Dustan Webb's Laser Cutter and Engraver

Dustan was kind enough to send us a video and a bunch of images on how he is using the blackTooth Laser Cutter and Engraver. Dustan uses a software toolchain that does a great job with laser engraving using DotG to create the g-code for the engraving. Dustan has also show some examples of his laser cutting by producing one of those taxidermy-like 3D animal puzzles, and uses a material that I have not seen commonly used for this. Let's talk about that DotG for a moment. This is a program I wish I was introduced to earlier as it is specifically made for engraving applications. DotG takes an image and creates a g-code file for a laser engraver, CNC machine, or plasma cutter. Dustan's source for much of this information is Tweakie which offers a great amount of information on all sorts of CNC and engraving related topics. All you need is the image to be in black and white, and you can fiddle with the parameters and create a very nice looking raster engraving. To make the output even better, the image can be processed by another program to create a dithering, or half toning effect. Dustan used IrfanView and Ximagic (plug-in for Photoshop). Some code (post processor) is needed with DotG. You may be able to use this halftoning techninque as it produces many halftoning designs. With this software, Dustan was able to engrave/burn an image of his grandmother onto a piece of wood. He really wanted to apply this to glass and as you can see, he has a successful example of this. If you are marking glass, it's a balancing act of having the laser at the correct intensity. The laser is not actually engraving the glass, the laser is marking the glass by putting little cracks in the glass. CO2 lasers heat the air trapped within the glass and when air is heated, it expands. The expansion causes a crack in the glass making it appear as if the laser engraved the glass. Dustan also dabbled with cutting with his blackTooth laser system. He started out cutting a 3D box using a website that automatically creates the outline for the box for you. You give the website the width, height, depth and material thickness and it does everything else for you. It then presents you with a pdf that can be put into the cam so the box can be cut on the laser. He also tried a deer mount that came out very nicely. The material that is typically chosen to do these animal taxidermy mount puzzles is cardboard, but Dustan chooses to use a plastic material.