Vector Files + WATiMake Laser Cutting

Cutting in house material at Watimake (DWE, room 3509) with the Epilog Mini 24.

Creating vector files (DWG, DXF, etc) from a part or simple assembly:

Create your part in SOLIDWORKS (or similar), if you wish to cut multiple parts at the same time then create an assembly of them laying adjacent to each other. If you are printing at WATiMake it is ideal to have all measurements in mm if possible. See below:
Once your part(s) are defined you can proceed to creating the vector file by clicking: Save As then selecting .dwg or .dxf from the drop-down. You should then be prompted with the DWG/DWG output window. In this window select the faces upon which you wish to laser cut, by selecting them from the menu or simply selecting the current view if that is the desired output.
Finally you should be prompted with a preview of your vector file that should look something like this:

Now you’re ready to send this to RPC or laser cut it yourself at WATiMake, as follows.

Sign up to complete your in person WATiMake training on this website (all future sign-ups will be completed through the same website)

If you only have one simple part to print then you will get a special tutorial and walk through on your first print when you bring in the material for training.

The following steps are a more generalized process after your first time printing:

Arrive 5 minutes early for your appointment as you can begin to setup before your time slot. Load your file onto either your own USB stick or if you don’t have one handy you can borrow one of theirs. Now you can put the usb stick into one of the slots above the laser cutting pc (ensure the power switch for the usb rack in on).

Open AutoCAD and then your file, assuming you are using the student edition of SOLIDWORKS, crop out the silly text at the bottom. If you’re raster cutting refer to the line width posted on the white board in WATiMake, if you are vector cutting only then in autoCAD set your line width to 0 for maximum precision.

Click the print button on the top toolbar and follow the posted instructions on the whiteboard, one caveat is: if your units are not in mm, make sure you adjust for that in the custom ratio i.e. the multiple of your unit vs mm.

Then you can open this directly into the epilog software and save it as a job. There are premade settings for certain materials millboard, balsa, acrylic etc.

If you’re printing with a material that isn’t listed make sure you research the optimal settings / number of passes to avoid charring and kerf.

Turn on laser cutter, ensure air assist is on and send your job to the printer. Click the green button when it shows up and closely monitor as it cuts. (Don’t stare at the laser )

Now you may remove your part (assuming it cut) and following the cleaning procedures. Bring your part back to the bay and now you’re done.