Laser-cutting machines have streamlined our approach to various creative and functional projects, offering precision and versatility that traditional methods often struggle to match. From laser signage to customised engravings, laser cutting technology creates marvellous opportunities for artists, jewellers, designers, and even DIY enthusiasts. At Lightning Laser, we’re excited for a future where you can laser cut acrylic and metal as easily as you can slice through paper. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the ways laser cutting can be used for various projects, such as art, jewellery, signage, furniture, and more.
Laser cutting has unlocked a level of intricacy beyond the reach of the skinniest paintbrush. Armed with a laser cutting machine, you can surpass the standards of your daintiest handiwork by turning out fine lines, delicate patterns and intricate shapes at the press of a button. Artists can experiment with different materials — such as wood, acrylic, paper, leather and metals — as each provides different textures, colours and finishes. Some artists enjoy working with a combination of materials and arranging them in layers, creating a literal extra dimension for their creations.
In many ways, laser-cut artwork is the inverse of drawn or painted works. With a pencil or paintbrush, artists often illustrate their vision and leave its blank spaces untouched. With a laser cutting machine, artists may address the blank spaces more, leaving the larger blocks largely unadorned. In other words, more traditional art is about adding while laser-cut art is about taking away. Ergo, when using a laser cutting machine, you can carve out your edges and revel in detailing beyond the scope of a drawing implement.
To illustrate the difference between traditional artistic methods and laser cutting, let’s examine the example of a mandala. While you can trace its outlines with a compass and fill in the intricacies with pencils, a laser cutting machine will carve out these intricate edges, giving them a tactile reality. Moreover, you can cut multiple congruent components to complete the mandala in more than one dimension. Laser-cut art is craftsmanship. On the flip side, you could compare it to contrasting negatives with finished photos — not because it’s a negative or inferior version of the original, but because it brings about different moods and emphasises spaces you hadn’t considered before.
If bling is your thing, you should give our metal laser cutter a go. While you can laser cut acrylic or wood into speccy accessories, there’s also something regal about a metallic necklace or earring. When you laser-cut jewellery, you’re essentially laser-cutting art — only on a smaller scale. Pushing the boundaries of traditional jewellery design, laser cutting allows you to craft pieces with precision and fine detailing.
Let’s examine some specific design styles to demonstrate what a laser cutting machine can do when turning out jewellery. Leaf earrings are a great example. If you’re designing leaf-shaped drops, you can go down either the simple or hard route:
Whichever route you choose is valid — simple isn’t necessarily ‘bad’ and hard isn’t inherently better. That said, the harder route does allow you to experiment with intricacies you couldn’t replicate without a laser-cutting machine. While wood can allow for rustic-looking and chunkier designs, metals fare better with a finer cut — if you want to emulate the delicate and ‘crunchier’ nature of autumn leaves. Alternatively, you could design a metal necklace laser cut to emulate the outline of leafy or floral arrangements.
Another style of design that exemplifies the range of laser cutting is layering. We’ve spoken at length about fine detailing, but now let’s examine the art of carving out pieces of the whole — and piecing them together. When you make a layered design, you often need to laser cut acrylic pieces — though wood can work, too, and it ultimately depends on the nature of your design. The advantage of laser-cutting acrylic is that this polymer tends to come in vibrant colours, meaning you’ll have a larger palette.
When you layer, you can laser cut tiny pieces, chunky portions or protruding parts. There’s no right or wrong method, so long as you introduce an extra dimension to your jewellery. For example, if you’re making bird earrings, you may wish to layer a ‘wing’ piece over the ‘torso’ piece, reflecting how birds wear wings as feathery shawls. Or, if you’re making a necklace akin to a floral arrangement, you may wish to space the flowerheads further apart to ensure each feature in their own right, perhaps kissing its neighbouring leaves or petals. Alternatively, you may wish for your jewellery to stand out with protruding parts — for example, your necklace may feature a flamingo neck curling away from the main neckline. These are just three ways you can use layering to add texture and dimensions to your jewellery.
Laser signage goes beyond functional display and strives for eye-catching. Artwork in its own right, laser signage greets you at storefronts, exhibitions and events — and charms you with its sharp-edged letters, logos and shapes. As with laser-cut art and jewellery, laser signage can be wood, acrylic or metal. What sets it apart from art and jewellery, though, is its emphasis on words and typography.
When it comes to brick-and-mortar branding, laser signage is a godsend. While you can select your desired typeface and font fairly easily within digital contexts, transposing this aesthetic to three dimensions is often difficult. Armed with a laser cutting machine, however, you can carve out those unique fonts and logos, stylised letters and images, and — of course — intricate designs and other arty additions requiring a finer cut. To add extra dimensions to your signage, you can also implement layering, as well as design your sign to accommodate LED backlighting.
Aside from catching the eye, laser signage can be just the ticket for displaying information. In this sense, the intention isn’t to attract so much as to inform. For example, at an event, laser signage may display event details, such as names, dates or specific messaging. On the other hand, laser signage can make fantastic wayfinding signs in buildings or outdoor spaces. No one needs a neon sign pointing towards the public toilet, but you also need prominent signage to know where to go.
Whether you like your furniture sleek and modern or classic and ornate, you can style it however you see fit with a laser cutting machine. Using wood, plywood, medium-density fibrewood (MDF), acrylic, or metals, you can laser-cut chair frames, outdoor seating, dressers, tables, and more to feature your favourite textures, shapes, and designs. Some of these designs may take the form of filigree, feature geometric shapes or speak to a particular style or time period — think French provincial flourishes or funky parametric patterns or touches. Because this is laser cutting, the world is your oyster — with the caveat that laser cutting cannot bring about (and will only damage) upholstery.
In addition to creating eye-catching textures and surfaces, laser-cutting machines can create components that fit together seamlessly. In other words, you’ll never need to worry about adding fasteners or similar to your laser-cut furniture, as these machines can facilitate precise joinery techniques thanks to their exacting cut. In a way, you could say that a laser cutting machine will generate homemade flat packs — the only difference being that the furniture will feature your own vision and designs.
Laser cutting opens up a whole other dimension for artists and DIYers alike. It introduces a tactile element to two-dimensional designs and brings visions to life. If you’d like us to work some Laser Lightning magic, get in touch today and we can make your blueprints a reality. Now that we’ve explored some of the ways that laser cutting can be used for various projects — such as art, jewellery, signage, furniture, and more — chances are you’ve realised that the only limit is your imagination. Which design do you dare to put forward today?
