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Cutting technique for bending applications
Kerfing
By laser processing bending cut geometries or ‘kerf cut’, sheet materials that are rigid such as acrylic and wood can be bent. Most types of wood will adapt extremely well to cutting techniques with bending applications.
We recommend:
- Plywood & MDF
Techniques for acrylic cutting.
Cutting techniques associated with acrylic are best for rigid bends, e.g. boxes or cases where the bending radius is very rarely changed. With a continuous load of the cutting pattern, e.g. with a book, the webs can easily break.
When processing acrylic, the following points must be observed:
- A 2” lens (at minimum) should be used for laser cutting with bends. Since acrylic will melt from the heat of the laser beam, if the focal length of the lens is too small, it may result in the cut areas sticking back together.
- We suggest using a cutting distance of around 1-1.5 mm. If melting occurs even with the appropriate lens being used, try increasing the distance between the individual cut lines. However, if the distance used is too large, bend flexibility will decrease.
Kerf 1: Straight cut lines
Cutting small interconnected waves will give the material a large bending radius and flexible appearance. This technique is best suited for materials that are up to 3 mm thick.
Kerf 2: Small waves
With large honeycombs, the curves are cut out of the sheet and tapered at each end. Because of the large honeycomb, wooden boards can be used with flexibility up to about 5 mm thick. This pattern is most commonly used in model making.
The honeycombs can be easily taken apart as well as put together, and can also be combined with connections, such as with bracelets for example.
Kerf 3: Large honeycombs
Similar to pattern 1, this laser cut pattern consists entirely of cut lines, but offers different bending properties as it is much more flexible.
Kerf 4: Wavy cut line
The uniquely formed pattern of this bending cut offers flexibility in all directions, which makes a variety of creative applications possible, such as in bag design for example.
Kerf 5: Honeycombed cut line
These cuts are versatile and work well with several different types of materials. The shape given to the individual cut lines allow for flexibility and stability.
Kerf 6 and 7: Wide and narrow waves
Due to its design, this cutting pattern is most commonly used as a graphic element and can be bent in all directions.
The triangular shape of this cutting technique is well suited for materials up to around 3 mm of thickness, and becomes inflexible and rigid after 5 mm or more.
Kerf 8: Triangular shape
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