LaserCutter

LaserCutter is a ruby library for generating PDF designs for boxes of custom dimensions that suit your project, that are meant to be used as a cut template on a laser-cutter. The sides of the box snap together using alternating notches, that are deliberately laid out in a symmetric form.

To use laser-cutter you need to have a recent version of ruby interpreter, install it as a gem, and use command line to generate PDFs.

MakeABox.IO is an online web application that uses laser-cutter library and provides a straight-forward user interface for generating PDF designs without the need to install the gem or use command line.

Use whatever suites you better.

NOTE: Please read our feature comparison guide of LaserCutter against an older tool called BoxMaker.

Dependencies

The gem depends primarily on Prawn – a fantastic PDF generation library.

Installation

Add this line to your application's Gemfile:

gem 'laser-cutter'

And then execute:

$ bundle

Or install it manually:

$ gem install laser-cutter

Usage

We'll start with some examples:

Examples

Create a box defined in inches, with kerf (cut width) set to 0.005in, and open PDF in preview right after:

    laser-cutter -z 3x2x2/0.125 -k 0.005 -O -o box.pdf

Create a box defined in millimeters, print verbose info, and set page size to A3, and layout to landscape, and stroke width to 1/2mm:

    laser-cutter -u mm -w70 -h20 -d50 -t4.3 -n5 -iA3 -l landscape -s0.5 -v -O -o box.pdf

List all possible page sizes in metric system:

    laser-cutter -L -u mm

Create a box with provided dimensions, and save the config to a file for later use:

    laser-cutter -z 1.1x2.5x1.5/0.125/0.125 -p 0.1 -O -o box.pdf -W box-settings.json

Read settings from a previously saved file:

    laser-cutter -O -o box.pdf -R box-settings.json
    cat box-settings.json | laser-cutter -O -o box.pdf -R -

Complete Help


Usage: laser-cutter [options] -o filename.pdf
   eg: laser-cutter -z 1x1.5x2/0.125 -O -o box.pdf

Specific Options:
    -w, --width WIDTH                Internal width of the box
    -h, --height HEIGHT              Internal height of the box
    -d, --depth DEPTH                Internal depth of the box
    -t, --thickness THICKNESS        Thickness of the box material
    -n, --notch NOTCH                Optional notch length (aka "tab width"), guide only
    -k, --kerf KERF                  Kerf - cut width (default is 0.0024in)

    -m, --margin MARGIN              Margins from the edge of the document
    -p, --padding PADDING            Space between the boxes on the page
    -s, --stroke WIDTH               Numeric stroke width of the line
    -i, --page_size LETTER           Document page size, default is autofit the box.
    -l, --page_layout portrait       Page layout, other option is 'landscape'

    -O, --open                       Open generated file with system viewer before exiting
    -W, --write CONFIG_FILE          Save provided configuration to a file, use '-' for STDOUT
    -R, --read CONFIG_FILE           Read configuration from a file, or use '-' for STDIN

    -L, --list-all-page-sizes        Print all available page sizes with dimensions and exit
    -M, --no-metadata                Do not print box metadata on the PDF
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -B, --inside-box                 Draw the inside boxes (helpful to verify kerfing)
    -D, --debug                      Show full exception stack trace on error

        --examples                   Show detailed usage examples
        --help                       Show this message
        --version                    Show version

Common Options:
    -o, --file FILE                  Required output filename of the PDF
    -z, --size WxHxD/T[/N]           Combined internal dimensions: W = width, H = height,
                                     D = depth, T = thickness, and optional N = notch length

    -u, --units UNITS                Either 'in' for inches (default) or 'mm'

Wish List

Create T-style joins, using various standard sizes of nuts and bolts (such as common #4-40 and M2 sizes)
Extensibility with various layout strategies, notch drawing strategies, basically plug and play model for adding new algorithms for path creation and box joining
Support more shapes than just box, such as prisms
Supporting lids and front panels, that are larger than the box itself and have holes for notches.
Your brilliant idea can be here too! Please see contributing for more info.

Contributing

Fork it ( https://github.com/kigster/laser-cutter/fork )
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b my-new-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add some feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin my-new-feature)
Create a new Pull Request