Making an Edge Lit Sign with a K40 Laser Engraver
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- Опубліковано 17 лют 2020
- In this video I show you how to make awesome custom Edge Lit LED Signs using a CHEAP laser cutter!
This tutorial uses Inkscape for the graphic design and K40 Whisperer for controlling the laser engraver, which in this case is a K40 Laser Cutter!
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Project Materials: (Purchasing thru these links helps support more content like this) Thanks!
Amazon K40 Laser Link: (These go in and out of stock often, so I will try to keep these K40 links current in hopes you can find one!)
www.amazon.com/shop/geeksmith...
If you are looking to get a Glowforge Laser, you can use my referral code to get:
$500 off a pro, $250 off a plus, or $150 off a basic!
I'll get credit too! Use the link below.
glowforge.us/f/KSXLIFLM
LED Bases
amzn.to/3q7UUmB
Green LED Strip Light
amzn.to/3qd9fhx
Power Supply for LED Strip Light
amzn.to/2VgdavL
12V Inline Switch
amzn.to/2VaYnTa
Baltic Birch Plywood
amzn.to/2JrdTHL
CAST Acrylic Sheet Clear.... Extruded Acrylic is likely to crack a lot.
amzn.to/33t5HOq
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Software I use:
Adobe Creative Cloud (Includes everything listed below):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
Adobe Photoshop (Raster Graphics):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
Adobe Illustrator (Vector Graphics):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
Adobe Premiere (Video Editing):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
Adobe After Effects (Video Effects):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
============================================= - Навчання та стиль
Just a slight correction, the Raster Engraving Pass should be at 100mm/s. Yay typos! 🤓🙄
hi dude, what were the other settings?
where did u et the base for bb-8
@@mikeslife6874 You can grab them pretty cheaply on AliExpress or eBay. Just search for “LED Lamp Base”.
@@mikeslife6874 it is linked in the description.
get the base for bb-8 i mean
Very cool signs. The tips on using Inkscape are much appreciated! Keep being awesome, Wes!
Cheers buddy! Thanks!
Great tutorial! I was using this as a test for my new laser tube and was able to get it cut out. Thank you for your detailed explanation using Inkscape and K40 Whisperer!
Hey, that is great! Congrats! Welcome to #teamK40 ! :D
Has to be one of the best tutorials I have seen. Simply explained and made sense. Keep up the awesome work 👍
Thanks very much! Please enjoy another of my videos! 😉
Super helpful and easy to understand/follow along. Thank you!
Thanks!!!!
Very cool and informative 👍🏽 Thanks!!
That's super cool, nice work! You make it look real easy.
Thanks man! Glad ya like it!:) 👍. It IS real easy! 😜
Awesome tutorial! I’m in the process of reassembling my laser with a larger bed. Will have to try this, I have a ton of acrylic! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks man! Happy to help! Good luck on your rebuild
Thank you!
Extremely helpful. Thank you.
This is amazing !!
Wow, such a pretty result!
Thank you! Cheers!
This was the best video. Extremely helpful
Thanks!!! Happy to hear that! 🤓👍
BRILLIANT!
Thanks buddy! ✋
Wes you're the Bes-t thanks for sharing this with me can't wait to make some nightlights for my kiddos, instead of the on off switch I think I'll do an inline motion activated switch.
Brilliant! Please tag me when you share it! Would love to see it!
Super cool. I know what my next project will be now.
Surprised you haven't made one already!
Great video! The ink scape work alone is worth the price of admission! I've been trying to figure out to get outline cut on something. I just got my k40 set up and I'm having a lot of fun with it.
Thanks man! Yeah! #teamK40!
Just curious, could you just not use Illustrator or Photoshop as well?
@@robertchu7977 Great question! You can certainly generate the image in those programs as well as many others...but the K40 Whisperer program that I use with the K40 laser cutter only accepts files formatted from Inkscape. There is a circuit board that I can replace in the machine that opens up the door to many more options and less restriction.
@@Geeksmithing Cohesion3D board ?
