6 Ways to Use a Laser Cutter in Education

The ways to use a laser cutter in education can be underrated, often because the technology is overshadowed by flashy technologies like 3D printers or gimmicky Kickstarter ventures.

Laser systems are generally one of the easier pieces of equipment students can learn. Designs are produced in a vector drawing package, sent to the machine via a printer driver, and the laser system does the rest.

The speed and power of a laser allows for quick production of designs so you can get more students on the machine in a shorter amount of time.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of a laser cutter is its versatility. Because a laser cutter’s power allows it to cut through a wide range of materials, it’s one of the most versatile pieces of fabrication equipment a school can have. The applications, from K-12 to community college to university, are endless.

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Architectural Models

Architecture and design students can work with multiple materials – like wood, acrylic, ceramic or glass – that best approximate the actual elements that will be used in their designed structures. This allows for model realism that cannot be achieved using other technologies.

Students can create models for homes, railways, planned communities or other architectural elements by drawing your designs in a CAD program, like Google SketchUp or SolidWorks, and laser cutting precise models without the need for additional post-processing.

Beyond model production, we’ve seen some pretty cool life-size custom architectural elements designed by architectural firms. As an added bonus, challenge your students to design something that scales larger than their models for real-world production.

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Art & Design: Appliqués and Fabric Cutting

With a simple CAD design file, students can cut patterns, produce appliqués, and engrave fabrics. These are common applications found in Art and Design programs where fashion design students create intricate patterns and custom fabrics, or art students construct unique papercut designs.

K-12 educators often use laser cutters for creating graphics for custom school or sports teams’ apparel, custom patches for student varsity jackets, or branded appliques that can be sold in the school store.

Graphic Imaging

Expand your design possibilities by printing graphics on new materials. This video shows how you can easily take a photo or scanned image and etch it onto a piece of wood. The same can be done on thin metals, ceramic, glass, brick or even rubber.

 

Some laser cutters, like Universal Laser Systems, feature software that will select the optimum settings for printing your image based on the material you have selected to etch.

Packaging Development

CTE Business / Marketing and Graphic Communications programs are increasingly turning toward laser cutters to augment their curriculum. Students are empowered to create product packaging for their business ventures without the need for dies or tools.

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Community colleges and universities are doing similar work but on a larger scale. For example, Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia currently asks its engineering and art students to team up to assist local inventors in the design of their products via a program that is run through the school’s Fab Lab.

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School Branding / Personalization

A laser cutter has its benefits for student learning, but it also brings major benefits to the school.

Create custom awards, trophies and plaques for student and faculty awards ceremonies. Add a layer of customization to tchotchke sold in your school store or at school fundraisers, like mugs, clothing, rubber stamps, and other memorabilia.

We’ve seen some schools take branding opportunities a step further. Lynchburg City Schools in Virginia uses their laser cutter to etch each school’s name and logo on the Chromebook laptops available through its 1:1 technology program. Why? It’s saving money. It used to cost the county more than the cost of a single laser system to engrave Chromebooks each year. Now, they can cut costs and complete the engravings in as little as two weeks.

Signage

Walk into a school – any school – and you’ll see signs everywhere: signs for each classroom, lab, office, after school club, sports team, etc. Many schools use laser cutters to create their own custom signage throughout the school.

Here’s a great example of an LED backlit laser engraved sign for the Engineering Lab at Anne Arundel Community College:

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While this example is a little more complex (Arduino-powered, LED backlit), schools often cut out numbers and letters from wood or acrylic to simply hang on their doors.

Woodworking Machinery

The great thing about laser cutting in a woodworking or engineering program is that you can cut, mark, image and engrave all with the same machine. This saves space in your shop or lab and decreases the student learning curve.

We’ve seen many different creative uses of laser cutters for woodworking. In Henrico County Virginia, Pocahontas Middle School students create gumball machines out of balsa wood and Highland Springs High School students create model airplanes out basswood.

The possibilities really are endless with laser cutting. It gives you a wide range of materials to work with, projects of varying difficulty levels, and opportunities to benefit both students and educators.