I am unsure how to create little tabs to laser cut parts so that the parts do not fall out of the finished balsa sheet.
For example I will like to cut all ribs into a sheet of balsa, but keep them from coming loose from the material. The end user to simply cut the little tabs and the part will come free.
Is there a way to do that to vectors in lightburn?
I see the perforation mode which would be perfect for card or paper. However if I want to simply add 2 tabs per part to keep it in place, is there a setting where I can let the software decide where to leave 2 tabs where it will skip cutting without working out the length of the total cut and adding skips that way?
Not at this time, no. Generally you would want more tabs on a larger piece, so setting a 0.5mm tab per 100mm is workable, and if a part is too short, LightBurn will make sure that the tab is emitted first, instead of last. I am planning to have a âtab layerâ where you can draw small circles or boxes onto your parts where you donât want them cut, but thatâs still to come.
These tabs are also known as âbridgesâ. LightBurn currently does not have this in the way you are thinking but it has been discussed. You can provide support for a âbridgeâ feature on our voting site.
You can however, build your desired tabs/bridges into your existing artwork using the âBoolean Subtractâ tool discussed in this video. ( good example about 5 mins in)
Thank you Rick. I did see the boolean video a few weeks back and enjoyed seeing how it works in the software.
So based on the boolean, I would simply import my nested design, draw rectangles where I need then then perform the boolean command to create that tab/bridge manually?
If so this sounds fine for manual insertion of them.
I will take another look at this video as well as the perforation option if it takes care of the complete nested parts on the cutting sheet.