Living Hinges Minimum Bend Radius with Swatches for Laser Cutting Bent Plywood

Find the minimum bend radius of living hinges for laser cutting by using test swatches and checking the bend agains a known radius template. This allows you to set parameters in a parametric modeling program like Fusion 360 or Solidworks so you can design a living hinge bend into your laser cut project in software with confidence that it will work when cut.
Test Swatches DXF File Link
drive.google.com/file/d/1ZYH1...
Radius Template DXF File Link
drive.google.com/file/d/15U2N...
Radius Template Adobe Illustrator Link
drive.google.com/file/d/1WRCQ...
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0:00 - Living Hinge Sizes
0:22 - Living Hinge Swatches DXF File
0:38 - Bend radius test sheet
1:16 - 1.5 mm cut size

[@TimoFeick]

With your Files and your Demonstration it worked for my Project at the first try. Thank you!

[@WhatMakeArt]

Glad to hear 👍

[@iusefacebookalso]

Thank you for the simple explanation and for sharing the test files. I looked up some "how to" guides on this and a few of them had me calculating stuff like I was back in calculus again haha. Much appreciated.

[@WhatMakeArt]

Glad it helped, happy laser cutting

[@archjonathan]

Thank you for the file and video demonstration! This is incredibly helpful!!!

[@WhatMakeArt]

Glad it helped with laser cutting living hinges👍

[@leandrok24]

great vid! thanks for the dxf files! :)

[@WhatMakeArt]

Hope the living hinges turn out 👍

[@mad13ee]

Really great video. I'm just starting to learn this stuff as a teacher and want to learn everything I can. Thank you.

[@WhatMakeArt]

You're welcome, 👍

[@WhatMakeArt]

Here is a video showing how to make the living hinges go around an object in Fusion 360
ua-cam.com/video/HjXnGby1H_A/v-deo.html

[@renedupont7562]

Merci beaucoup, j'avais justement un problème et votre explication m'a énormément aider à le résoudre !

[@WhatMakeArt]

De rien!

[@MASHGaming88]

Thank you very much for the sample files

[@WhatMakeArt]

Hope you living hinge test swatches turn out well

[@joeyschrauwen]

Thank you very much! 💫

[@WhatMakeArt]

Happy laser cutting ✂️

[@emaleeanderson6430]

Thank you so much!!!

[@WhatMakeArt]

Welcome 👍

[@MeneerSouabi]

Thanks for the file

[@WhatMakeArt]

Happy bending 👍

[@caryacademyrobotics5160]

This is great. Can you tell me if these cuts are on 1/8" or 1/4" wood? Thanks.

[@WhatMakeArt]

Theses are on 3mm ~ 1/8" wood
Have also cut on 6mm ~1/4" wood living hinge test swatches on quarter inch with a laser cutter to see how far it bends and then use in your project

[@philoara5647]

Merci ! 😉

[@WhatMakeArt]

👍

[@steveschaefer5835]

Thanks for the file. What size are the samples? They are coming into illustrater huge

[@WhatMakeArt]

Make sure you set the scale of your illustrator import to millimeters
The size of the gap is written on each swatch so if it comes in too big you can always scale down to that size
I made the files in fusion 360 using millimeter scale for the units

[@steveschaefer5835]

Thanks

[@stephaniegonzalez7798]

What settings did you use tho? I bought a frame on Etsy and it’s giving the setting as fill? I’m new to this

[@WhatMakeArt]

Are you trying to use a laser cutter from Etsy or a pattern from Etsy? Are you using Fusion 360 or another program to make your patterns?.

[@DeltaSierra181]

I wonder how this would function with PLA? I have been messing with flexible doors made out of PLA, and this pattern seems to be a better solution.

[@WhatMakeArt]

That's a good question I would have to test to find out, there's a lot of interesting shapes that could be made in altered ...

[@matthewtupper4177]

It works in acrylic on the laser cutter, would you print this? Interesting.

[@WhatMakeArt]

Should work with acrylic

[@christianvazquez907]

how do u calculate how many cms u need to cut into tht pattern to make it bend?

[@WhatMakeArt]

By trial and error and testing

[@swrncustom]

can you use 4mm pattern to 5mm thick plywood?

[@WhatMakeArt]

You can use any living hinge pattern on any thickness of plywood, but then you have to retest the bend radius for that thickness

[@user-fs2dg9nd2s]

Great video. What is the thickness of MDF?

[@WhatMakeArt]

This was thin plywood 3mm thick

[@bradleycannncreate9461]

would this work on acrylic?

[@WhatMakeArt]

Yes

[@abhijittdhavlle]

What kind/type of wood is that?

[@WhatMakeArt]

3mm plywood,

[@bhawanajain5985]

is living hinges are possible on mdf?

[@WhatMakeArt]

Yes, but would be fragile, do a small test piece