As a good supplement to your own creativity or for base designs to add to, there are a wide variety of online sources for free and low-cost design files. These design files will work with your design software and laser system for laser cutting and laser engraving.
Design File Online Sources Here is a list of some of the sources we recently checked out and found an abundance of design files.
- 3axis.co
- CncCookbook.com
- Designshop.com
- DXFforCNC.com
- Etsy.com
- Pinterest.com
- Ponoko.com
- Scan2cad.com
- Thingiverse.com
File Search Terms Many of the websites with design files also provide files for 3D printing and CNC processes including routing, waterjet cutting, plasma cutting and other processes. The key to finding the files you need for laser processing is to use search words including the following:
- Laser cutting files
- Vector art
- Laser design files
File Format Search You can also search for the 2D file formats that are typically made available for download including the following:
- .AI or .EPS (Adobe® Illustrator®)
- .CDR (CorelDRAW®)
- .DXF
- .SVG
It is generally a simple process to import these files into a layout software such as CorelDRAW or Adobe Illustrator and make any adjustments to prepare for laser processing. If you are not familiar with the process, there are a variety of free online tutorials you can review for importing different file types and preparing them for laser processing.
License to Use Designs There are specific licensing rights assigned by the owners to design files for download. These rights vary from source to source and in some cases, they can vary with individual files. Make sure you receive the rights to use the files for the way you plan to use them. Improper use of downloaded design files can lead to copyright or other design use legal issues.
Next Steps To get started, find a simple design file you like. Download it, import it into your design software, and prepare it for laser processing. Once you start becoming comfortable with this process you can move on to more complex designs.
We hope this list helps you get started finding good designs for laser cutting and engraving. If you find a particularly good source for files that is not on this list, please let us know and we’ll check it out to consider adding to the next refresh of this list.
For more information contact us by email info@hitec-ams.com
Source : Universal laser blog
