Laser cutting services?

[Jsk]

Are there any laser cutting/die cutting services that cater to the hobbyist? Having built one laser cut wood model (and I'm awaiting some laser cut card models from Seahorse) I was wondering if there are any services that would laser from my own svg or dxf files for reasonable prices. Surely, there's someone out there in 'maker' world who does this?

 

TIA

[Chuck]

Its crazy expensive but yes.  For example,  National balsa....Ponoko....Hammerspace...... offers laser cutting services.  The issue is the material you want to use.   Most only have and offer the basics (basswood, plywood....maybe cherry and and some others)  and in a very limited range of thicknesses.  Prepare to pay around $1.50 - $2.50 per minute of laser time plus materials and up front costs.   Considering that one sheet of parts could take 12 to 18 minutes to cut depending on the size and complexity.   You can also search laser cutting services on Etsy and you will find a large number of people.   I have no idea how good they are,  but it is crazy expensive for one-off runs.  

 

Chuck

[Gregory]

What is your budget?

 

You could probably get a decent desk top laser for the cost of a one-off job.

[Jsk]

Hmm... yeah. Yowsa! Somehow I thought laser cutting would be less expensive than 3d printing. Doesn't seem to be the case. I see a couple Etsy vendors I might contact. Thanks for that suggestion.

 

I don't really have a budget nor the space right now for my own equipment. It was mostly an idle thought as I rework my old skipjack card model design. But I could picture myself designing and selling laser cut models as a retirement activity in a few years. I enjoy the design work and if the equipment was robust enough to produce make-as-ordered kits it might help offset the expense. I'm sure making a profit is highly unlikely. Spending a couple thousand on the equipment isn't totally out of the question. Probably cheaper than golf as a hobby!

 

 

[Gregory]

Tabletop laser cutters are getting cheaper and better all the time.

 

If I were going to upgrade anytime soon, I would go with this:

xTool S1 Enclosed Diode Laser Cutter

 

Your main concern would be venting.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

If you’re in no hurry, send me a dxf drawing and material spec and I’ll at least look at what I think I’d want to charge, as a maker who’s mostly just interested in offsetting the cost of all the kit I keep buying 🙄. As the parts are flat I don’t think postage would be nearly as bad as you might fear. But I’d have thought there’s a fair chance someone on here but more local will pop their head up too.

 

There are probably a few reasons lasering is more expensive than 3D printing. I have the impression that people are sold lasers as an income generator whereas people buy 3d printers because it looks like fun. You’re right that laser cutting is easier and quicker than printing, but it’s very space hungry and the initial outlay is relatively high.

[Gregory]

19 hours ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

laser cutting is easier and quicker than printing

..But it doesn't do 3D, except in a very limited sense.😁

[clarkt]

I have also wondered about custom laser cutting, but of sheet brass rather than wood.  I'm thinking particularly of preventer links for the chains (on deadeyes) and swivel gun yokes.  But if I was making an order I could probably think of other parts.  Are such services available?

 

[Gregory]

29 minutes ago, clarkt said:

Are such services available?

 

I'm sure they are, but with the same caveats Chuck mentioned.  Even more-so if you don't provide ready to go .svg or other vector based files.

Metal cutting would probably add another cost factor over wood.

 

An alternative, possibly cheaper, would be photo etching.

 

Just Google " Photo etching services " ...

[Jsk]

23 hours ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

If you’re in no hurry, send me a dxf drawing and material spec and I’ll at least look at what I think I’d want to charge, ...

So, @Kevin-the-lubber, what type of specs do you need in a dxf file? I've currently got my drawings as svg in Inkscape which has two dxf export options: AutoCad R.12 and AutoCad R.14. I'm assuming it depends more on the software used to program the cutter and what it can import to create the G-code. I've also read about assigning the cut in black but any etching in red. Is that a thing? Since I've got 15 similar bulkheads I think etching a part number onto them is important to avoid confusion. If I go this route I'd like to make it as easy as possible and less time consuming for the laser operator. As for material right now I'm thinking chipboard or something similar... 1.0 or preferably 1.5 mm thick.

 

@clarkt reading the services provided by the Etsy laser-cutting vendors most of them seem to decline doing any cutting of metal. Looks like they'll etch but not cut. I'm thinking you'd have to go to a more industrial vendor. Photo-etch seems more practical. Seems like hobbyist photo-etch is fairly common.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

Jeff, it looks like a .svg is just as good. Regarding the red/black thing, the drawn lines don’t need to have colours, that happens when you programme the lasering and it’s just colour-coding of operations. Basically, for bulkheads you just want to make sure the outline is one continuous line I.e. no breaks, and no other lines touching the outline. Part numbers would be no trouble. N.b. drawings need to be full size (for the model). I’d have thought 3mm - 4mm might be more suitable for a POB as it gives you some meat to pin into but it can be any thickness you like. However the thickness affects cost and probably not in the way you’d expect. I can buy a 950mm x 600mm x 4.5mm sheet of hardwood ply for about £10 from my local timber yard,  because this is a commonly stocked size. If I wanted 3mm or 1.5mm, these are “specialist” thicknesses. I’d have to get small, hobby-size sheets from a model or craft shop and the cost can be quite high. 
 

Have you thought of looking for a Men’s Shed in your area https://usmenssheds.org/ ? Lasering is easy to learn and a shed might have a laser machine.

[Ian_Grant]

You could check with:

 

https://www.xometry.com/capabilities/sheet-cutting/laser-cutting/maryland/silver-spring/