Project:Laser Engraved Stamps
| ProjectInfoBox Laser Engraved Stamps | |
|---|---|
| |
| Status: | done |
| Release Date: | October 2021 |
| Initiator: | Luzian |
| Team: | Martin, Patrick |
| Materials Used: | laser stamp rubber |
| Software Used: | GIMP |
As a preparation for the Türöffnertag 2021, Luzian had the idea to let the kids create custom stamps with our laser cutter.
Material
The stamps are made of special laser rubber.
The holders can either be made of wood or 3D printed. The image shows a custom design created by Patrick. You can also use the 3cm x 3cm Stamp Base designed by Leo.
Designing the Stamp
In order to enable the kids to design their own stamps, we have created a template where they can draw the design on:
This template can be printed and - after designing the stamp - scanned.
Preparing the Image
After scanning the template with the stamp design, it needs to be prepared for the laser cutter. For this, 3 steps are needed:
- convert it into a 2-bit image (the laser can only produce "stamping" or "non-stamping" areas, no grey-scales are possible). You can use Colors->Threshold in Gimp (and the eraser and brush tools to clean up a bit).
- invert the colors (Gimp: Colors->Invert)
- horizontally mirror the image (Gimp: Tools->Transform Tools->Flip)
Note: sometimes LaserCut 5.3 does not like the GIMP export and throws an error ("only 2 bit maps can be engraved"). In this case, open the png in Inkscape and export it as PNG again, this fixes the issue for some reason.
Laser the Stamp and Test It
The last step follows the regular preparations for engraving pictures with the laser cutter. The needed settings can be found on the page "Laser Cutter Material Settings".
Further Reading
- Trotec (laser cutter manufacturer) on stamp rubber and recommended settings
