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  • Welcome!
  • Mission Statement
  • Contributing Guidelines
    • Embed CADs in Wiki Articles
  • VEX Worlds Livestream Archive
    • VEX U
    • V5RC High School
    • V5RC Middle School
    • VIQRC Middle School
    • VIQRC Elementary School
    • JROTC
  • ⚙️Hardware
    • Design Fundamentals
      • Gear Ratios
      • Internal Forces (Stress)
      • Torque
      • RPM
      • Center of Mass
    • Introduction to VEX Parts
      • Structure
        • C-Channels and Angles
        • Fasteners
        • Retainers
        • Gussets and Brackets
        • Bearings
        • Plate Metal and Flat Bars
      • Motion
        • High Strength Components
        • Gears and Sprockets
        • Traction Wheels
        • Mecanum Wheels
        • Omnidirectional Wheels
        • Flex Wheels
    • Robot Decorations
      • Part Dyeing
      • Metal Coloring
      • License Plate Holders
    • Lifts
      • Double Reverse Four Bar (DR4B or RD4B)
      • Four Bar
      • Scissor Lift
      • Six Bar
      • Other Lifts
      • Best Practices
    • Shooting Mechanisms
      • Catapult
      • Flywheel
      • Linear Puncher
    • Drivetrains
      • Tank Drive
      • Mecanum Drive
      • Holonomic Drive
      • Designing a Drivetrain
      • Best Practices
    • Pivots & Joints
    • Pneumatics
      • Best Practices - Pneumatics
    • Intakes
    • Flip Out Mechanisms
    • Defensive Mechanisms
    • Misc. Building Techniques
    • VexU
      • Common Manufacturing Techniques
        • 3D Printing
        • Laser Cutting
      • Custom Manufactured Parts Library
      • Commercial Off The Shelf Parts Library
  • 👑Team Administration
    • New Team Resources
      • Creating The Team
      • Gaining Interest for Robotics Teams
      • Attending Competitions
        • Elimination Bracket
    • Team Dynamics
      • Organization Structure and Longevity
      • Member Allocation and Management
      • How *Not* To Run a Team
    • Team Finances
      • One-Year Team Financial Breakdown
      • Funding Your Teams
    • Hosting Competitions
      • Live Streaming
      • Tournament Manager
        • Competition Electronics
        • Creating a Tournament
        • Tools
          • Field Set Control
          • Connecting Mobile Devices
          • Connecting Raspberry Pis
        • Match Control
          • Inputting Match Scores
          • Inputting Skills Scores
          • Inputting Scores on TM Mobile
        • Displays
        • Alliance Selection
      • Additional Event Partner Resources
    • VexU Organization Management
      • Getting Started in VexU
      • Team / Personnel Management
      • Volunteering At Local Events
  • 📚The Judging Process
    • The Engineering Design Process
      • Test and Refine
    • The Engineering Notebook
      • Segments of the Notebook
      • BLRS2 '23-'24 Engineering Notebook
      • Integrating Inventor Models into Documentation
      • Engineering Notebook Rubric Breakdown
    • The Interview
      • Interview Rubric Breakdown
    • Using Notion for an Engineering Notebook
      • How to Setup a Notebook
      • How to Create Entries
      • How to Export a Notebook
      • Purdue SIGBots Notion Template
        • Game Analysis
        • Identify The Problem
        • Brainstorm Solution
        • Select Best Approach & Plan
        • Build Log
        • Programming Log
        • Testing Solution
        • Tournament Recap
        • Innovative Feature
  • 🖥️VEX CAD
    • CAD Programs
      • Inventor
      • Fusion 360
      • Solidworks
      • OnShape
      • Protobot
    • Making a Chassis
      • Inventor Chassis: The Basics
        • Installation
        • User Interface Overview
        • Dark Mode
        • Assemblies
        • Placing Parts
        • Navigating CAD
        • Changing Visual Style
        • Grounding
        • Connecting Two C-Channels
        • Modifying Existing Constraints
        • Toggling Visibility on Existing Parts
        • Completing Half of the Chassis
          • Inner Drive Channel
          • Bearing Flats
          • Motors
          • Wheels
          • Sprockets
          • Spacers, Washers and Standoffs
          • Spacers Cont.
        • Creating Mid-Plane
        • Mirroring
      • Inventor Chassis: Best Practices
        • File Structure
        • Subassemblies
        • Wheel Subassembly
        • Origin Planes
        • Cross Brace
        • Drive Channels
        • Simple Motor iMates
        • Replacing Simple Electronics
        • Completing Half of the Drive
          • Bearing Flats (Best Practice)
          • Wheels
          • Powered Gear
          • Spacer Boxing
          • Spacers, Washers and Standoffs (Best Practice)
        • Model Browser Folders
        • Mirroring (Best Practice)
        • Model Browser Folder (Right)
        • Main Assembly
      • Fusion 360 Chassis
      • Solidworks Chassis, Chain, and Custom Plastic
    • Remembering The Best
      • 62A Skyrise
      • 400X Nothing But Net
      • 2587Z Nothing But Net
      • 365X Starstruck
      • 62A In The Zone
      • 202Z In The Zone
      • 5225A In The Zone
      • 169A Turning Point
      • 929U Turning Point
      • 7K Tower Takeover
      • 5225A Tower Takeover
      • 62A Change Up
    • Scuff Controller
  • 💻Software
    • Odometry
    • Path Planning
    • Robotics Basics
      • Arcade Drive
      • Tank Drive
      • Joystick Deadzones
      • Curvature (Cheesy) Drive
      • Subsystem Toggling
    • Organizing Code
      • Code Style
      • Code Styling Guide
      • Writing Good Comments
      • Version Control
    • Control Algorithms
      • Bang Bang
      • PID Controller
      • Basic Pure Pursuit
      • Flywheel Velocity Control
      • Kalman Filter
      • Take Back Half (TBH) Controller
      • RAMSETE Controller
    • Competition Specific
      • Operator Control
      • Autonomous Control
    • C++ Basics for VEX Robotics
      • Basic Control Flow
      • Enumerations
      • Namespaces (::)
      • Multiple Files (C/C++)
    • VEX Programming Software
      • PROS
        • OkapiLib
      • vexide
      • Robot Mesh Studio (RMS)
      • EasyC
      • RobotC
      • VEXcode
      • Midnight C
    • General
      • Stall Detection
      • Register Programming
      • Sensors and Odometry in Autonomous
      • Embedded Programming Tips
      • Debugging
      • Bit Shift
      • Bit Mask
      • Autoformatting
      • Finite State Machine
      • Data Logging
    • Object Recognition
      • Red Green Buoy
      • AMS
      • OpenCV
      • OpenNI
    • 🤖AI in VRC: Pac-Man Pete
  • ⚡VEX Electronics
    • V5 ESD Protection Board
    • VEX Electronics
      • VEX V5 Brain
        • V5 Electronics Observations and Issues
      • VEX Controller
      • VEXnet and V5 Robot Radio
      • VEX Battery
      • VEX Motors
    • VEX Sensors
      • 3-Pin / ADI Sensors
        • Encoder
        • Potentiometer
        • Limit Switch
        • Bumper Switch
        • Accelerometer
        • Gyroscope
        • Ultrasonic
        • Line Tracker
        • LED Indicator
      • Smart Port Sensors
        • GPS Sensor
        • Rotation Sensor
        • Vision Sensor
        • Optical Sensor
        • Distance Sensor
        • Inertial Sensor (IMU)
        • 3-Wire Expander
    • V5 Brain Wiring Guide
    • Legacy
      • VEX Cortex
      • Power Expander
      • VEX Motor Controller
      • VEX Cortex Wiring Guide
  • General Electronics
    • General Topics
      • External Boards
        • ASUS Tinker Board S
        • Arduino
        • Beagleboard
        • Leaflabs Maple
        • LattePanda
        • Meadow F7 Micro
        • Netduino
        • ODROID-XU4
        • Pandaboard
        • Raspberry Pi
      • Analog-Digital Converter (ADC)
      • Bit-Bang
      • GPIO
      • I2C
      • Jitter
      • Line Noise
      • List of Tools
      • Output Drive
      • Power Consumption
      • Radius Array
      • Resettable Fuse (PTC)
      • SPI
      • Slew Rate
      • Stalling
      • USART
      • UART
      • 5 Volt Tolerant
      • DC Motor Basics
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On this page
  • Best Practices
  • Design For The Process
  • Prototype!
  • Material Selection

