Xuexuan Peng – December 10, 2021
Note this tutorial is for using the Glowforge laser cutter in the garage lab.
1. Save a 2D structure as a .dxf file. You can do it via a CAD software such as Fusion 360
2. Go to https://app.glowforge.com/ and log in with the following credentials: Name: George.delagrammatikas@duke.edu; password: dukkeMEMS2021!
3. Turn on the laser cutter and the air filter
4. Insert the .dxf file in the website and you can see roughly where the object is located on the board
5. Move the 2D shape to an empty space on the board
6. Click ‘Shape’ in the menu to the left, under ‘custom’, click a material (You may need to change the speed or power density, depending on what materials you are using. You need to test different settings but at the start, don’t make the power too high or it will burn)
7. Change focus height to the height of the board you are using
8. Click ‘print’ on the top-right corner
9. Manually tap the glowing button on the laser cutter
#For wood: choose a power of 95 to 100, speed between 170 and 180
#For cardboard: choose a power of 50, speed 300