Hello from Puerto Rico!! Just took my k40
Out of the box
😮 good luck!!
Really, really appreciate you making this vid. TFS, G :)
Simply superb
cheers!
Good tutorial. Thank you for sharing.
Cheers! Hope it helps in some way!
Oh snap, that is magical.
🧙♂️🦄✨
These are sweet Wes!
Thanks Dave!
Thank you so much bro.. i really appreciate your work..
Happy to help!
Great video, esp on the InkScape stuff. Liked and subbed
Thanks a bunch! Welcome aboard!
Well that was a super video, thank you.
Thanks very much!
It's fantastic sir
This is perfect for my Etsy store. Been looking for a way to make led signs that are inexpensive to sell. Thanks for the tutorial and links. 👍🏼
Sure thing! Good luck!!
Yes, bases and tape ordered!
🥳 Good luck!
great presentation .. thanks :D
Cheers! Thanks for watching!
Great job with this video.
Thanks!!
Just subscribed and catching up on your videos, I have to say this one is pretty awesome and your Inkscape skills are very impressive, please keep up the good work.
Hey thanks! I hope you find some other videos here to enjoy as well!
You sir is a legend
I’m trying to learn to do this for a Christmas present but laser engravers are expensive! Great tutorial though! I’m going to have to do mine by hand
$400 isnt too bad for a laser engraver, but you gotta make with whatcha got! :) Thanks for watching!
Great video; thanks..!!
My pleasure, thanks for watching!
Oh would you look at that, a UA-camr that’s clear, concise, and to the point. INSTANT subscribe
I try! Thanks! ☺️💪
You keep tempting me into buying a laser.
I keep trying but I clearly need to be more convincing!!! 🤓😆
Great ... amazing
Nice vid. Thanks
Cheers!!!!
When I was repairing aircraft in the USN back in the day "1970's", we had similar item that was on the instrument displays, rather than having a laser engrave it was Plexiglass 1/4" thick painted front and back black, then the plexiglass was engraved with a beveled end mill into the plexiglass, and all the nomenclature was then viable during night flights. Same principle just a different method of reaching the same conclusion.
Oh yeah, that's super cool! I was also in the USN, I worked on E-2C Hawkeyes myself :)
very nice!
Cheers!🍻
I've been wanting to do something similar to this, but using either a glass bottle or a block of glass
Oh, that's an interesting idea... 🤔
Friggin awesome !! Can't wait to try this !
Thanks! Good luck!!
I always want to so some of these, I just don't seem to make it a priority. I made one way back when I first got the laser, but I always wanted to make my own bases. That has been the sticking point. I have time to do the laser part. I never make time for woodworking. I love the second method you used for the sign. Perfect. See you tomorrow? Also, did you see we are touring GT Invention Studio on Thursday?
Thanks Chad! See you Thursday! We will get in town around 2-3pm.
Geeksmithing awe. The tour at GT is at 1pm. You would love that place.
Thank you
Awesome
excellent thank you
Sure thing!
Thanks 👍
No problem 👍
Swwwweeeeet. That was a lot of helpful stuff for me haha. Selling my wife on me getting a laser still 😂
This is the way.
Geeksmithing this is the way.
Just do what i did, sell the wife ;+}
Loved it, great work, I'm new with laser, I have a quick question, the power you use for cutting is different from the engraving that's correct ? this power you set during programing or you need to manually set, I'm using the K40 as well. Thank you...
Hey thanks!! Sometimes you will have to set the power differently between engraving and cutting operations, but the vast majority of the time, it will be the same for both. The difference really comes down to the speed of the operation. The cut operation is quite a bit slower that allows you to punch thru the material. Without upgrading the control board, the power is manually set via the dial/control panel before the job starts. The most important thing to remember is not crank up the power on the K40. I'd say to not go over 75% or 15mA as it can damage the tube. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions! 👍🤓
So if you bought 16' of LED light what do you do with the rest of the 15.5' ? With only one power cord I would assume that 1 strip is all you can use.
Cool. I must get a laser.
