introduce
The use of laser diode engraving to carve difficult designs and personalized inscriptions on different things marked a turning point for the entire DIY industry. One of the most difficult but achievable skills in these projects is the use of more than one layer of a specific material on the first layer, also known as reverse carving, which is now increasingly used by both novices and professionals in this segment.
A common problem with this multi-layer reverse engraving is that the material is "uncarved" due to the complexity of the design and the underlying layer that the laser diode module has not addressed. To understand why this happens and how to avoid it, we need to first understand the basics.
In the standard process of laser engraving, the laser vaporizes certain parts of the surface as part of the design, resulting in dimpled black spots in the carved area, while the rest of the surface remains flush. There is also another laser engraving method, reverse engraving (as described above), in which instead of engraving the design, the laser eliminates the surrounding material around the design and occurs due to the outline of the design, also known as a positive.
This positive area is cut from the outside, so it looks as if the design is raised from the surface. To precisely cut this positive area, the correct depth of the image is crucial, and this is where red comes in. Almost all manufacturers use this red color in Illustrator for laser diode cutting and outlining the cutting lines in the positive areas. This color is easy to use when processing and has been standardized across different original equipment manufacturers.
Set a red line in Illustrator.
Since Adobe Illustrator is still one of the top software used in the industry, many people have trouble setting red lines for cutting the front area, which seriously affects the end result of the engraving. When setting up laser diode-cut red lines in Illustrator, follow the general method given below for the best results.
1. Create designs: All created designs are not suitable for reverse deep engraving. Designs with a well-defined hem and some interior details work best. Geometric graphics, logos, and the occasional typographic design will work well, so use these, but make sure the design uses vectors and that the document's color mode is set to RGB in Adobe Illustrator.
2. Remove red lines: If you designed the file yourself, then you must use the "Pen Tool" or "Shape Tool" in Illustrator to create the path that will form your design. To define a red line for a positive cut in this design, select the Stroke Colors panel and set the color to red, which is RGB:255, 0, 0, and 0.001 inches, or 0.072 pt). This color configuration is recognized by the laser cutter as a command, rather than a carving or scoring.
3. Configure other commands: Now that the cutting command for the positive area is set, you can set the carving and grading layers with other colors, such as black and blue for carving and green for grading.
4. Save the file: After you have finished the design file, export the design from Adobe Illustrator as SVG, PDF, or DXF (standard vector save format) and keep all the details of the laser diode cut lines filled with red in Illustrator.
Common mistakes and advice
1. One of the most common mistakes is incorrect strokes that are too thick, which leads to reverse engraving errors because the laser diode interprets the red line as the engraving path. Keep 0.001 inches when cutting to avoid this.
2. Ensure that the cutting and engraving paths do not overlap unnecessarily, which will avoid any misunderstanding of the laser module.
3. Always use vector images without raster elements for best results.
4. When dealing with reverse engraving, it is equally important to use smart and well-equipped laser hardware. Always choose hardware with high accuracy and appropriate safety features.
conclusion
Single and multi-layer engraving requires a clear red line design in the vector file to obtain precise cutting and engraving of the substrate. Hardware and software that can complete the design process are also critical. For this reason, it is recommended to use Ortur LM3 laser diode engravers and cutters in projects where the accuracy and flexibility of design documents are extremely important, which can be achieved through Ortur Inspiraesh software optimized for their hardware.