Maker tip: five golden rules for laser cutting

When setting up parts for laser cutting, I’ve developed a few golden rules. Part labels is only the newest.

This morning I got up to find an order for a Stewart Platform waiting in the queue. I opened the laser cutting files to discover (to my horror) that parts were missing! I must have deleted something the last time it was ordered. Oh well, I need to update these, anyhow.

As I was updating the laser files I went through my mental checklist of “lessons learned the hard way”.

Each set of parts is contained in a rectangle. Even if I was making only one of a thing, I would put it in a rectangle. That way there’s no jagged edges left on the sheet that I might save for more cutting later. Snags, tears, slivers, cuts… not a problem any more.

Each rectangle is planned to be smaller than the inside of the box size I use for this kit. They have to fit! I have a sheet of parts for a Stewart Platform that’s been on my wall for a year. It will never sell because it can’t fit in the mail.

The rectangles are planned so to stack without overhang. That means they could make a nice pyramid, each one same size or smaller than the one below. This way there’s less chance they get bent in shipping if something heavy is put on top. I haven’t actually had that happen yet, and I don’t need to. When I look at badly stacked parts in the box it feels like a disturbance in the force.

Each rectangle is filled with parts in such a way that I can tape every piece into the rectangle in two or three lines of tape. This way I can lift the rectangle out of the laser cutter, examine it, and quickly clean out the machine for the next job.

Often I can find ways to fit a few extra parts on each rectangle. This is good! Sending an extra part can be the difference between “I messed up a bit but got the kit assembled in time” and “I messed up a bit, can you send me a replacement? I live 10 time zones away and I need this tomorrow.” I’m pretty sure I get more karma for sending the extra part the first time.

I can’t find a video of Homer Simpson yelling “Karma can only be portioned out by the cosmos!”

Final thought

Got a maker tip to share? Comment below.

Tonight I’ll be at the Maker Education Salon, talking about how to fit the Arduino Starter Kit into British Columbia’s school curriculum. I think of it as a side quest: make Vancouver #1 in robotics know-how. Then I’m off to the Vancouver Hack Space where I’ll be scanning people for later 3D printing. Come out and get a glimpse of the future.