They can be surprisingly cheap!
bonjour super video .... quel genre de papier as tu utilise pour graver sur plexiglas???? merci
Does the perspex have to be totally clear or will it work with tinted?
Awesome video! Do you know if PET sheets could be used for making this type of sign also? Looking on Amazon they seem to be quite a bit cheaper than the cast acrylic sheets. Thanks
It seems that you can! Just make sure whatever material you use, (as a side note) does not contain vinyl!...That is very dangerous to laser! www.ulsinc.com/materials/pet-film#:~:text=PET%20Film%20Overview,micron%20wavelength%20CO2%20laser
I love the video, I have a 40w co2 lazer, I guess its a K40, but i dont know what the current rating would be as mine is in %, any help on that would be great..
Hmmm. I don't have that exact info, but I would just suggest starting with a scrap piece and at 25% and playing around. But of course not going over like 75% or so in order to protect the tube. Sorry I cannot give any more concrete data, but I bet you can hone in on the right settings rather quickly
I have a couple of questions, if I may.. Do you have an equipment list that you sand by?
I noticed you have a glowforge..do you recommend it of is there another machine..
I've been searching for a good tutorial and yours seems to be the best..
For the price, the K40 is tough to beat... but you have to go into it knowing that there likely will be tinkering and fiddling with it a bit to get it to work for you. You will also likely have to add things and upgrade it a bit to make it more user friendly and safer...If you want to avoid the fuss and hassle of all that, a Glowforge is fantastic. It's all self contained and the user experience is quite good. Once you get it setup, you are up and running in 30 minutes.
I"m here because RetroRepairs *just* did the unboxing video lol. I mean, that's a long wait...
Hahahaha, I'm playing the long game. 😆. Welcome!
I’m a little late but I was wondering would it be possible to make this with the ortur laser master 2 20w? Thanks again for all the great and useful content
If it can cut 1/8" acrylic....
Looks awesome nice work Wes. Making Geeks Logo Next?
Thanks man! Absolutely! I bet you guys could sell a ton of things using these bases and techniques at your shows too btw. ;)
I'm looking at pricing right now
Hi love this! Any recommendations for a laser engraver/ cutter for under $300? Maybe on Amazon? Thank you, I just want to make sure the machine can cut and engrave acrylic sheets
Unfortunately, I don't believe there is such a machine....
You can check Sculpfun models
Nice tutorial. Maybe you can help me understand. I am getting conflicting information when watching different YT channels. Some indicate that I need to put a soapy water solution on the where I am engraving and others don't - I didn't see you do this or hear you say it was needed. In each of the videos I am ensuring they are using a CO2 laser and not a diode laser to ensure the information applies to me. I am using a 150W CO2 laser. Is soapy water needed or not? Any insights are appreciated.
While I have never felt the need to use soapy water for mine, I have also heard of people using it. From what I understand it is supposed to reduce the residue/build up that can make a piece of acrylic look cloudy around the engraving. I believe if you have a good air assist/fan extraction system on your laser, you might not need to bother with it. Just give it a try without and see what happens! Sorry it isn't more of a concrete answer for ya.
Good luck!
I don't have mA guage just the power level led they come with. What do you think is the power setting for unit with LED power display setting?
I do not know for certain (as I don't have one like that) but I would just recommend trying a modest setting and working up from there in order to not wreck the tube. Maybe 60% power at the time settings recommended in description/ video?
Can you share how you cut the birch and the process
Didn't I?
Hi! I want to laser etch a 3mm-4mm piece of acrylic. Roughly 17"W x 8"T, I want it to be the face plate for a guitar amplifier head I'm making. I was planning on running LED's inside the head, 360° around the acrylic piece. I was wondering if the piece would illuminate fully, even if it had multiple/crowded etched makings, labels, logos and potentiometers / toggles/ 1/4" mono jacks installed through the acrylic and amp chassis?
Oh cool idea! I think if you did encircle the acrylic, it would have a great chance of being all illuminated, but it's honestly hard to predict until you make the piece. The knobs/ components, etc can block some of the light from various directions, but since you have it coming from all around, it just might work perfect! Hit me up sometime on any of my socials! Best of luck, I'd love to see the progress.
