Laser Cutting with AutoCad
Units and Scale
- Have artwork drawn at actual size (in inches)
- To change units to inches type in “units” command and change to inches (architectural)
- In layer 0, draw a reference rectangle the size of the material sheet (max 18” x 32”) and allow for 1/8” margin for the border of the material.
RED – laser cutting lines
- Set stroke to true color red (RGB 255,0,0)
- Set line weight to .01”
- Put in a layer called “cut”
BLUE – vector engraving/ scoring lines
- Set stroke to true color blue (RGB 0,0,255)
- Set line weight to .01”
- Put in a layer called “score”
BLACK – raster engraving
Raster engraving in Autocad must be solid hatches set to black RGB 0,0,0.
Cleaning up overlapping components
To remove overlapping/ duplicate lines and polylines, use the “overkill” command.
If you have duplicate lines on top of eachother, the project will take much longer and you risk damaging the material or the laser cutting machine.