An illustrator question

[pubultrastar]

I think what you’re asking for is related to Kerf. There are multiple topics related to this on the forum, but here are a couple to get you started:

Kerf explained..hopefully

Continuing the discussion from To adjust for kerf or not to: Kerf is basically how much material is vaporized by the laser beam. In the first example below, if you want a 3" circle, then you would adjust the size of your shape larger using the known kerf width to compensate. (.2" is NOT a normal kerf size but I used here to demonstrate so its easy to see) This would be an example where auto kerf adjustment in the Glowforge would work. [image] Example 2 is when you wish to cut a tight fit…

Want to Learn More About KERF?

Glowforgers, A lot of people have been asking me about kerf. What is it? How do you calculate it? How do you compensate for it? So, I am hosting a live YouTube stream dedicated to kerf. It will be on Tuesday April 30th at 1pm MST. Here is a link: Kerf 101 [Kerf%20101] Hope you can attend. Warmly, Jason

Adobe Illustrator - Adjusting for Kerf in your Design

Adjusting for Kerf in Illustrator.pdf (711.4 KB)

HOWTO: Kerf Measurement and Jig

Understanding the interaction between your tools and materials is critical to making parts that fit well. A key metric to understand is kerf: the amount of material removed by a cut. Compensating for kerf is the difference between joints that are sloppy or that fit with just the right amount of force. Even though a laser cutter removes only a fine amount of material, that slight difference in dimension between your plans and the physical material adds up. It’s worth noting that your kerf can…