This is awesome
I been looking for a good laser to cut different
Acrylic for cake toppers .like mirror/ clear acrylic does this machine cuts different ones? Which laser printer yiu use in this video?
Glowforge way out my budget
It definitely can. Shouldn't be any problems.
Is this printer worth getting? I live in a apartment so im concern with safety
What you advice for someone. Like me abt this machine?
Im a crafter i work from home
I wana add a laser printer to print my work to live lol
Forgot thank yiu for your fast response💙
@@Putifly69 You have to be able to vent the exhaust outside at the very least, especially with acrylic as it is very smelly.
excellent video man. Cheers. I have recently learned that a diode laser cannot cut clear plexiglass/acrylic. Is this true?? I have a Masuter Pro and 20w (5.5 output) laser. I can engrave okay, but it looks as if cutting is out of the question. If any of you know any different, all advise is welcome. Thanks in advance.
After I got my K40 and Glowforge, I have very rarely used my diode laser. It wouldn't surprise me if you had issues, as just cutting cardboard gave me troubles. 😂
@@Geeksmithing :D I've got it dialed in to where it can cut 3mm and 6mm ply (very slowly) but gutted that it can't cut acrylic. That was the joint-main reason I got the thing 🤦
Thanks for this, it works fine for me until trying to delete interior lines using the edit paths by node tool, drag-selecting isn't selecting anything. Any ideas ?
Sorry, just now seeing this... are you still having these issues?
@@Geeksmithing No worries pal, yes sorted now, thanks.
Excellent!
Geeksmithing, My question is about cleaning acrylic plastic as after the protective covering comes off, things happen. I am not a cat person but my wife is. Her cat, jumped up and knocked off a placard I received some time ago, and after attacking it for some evil cat reason, it has a number of very fine scratches, even worse, my better half wiped it with a dry rag like it was dust. I don’t know! Online, “ Mothers” plastic cleaner came up frequently. And thoughts? I thought it was interesting to hear you how work thru shades of graphics to be able to burn in you design. It looks complex. Thanks for the info.
Haha cats. Whaddya gonna do?! 😹
I unfortunately don't have a go to solution for that... I would think Windex would be fine.
What software are you using to make the image? Thanks for the great video.
Inkscape!:)
Awesome nice job.
Whats bit used?
Photons.
The software you are using is both included in the K40, or do you need other special software to up load to the laser. What format does the laser use in cutting, ?? I think you mentioned raster? or can you use other forms of extensions? EPS, DXF, GE3, ......?
The software that comes with K40 is a hacked variant of Corel draw, and it's not very good. I use Inkscape for the design and use K40 Whisperer to communicate/control with the laser. Whisperer prefers SVGs saved from Inkscape as far as file formats go.
Thank you for this video. I'm planning to use a laser engraver on an acrylic pick guard for a guitar. I'm sorry if you said it in the video and I missed it, but what is the reasoning for engraving on the back of the acrylic sheet?
Hey Matt! It really depends on the look you are going for. The advantage of doing it on the back, is that it allows the surface/front of the acrylic to be slick, reflective and uniform to the touch, as the engraving is on the back, showing thru to the front. But depending on the application, you may want the engraved texture to be more prominent.
Hope that makes sense. :)
@@Geeksmithing It does. Thank you!
I love these but avoid making them because I thought it would be a bit more of a hassle. This video was motivating.
Also, so unrelated but I have a 2 month old exclusively breastfed baby and I'm watching this at 2am super super tired and that batman clip made me smile. I literally felt my shoulders relaxing 😅
😊
Glad it could help!🤓👍
If you buy the premade base, it's almost too easy...😆
So what speed and power you use for cutting and engraving? Also how thick is your acrylic?
Wow I love that he liked your comment without responding to it.
Hi great Vid, I assume that you are using 3mm acrylic, it looks like it cuts the outline shape in one pass is this right?
