The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • CD / DVD Data Destruction: Fixturing

    Cutting an array of 120 mm holes in chipboard produces a fixture for wrecking CDs:

    Laser-engraved CD fixture - loaded
    Laser-engraved CD fixture – loaded

    In addition to the obvious cutouts, the fixture has four corner targets:

    CD 5×3 Fixture
    CD 5×3 Fixture

    Which you use with LightBurn’s Print-and-Cut alignment:

    Laser-engraved CD fixture - alignment
    Laser-engraved CD fixture – alignment

    With fifteen Guilloche swirly patterns imported and snapped into the template and the template aligned to the fixture, Fire The Laser:

    Laser-engraved CD fixture - legend
    Laser-engraved CD fixture – legend

    The whole process takes a bit under 25 minutes:

    Laser-engraved CD fixture - complete
    Laser-engraved CD fixture – complete

    Which produces a stack of glittery proto-coasters:

    Laser-engraved CD fixture - results
    Laser-engraved CD fixture – results

    Although they’re all pretty-like, turning them into Real Coasters requires a cork base, MDF in the middle, wood glue, and adhesive sheets, all of which seems entirely too much like work.

    There ought to be an easier way …