LibGuides: Media Services: Laser Engraving & Cutting

Material & Service Charge

Size	Dimensions	Price
Base Charge: $20 per 15 mins Acrylic (clear/white/blue) 2mm
S	200 x 300mm	$25
M	300 x 400mm	$50
L	400 x 600mm	$100

Appointment

Discussion or enquiries for the artwork cutting, please contact Media Services at

Phone: 3917-7007

Email: libmedia@hku.hk.

General Information

Laser cutter/engraver is a computer-controlled device. The process is using a powerful laser to cut and/or engrave items from flat sheet. The Laser cutter works by directing a high powered laser beam very precisely at the chosen material to either etc, mark or cut right through. When cutting, the laser beam burns away at the material leaving the cutout shape that you have specified in your vector file. The cutting beam is very thin and precise resulting in incredibly detailed and accurate cuts. By reducing the beam power where mark the surface of the material, this is known as etching or engraving and can give some stunning effects on materials.

Eligible Users

The service is available for current HKU staff and students by appointment.

Laser Engraver & Cutter Information

Mercury III
Max. Part Size(W x L x H)	All doors closed	685 x 482 x 165 mm
	All doors open	685 x ∞x 165 mm
Table Size		750 x 500 mm
Dimensions (WxDxH)		1125 x 720 x 1005 mm
Cooling		Air-cooled, Operating environment temperature 15°- 30°C (60°- 86°F)
Drive		Closed-loop DC Servo Control
Throughput*		1072.8 cm2 / hr
Speed Control		Adjustable from 0.1~100% of 42 IPS (Up to 16 color-linked speed settings per job)
Power Control		Adjustable from 1-100% (Up to 16 color-linked power settings per job)
Engraving Capability		256-level gray scale image processing capability
Computer Interface		10 Base-T Ethernet, Full speed 2.0 USB
Material Support		Acrylic, MDF, Plywood where thickness is not greater than 3mm
Max. Size for cutting		600 mm x 400 mm
Min. Size for cutting		Must be greater than 14 x 14 mm

Guidelines

Vector graphics software such as Adobe Illustrator and Corel DRAW are recommended for artwork creation. These formats (ai, cdr) are supported by the library.
Corel Draw file must be compatible with library's version 20.
Bring along the printed artwork file saved on a USB thumb drive or online.
Leave at least 5mm margins from all edges of the artwork.
The driver can only handle one artwork per job.
Reserve a PC workstation time slot in our booking system.
Library staff will check the file to see whether it is appropriated for processing or not.

Colour Scheme for cutting outlines and engraving

RGB colour is the default setting mode for laser cutting/engraving

Adobe Illustrator		Coreldraw 2018
Cut colour	Red	Cut colour	Red
Cut stroke weight	0.01pt	Cut line	Hairline
Engrave colour	Black	Engrave colour	Black