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  1. Hardware
  2. VexU
  3. Common Manufacturing Techniques

Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is an ideal manufacturing technique in VexU for any flat design such as gears, brackets, and more. The technique is fast, and versatile across materials allowing for quick iterations and final products that suit the designers' needs.

The process begins by designing a digital program in a CAD/CAM system that directs the laser cutter. This design file, typically a DXF or DWG file, outlines the desired shapes and dimensions of the parts to. The laser cutter, guided by the CNC system, then uses a concentrated beam of light to melt, burn, or vaporize the material along the programmed path.

Best Practices

SAFETY FIRST! Lasers are dangerous tools that can cause serious harm if not used properly. Make sure that proper PPE is used, there is supervision, and the machine is setup with proper ventilation.

Design For The Process

Laser Cutting is very versatile, but many people lack experience with the technique and therefore fall into common traps. Firstly, avoid sharp corners (both internal & external) that would likely be rounded over when being cut. Additionally, plan joining features early for each part so they can be cut properly & reduce assembly time.

Prototype!

Until tolerances are refined, and experience is had, make sure to test parts & features on less expensive, easier to obtain/cut materials as to not waste time and money.

Material Selection

Polycarbonate - This material is strong, impact-resistant, and readily accessible in most areas. One concern with Polycarbonate is its flexibility, especially since most laser cutting machines will only cut <0.25" thick Polycarbonate.

Delrin - This material has a high stiffness, low friction, good dimensional stability and is great for applications such as gears because of this. Delrin is more expensive than some more common plastics, but is still readily available on sites like Amazon.

Aluminum - Despite needing a powerful laser to accomplish, Aluminum can be cut on a laser cutting machine making it perfect for complex structures & strong braces. Aluminum itself is lightweight, strong, and corrosion-resistant making it a great material for use in competitive robotics.

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Last updated 9 months ago

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