Create your individual acrylic coffee bar

See how you can make your own coffee bar made of several layers of acrylic. Use Trotec's free instructions and template download for your laser.

Learn how to produce a coffee bar made out of acrylic material with your Trotec Laser. This example shows how acrylic elements are permanently inserted in an acrylic base plateby so-called 'kerf work'.


Preparation
Required material:
 
Further materials: masking material, adhesive tape, acrylic adhesive
 
Machine used: Speedy 360 with 80 watts, 1,5 " or 2" lens
 
Tip: Use the acrylic cutting table, the cutting table with acrylic lamellas or the engraving table with acrylic spacers

Step 1: Importing Graphics

Import our template into your graphic programm (Corel-Draw).

Download Design PDF 

Download CDR File


Step 2: Kerf correction
When cutting, a kerf develops due to the vaporization of the material and the laser beam diameter.  
 
The difference between the inner edge and the outer edge of the cut is called 'kerf'. The drawing must be adapted to this kerf to ensure durable positioning of the inserted parts. 
 
Simply incorporate the calculated kerf by using the "Contour" command in Corel-Draw. With this, the cut is actually as large as required, and the in-serted material fits in the base material. (We used a kerf of 0.21 mm.) Expand all green cutting lines to the previously calculated kerf.

Step 3: Laser process
Engrave and cut the various parts of acrylic. You can improve the result further  by selecting the right table - we recommend an acrylic cutting table. For optimal suction, set the material and cover the rest of the engraving table. Furthermore, remove the protective foil from the front face of the material. 
 
Laser parameters:
  • Engraving (black): Power: 50 %, Speed: 100 %, Resolution: 600 DPI/ PPI, Air Assist: ON, Advanced: high quality
  • Cutting: 3mm Acrylic (green and red): Power: 100%, Speed: 1%, Frequency: 8500 Hz, Air Assist: ON
  • Cutting: 10 mm Acrylic (green and red): Power: 100%, Speed: 0,5%, Frequency: 8500 Hz, Air Assist: ON 

Step 4: Assembly
Finally,  glue the individual parts together. Mount the letters and the storage compartments into the base plates, and secure the coffee bar on the wall with screws and dowels. 
 
Tip: In order to achieve a special effect, fill some coffee beans in the hollow space behind the storage compartments.