expert but I have a laser, use it, and follow the tech.

1)  LightBurn (https://lightburnsoftware.com/) - that's pretty much the software everybody uses to control their laser unless you buy an expensive laser with proprietary software

2)  Any software that can export to .ai, .dxf, .svg vector art.  LightBurn can import regular images, too, to raster print with the laser but you really want vector art for cutting and crisp lines.  I use CorelDraw and Rhino3D - but those aren't free.  Inkscape (https://github.com/inkscape/inkscape) is free.

3)  Not all cutters are created equal.  There are more than two categories, but essentially you're looking at a Diode laser for cutting on the cheap, or CO2 lasers for powerful cutting.  You can't cut clear acrylic with a Diode laser - so no cutting out windows or other fun stuff out of clear sheet acrylic.  CO2 lasers can cut clear acrylic.  Power for Diode lasers run the range from "yay I can cut paper!" to cutting through quarter inch ply.  Prices range accordingly.

This guy makes a lot of videos about different lasers - browse his collection to get answers about specific units: https://www.youtube.com/@makeorbreakshop

Hope that's a helpful start -Mike

[samusi01]

I use Adobe Illustrator. Unless you are made of money or have ready access to a license, I'd not recommend it. Rather, as mentioned, look towards inkscape as much more reasonably priced alternative. Fair warning, though - I've been using Illustrator for over a decade, and the learning curve is more like the brick wall you desire to model. That said, dive in, consult YouTube for how-to videos, start simple... a brick wall isn't as simple as it appears.

Translating stuff - I'm not afraid to cheat by dropping a photo into the workspace (warning: Illustrator image follows), in this case to play around with aligning and sizing artwork.



Once the image is properly scaled, vector artwork can be drawn and placed where one needs it to be placed, or structures can be traced...

As you surmise, not all lasers are created equal. Whilst @Chris333 uses colors for etching vs. cutting, the lasers I use differentiate those tasks based on line width. A line of 0.001" is cut and lines thicker than that are etched. Colors are used to separate out various functions. As an example, the replacement FB bulkheads had three different colors. Each color can be configured by the Epilog software to have different settings.



Therefore, when the software sees the blue of the bolt holes, the green of the boards, and the red of the outline, it allows me to conduct each color with different settings and in different orders, allowing me to first do the bolt holes, then follow up with the boards, and finally cut the part out. Like Chris, I do use tabs to keep things together as otherwise one spends time rummaging around in the laser's guts trying to find that part. Annoying each time, and a waste of one's time as well.

Your local makerspace (https://www.pikespeakmakerspace.org/) does proudly advertise their lasers up front, and they'd be experts on how those work. I usually source my material from https://encompass-media.salesvu.com/. Some acrylics- like the one featured in my first image - are laser safe and others are most decidedly not safe. Pike's Peak will have a list.

Here's a blast from the past to get you thinking about artwork, and lasers:  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=52092.msg711545#msg711545

[rodsup9000]

   Dave,
    I use Sketchup Pro for all my laser cutting. For different operations, (cutting verses etching) I just draw each operation and use indexing. I have a vacuum table and once I start, I don't touch the piece on the table. Here is one for a brick structure.

 For brick, I use 2 plates, one for all the horizontal lines, and the other for vertical lines  Here is the "etch" plates


 




 If you notice at all 4 corners, I have a "index" mark for each plate



The next 2 plates are "cut" plates. The interlocking brick on the corners are a separate plate, so I can slow the speed and lower the power for a more precise cuts.









 Here is all the plates "indexed"





  Close up







and mock up of the cut parts with printed windows and doors.











 Give me some dimensions and I'll see what I can draw up. And if you like what you see, I'll cut it out for you.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

If you're going to use Inkscape, there are lots of other things you can do with it once you get good.

Here's a basic intro:

[Dave V]

 Give me some dimensions and I'll see what I can draw up. And if you like what you see, I'll cut it out for you.

Thanks! I have to do some more work to figure out what footprint I need. I have the dimensions of the prototype, but I'm going to have to reduce it by some 40% or more to fit the module.