How To Make a Customized Jigsaw Puzzle
Laser Cut Educational Toys Personalised toys can make a great gift, adding something unique and memorable to show how much you care. It’s one of those things that many people think about doing, but...
View ArticleHow To Use Nesting Parts in Laser Cutting
A guide to laser cut line optimisation Discussions around the laser cutters at Ponoko continue to highlight how important effective nesting of parts in laser cut files is. Today we are taking a look at...
View ArticleHow To Make Laser Cut Interlocking Acrylic Designs
The Importance of Radii We’ve written about using ‘nodes’ with 3D objects made from wood before, but suggested it may not work for acrylic because it is more brittle and tends to be less forgiving....
View ArticleHow To: Design a Living Hinge
De-mystifying the ins and outs of laser cut curved surfaces For the most part, laser cut objects consist of flat panels that are either cut or etched before being assembled into a final configuration....
View ArticleBeginners Laser Cutting Cost Saving Guide: Part 4
Product Recipe #1 – Part 4 Jill is a graphic designer from Oakland, CA. While riding her bike to work, she was inspired to create a set of custom-made bike gear-themed coasters to sell at local bike...
View ArticleBeginners Laser Cutting Cost Saving Guide: Part 3
Keep your laser cutting costs down with the Ponoko Product Recipe Product Recipe #1 – Part 3 Jill is a graphic designer from Oakland, CA. While riding her bike to work, she was inspired to create a set...
View ArticleBeginners Laser Cutting Cost Saving Guide: Part 2
Keep your laser cutting costs down with the Ponoko Product Recipe Product Recipe #1 – Part 2 Jill is a graphic designer from Oakland, CA. While riding her bike to work, she was inspired to create a set...
View ArticleBeginners Laser Cutting Cost Saving Guide: Part 1
Keep your laser cutting costs down with the Ponoko Product Recipe Product Recipe #1 Jill is a graphic designer from Oakland, CA. While riding her bike to work, she was inspired to create a set of...
View ArticleHow to: Turn a Logo into a Laser Cut Item
Achieving low cost, high quality results quickly and easily Starting your own line of products can be a challenge, particularly if you’re competing against companies with established backgrounds in...
View ArticleHow far into the material does laser engraving cut?
All you need to know about laser etched depth When your design calls for laser etching, whether it is Line Engraving or Area Fill Engraving, the laser burns away a very small amount of material – just...
View ArticleHow To Make Glue-less Interlocking Parts
Using the SketchUp plugin SliceModeler for the best friction fit There are several ways to create 3D shapes from flat laser cut material, and each have their merits. Many Ponoko users ask questions...
View ArticleDesign tip: Ponoko Color Palettes
Keep these swatches handy to streamline your workflow Here is a neat tip from the Ponoko Support Forums. Follow the links below to download Ponoko-friendly custom color palettes for your favorite...
View ArticleUsing white wood filler to fill etchings
Making those detailed designs and laser etched text really pop Laser etched details do often stand out pretty well in their own right, but sometimes it is a good idea to give them a helping hand. Today...
View ArticleVector and Raster engraving examples
Free design shows exactly what will happen in your material of choice The mysteries of how to get the right settings for vector and raster engraving is something that can take time and practise to...
View ArticleHow to etch mirror acrylic
Laser etched impact made easy As the Festive Season approaches and we become more and more enamoured with all things shiny, here are our tips on how to use laser etching for some serious impact on...
View ArticleHow to get the best results out of laser cut cardstock
Useful tips to get the optimum cut quality from this versatile material Both NZ and US hubs now offer several cardstock options. This material is a wonderful choice for greeting cards, business cards,...
View ArticleLaser cutting 3D forms: 123D Make tutorial
Slicing up a T-Rex for laser cutting that roars The software options available to digital makers just keeps getting better, and one of our recent favourites would have to be Autodesk’s 123D Make. Why...
View ArticleWhat to do with your first laser cut design
Four scenarios and next step options for first-time makers You’ve created a design and uploaded it to Ponoko, placed and order, and now you have your first piece of laser cut delight. So now what? It...
View ArticleStep-by-Step: Laser Cutting Tutorial Part 4
Watching the laser cutter in action In this four-part series of introductory laser cutting tutorials we have shown you just how easy it can be to become a digital maker with Ponoko. Now it is time to...
View ArticleStep-by-Step: Laser Cutting Tutorial Part 3
Using Inkscape to design your own laser cut product from scratch Welcome to the third instalment of Ponoko’s back-to basics tutorials. This time we get creative and generate a laser cut design from...
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