Hi! Yup. Btw, all project materials are linked in description. 😉
Hey, can I ask how tall and wide your design can be before the led light doesn't reach using the bb-8 base? Thanks.
Good question. Probably not much wider but could be a bit bigger I think. As you expect, that light can only bounce around but so far.
tip: use a normal dishwasher soap (thick) and put that over the to be engraved side,
this will protect for the engraving getting dirty , and is easily cleaned off ..
Oh nice! Thanks!
@@Geeksmithing you can also use this for the other side if you cut material. since i use this trick I alsways have my air asist on, even when engraving the plexiglass, no more stains . ( when cutting you should have it free from below though to prevent heat stains.
Apologies for the late comments and questions .. Please may I ask what software did you edit the image in.. Is this unique to c.o2 cutting can I apply this to diode laser.. Will diode laser using lightburn also know the difference between red and blue.. To cut or engrave.. Thanks for the information thus far
Hi! I used inkscape to do the image editing. You should be able to use it to edit images for use on a diode laser, but as you suspect, the colors might not work the same way as in K40 Whisperer (the laser control software I used)
You can however adopt the same practice of trying to categorize your operations by color to make it easier for you to remember which lines do what. i.e. Red for cutting. blue for vector engrave and black for rastering. In lightburn, it will detect the different colors and split the file into cuts/layers for you. Here you just have to define which colors you want to do what.
Hope that helps!
@@Geeksmithing thank you
Resize page to content, is that something you have to do for the k40? I use glowforge but never do this step
I do it to basic just crop it easily, and ensure the origin of image corresponds with where the laser starts it's operation.
Wow so this can CUT 1/8" acrylic? How thick can it cut?
Sure, that's what I did in the project video! :) It can cut up to 1/4" , just may take a couple of passes.
Great video! Instead of clear acrylic, what can be the alternative materials? Cheaper than acrylic.
I don't know any other materials that have similar properties that can be engraved and cut as easily
I don't know any other materials that have similar properties that can be engraved and cut as easily
@@Geeksmithing You are right. What do you think about tempered glass? Did you have any experience?
@@gokhanisler3740 unfortunately not
I have an outline of pikachu but the k40 wont show it as vector. I Tried raster engrave at 20mm /3pwr but it didn't engrave. I originally used 10 pwr but it was leaving globs of plastic where it would engrave. Should I use blue or navy blue when selecting my image in inkscape? thanks
When raster engraving the outline, you can only use a pure blue, (0, 0, 255 on the RGB values) else it will read it as black and can only be raster engraved.
great video I wonder how white colored acrylic would look
I don't think it would do much, as the light wouldn't bounce around very far in there. But only one way to find out!
or flame pattern leds to make sign have a burning effect
@@Geeksmithing if it does not then cut a pair of clear and white and sandwich then together with white as the backing. I noticed looking at the finished product it had a slight distaction because you could see the stuff behind it. I have a k40 that i want to start using but it cant kick this 3d design/print addiction
Hi, have a question, the base doesnt have a support to avoid the acrylic get on the lightsn the acrylic goes all over the strip light?
huh
If you allow, what is the name of this machine per minute at 4.45, since I do not see a laser beam and what is the thickness of the acrylic that you are working with
It's a K40 laser, the beam is not visible within the visible light spectrum for humans. It is within the infrared range. And the acrylic is 3mm.
Hello. Thank you for this video. Quick question, someone said you have to do like water cooling with these lasers? Is that true? Because I have no idea what that actually means lol. And I'm struggling to press the button to buy a laser cutter because I'm overwhelmed 😂
No worries! There can be a lot to them! Yeah, they have a water cooling component to keep the laser tube from overheating. It's basically an aquarium pump in a sealed 5 gal bucket. I have another video on my channel where I discuss what they come with a bit more in detail. Feel free to ask any questions you have!
