How to Cut Large Designs on a Smaller Laser Cutter

How to Cut Large Designs on a Smaller Laser Cutter

Have you ever faced the challenge of cutting a large design on a laser cutter that's too small to accommodate the entire project in one piece? In this tutorial, we'll show you how to use lightburn to overcome this limitation and cut large designs by breaking them into sections and aligning them seamlessly.

Next, we will use a decorative mermaid design as an example. This design is quite large, measuring three feet by one foot, and your laser cutter's worktable is not large enough to accommodate its entire size. Don't worry! We will guide you using laser software LightBurn to cut the design into manageable sections and ensure they align perfectly.

Step1: Divide Your Design

• Open your design file in LightBurn software.
• Change the artwork from fill to line mode since we're cutting.
• Create a template rectangle with the dimensions of your wood piece (e.g., 3 feet by 1 foot).
• Align your design to the center of the template.
• Create cutting boxes (red shapes) to divide your design into sections that fit on your laser bed.
• Make sure each section is one foot by one foot in size.

Repeat this process for each section of your design, ensuring they are small enough to fit on your lser bed. In our case, we divided the design into three sections: the tail, midsection, and head of the mermaid.

Step 2: Add Registration Marks

• Create registration marks at the corners of each cutting section. These marks will help align the sections later.
• Ensure the marks have a visible center point.

Step 3: Save Individual Cutting Files

• Use the "Tools" menu, choose "Cut Shapes," and LightBurn will split your design into two parts: inside and outside the cutter shape.
• Save each cutting section as a separate file (e.g., Page 1, Page 2, Page 3). This allows you to focus on one section at a time and prevents errors.

Step 4: Set Cutting Parameters

• Define cutting parameters for each section (e.g., speed, power) based on your laser machine's capabilities.
• Ensure consistency in settings across all sections.

Step 5: Cut the First Section

• Load the first section file into your laser machine.
• Use the "Frame" feature to ensure the alignment of your wood piece.
• Run the job, including the registration marks.
• Check the alignment and adjust if needed.

Step 6: Align the Second Section

• Remove the first section and load the second section file.
• Manually align your laser's red dot pointer with the registration mark on the wood.
• In LightBurn, select the corresponding registration mark and go to "Tools," choose "Print and Cut," and select "Set First Target Position."
• Align the laser to the second registration mark, select it in LightBurn, and choose "Set Second Target Position."
• Run the job for the second section.

Step 7: Complete the Project

• Repeat the alignment process for the third section.
• Load the third section file, align the laser's red dot pointer, and set target positions.
• Run the job for the third section.
• Observe the final result, which should seamlessly combine all sections into one large decoration.

Conclusion:

Cutting large designs on a smaller laser cutter is achievable with the right software and techniques. If you need to purchase this powerful software, LightBurn, welcome to visit creatorally for your purchase. We will also continue to update related tutorial articles for you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us by sending an email to support@creatorally.com. Thank you for your support!