Tutorials

Applying tabs in laser drawing

Tabjes aanbrengen in lasertekening - Snijlab

Miniature wooden cannons, by Hans van Nieuwkoop

For all materials, parts smaller than 5x5 millimeters may be lost during the laser process. We cannot guarantee to supply residual shapes of small holes.

If you want to make small parts anyway, you have to make sure that they stay attached to the residual sheet. You can do this by adding tabs in your drawing, which are like little bridges between your drawing and your residual form, or simply breaks in the cutting line.

With thin materials such as resin board and paper, the use of tabs is recommended for shapes up to 50x50 mm. For larger parts, tabs can also be used to keep parts in the right place in the sheet.

  • Use at least one bridge for very small parts (< 10x10 mm)
  • Use a minimum of two to three tabs for larger parts (up to 50x50 mm)
  • Use even more and possibly wider bridges for parts larger than 50x50 mm

When drawing small parts, keep in mind the cut width.

tabs

Material Tab size in millimeters
MDF 1.0 mm 0.6 mm
MDF 2.0 mm 0.6 mm
MDF 3.0 mm 0.5 mm
Plywood birch 1.0 mm 0.6 mm
Plywood birch 3.0 mm 0.5 mm
Plywood birch 6.0 mm 0.5 mm
Resin board 0.5 mm brown 0.6 mm
All board types 0.6 mm - 1.0 mm
All types of paper 0.6 mm

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