The K40 style of lasers shown here are great, but can require a bit of tinkering to get them honed in and running well. It's the trade off for them being so cheap. If you want something a bit more turn key, I might suggest a Glowforge. They are a bit more self contained and require less fussing about to get them to do what you want. Here is a referral link to see what they are all about if interested... If you ended up using it's you get some $$$ off the price.
glowforge.us/r/KSXLIFLM
But again, feel free to ask any questions you have either way!
How long did it take to engrave this? And what laser machine would you recommend for a small business?(amateur). Thank you
It has been a while but I would say, like 10 minutes. The K40 style is a nice entry point if you can find one nowadays.
hello i canot erase the interior of the design please help
Can I do with with my ortur 25w laser ?
🤷♂️ not sure if you can cut it. Might take a bunch of passes
Can this cut 4mm thickness Clear Acrylic? My Led Bases have a 4mm slot.
Absolutely!
NICE WORK! Is there info on attaching the cord to the lights? Is is just cut the end off the plug and solder?
Thanks! It's just a barrel jack connector that came pre-atteched to the led strip. Didn't require soldering.
@@Geeksmithing What happens when you cut it. How do you attach a new plug?
@@SUNRISE-ADVENTURES good question! There are 12V barrel jack plugs you can get to clip right to the spot you cut the strips apart. No soldering required. Here is a link to such a product on Amazon:
amzn.to/3dIIkVN
@@SUNRISE-ADVENTURES there are of course versions that can be soldered as well if you would prefer.
@@Geeksmithing YES!!! That's what i wanted!!! THANKS!!!
Great video.... I got the k40 without the meter :( . But where you get the end connector to the power supply i can't seam to find them?
Hello! Are you referring to a power connector for the custom LED sign or the K40? 🤷♂️
@@Geeksmithing yes i want to make a few but only can find one at a time not like in bulk... And the box site i tried to catch the site as you say it but failed lol. Can you post the site too. Thank you your the best
LED not the K40
@@MrGenocide101 Makercase.com is the website for boxes
Is it possible to vary the etch depth as you go from bottom to top? If so, you could use that to keep the relative brightness the same.
That's a fantastic idea! Unfortunately, the stock control board does not have variable power that's controlled by software. There are upgrades available for this, but I have not done them yet myself.
@@Geeksmithing Could you vary the height of the whole laser head?
@@pabeader1941 nope. It has no mechanical movement in the Z axis. Some people also add a Z axis table to add that as well.
@@Geeksmithing So, one last trick up my sleeve. Make a number of smaller chunks at different % levels. Won't be as smooth but would still offer a more even brightness. Might even look cool if you make the various chunks in a pattern to add a depth effect.
@@pabeader1941 yeah, you could definitely do that!;) A banded look could be neat!
Where I get this protecting paper?
I already have Coreldraw. Can I use that as my graphic software instead of Inkscape? Thanks!
Not if you plan on using K40 whisperer
K40 whisperer was made with inkscape in mind. You can still design in corel or anything, but it still must run thru inkscape first
Hey bro I have one question.. What about the ventilation? Did it smoke a lot ... Can I use it in my room or I need to do it outside?
The laser has an exhaust fan that vents it outside.
What file formats can this machine use? I am designing acrylic panels using Autodesk
Fusion 360 CAD software and it can export, for example, dxf files. Would these work with this machine?
Is it not enough to ask this question on just one video? I use K40 Whisperer to communicate with the laser and according to their website it does accept DXF for vector engraving and vector cutting but not raster engraving. Checkout scorchworks.com/K40whisperer/k40whisperer.html for more info
Geeksmithing thanks, I didn’t think I had asked on 2 videos. The first post i did
seemed to hang and the app crashed so I thought the question hadnt been posted. Sorry!
What is the minimum power for this application?
Hi. What is the thickness of acryl plate for round base?
All acrylic used was 3mm (1/8")
@@Geeksmithing, is the width of nest the same?
Can you share the cut files? I can't seem to clear the inside of BB8. Thanks in advance.
I honestly don't know if I have them anymore, but I'm happy to try to help you get the results you want! Are those areas showing in K40 Whisperer as black regions? If so, then they should be able engrave with the Raster Engrave function.