Your artwork should be prepared as a vector graphic file based on a 400mm x 300mm (15.75” x 11.8”) sheet.
You may make the lines in your drawing any of the specified colours We normally use red for this, but other colours can be used for cutting (black, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan and orange) but you must indicate clearly whether it is to be cut through the material or only a partial cut. For example normally red and/or black are used to indicate that the material is to be cut right through. Other colours could be used to indicate where the material is not to be cut right through and the depth of cut clearly specified in mm. You should only use one colour for each depth. Note that lasering cannot accurately cut to a certain depth and will be as close as material and time permits. All lines should be the minimum width your software allows, with no fill. In CorelDraw this is called "hairline" in CAD software it normally 0.01 mm. Do NOT use any other colour in your drawing as the laser cutting software will interpret it as a shade of black and possibly cut a line.
If you wish an area of the material to be removed but not all the way through (known as rastering or engraving) then clearly specify the colour (on the drawing) and the depth of rastering required clearly. You should only use one colour for each depth. You should note that rastering cannot cut a hole with perfectly square walls and bottom – they will be rounded and distorted to some extent (depending on material and depth of cut).
Allow a 10mm margin on all sides for holding down the material to be lasered.
In general you should allow for a cut thickness of 0.2 mm in wood, styrene and acrylic. This means that if you are cutting a "hole" in material (eg: a window) you should make it smaller in all dimensions by 0.2mm. On the other hand if you are cutting an object out (eg: carriage side, door) then you should make it larger in all dimensions by 0.2mm. Please indicate on any artwork supplied whether you have made an allowance for cut thickness.
Please be aware that the 0.2mm allowance for cut thickness is only a general recommendation. If you need a part lasered to an accuracy of 0.1mm or less you should specify this on your drawings and a test cut/s will need to made to more accurately determine the cut thickness allowance for the material being used. Note that the cut thickness allowance can depend on material being cut, thickness of material and size of the piece being cut (applies particularly with styrene). To sum up although the laser beam itself is very thin the material being cut heats up around the beam and will be burnt or evaporate away away as well.
Files must be able to opened correctly on a Windows based PC. MAC files do not import correctly.
We use CorelDraw, which will import CAD files amongst others. Our recommendation is to purchase a version of CorelDraw (any version from 9 onwards will do) if your sole goal is to have your project cut on the laser. You can learn Corel in about 10% of the time needed to learn CAD. If you have another need to have this in CAD (i.e. modelling and rendering in 3 dimensions) than that is a different matter.
We can import files in many different vector graphics formats, including: .cdr, .cmx, .eps, .ai, .pdf, .dxf. .dwg, .wmf and quite a few others. Bit map drawings can be accepted but there will be a cost to have us convert them to vector format. This cost is charged at an hourly rate of $44 but the first 20 min is included in the setup fee.
You can e-mail files to us (up to 5MB) or supply them on CD or DVD. We will accept floppy discs but be aware that they are not very reliable.
If the bitmap is very clear and can easily be traced, we can attempt to convert the bit mapped file to a vector drawing. Depending on the complexity and accuracy of the drawing an extra fee may be charged above the $25 setup fee.
Please ensure that your bit mapped files or hard-copy drawings:
If some of these conditions cannot be met send us the artwork and we will assess what extra information is required (eg: actual prototype measurements such as window sizes, any ambiguities, etc).
Many of our customers provide us with artwork for the production of commercial products and are rightly concerned that Brunel Models might make other use of these drawings, pass them onto another party, or confide information about them to a third-party.
You have our word that we will not use, pass onto a third-party, or misuse your plans; they are your property, and we treat them with strict confidentiality.