For my first project, I wanted to make something someone can actually use. Since my very good friend from college recently had a baby girl, I thought it would be a fun experience to use the laser cutter to make a mobile. This will let me play with different shapes and get a nice organic feel from the cardboard.
I decided on a sky theme..basically objects that one would see in the sky. I also included the baby's name for a personal touch.
The biggest challenge was the etching. For the rainbow and sun design, I wanted some etched lines to show the details. I used colour mapping to vary the power and speed of the laser on the board to make sure the etch lines kept the shape in tact. I finally settled on a power of 10% and a speed of 95%.
After several runs and a roomful of burnt carboard smell (it made me think of a fireplace which wasn't too bad), I had a final product:
Some watercoloring should make this more attractive.