I run a workshop manufacturing parts with 3x P1S and 1x A1 mini.
I also use a Laser cutter for mould making and support structures.
I use a software from 2013 that is no longer availible, 123D Make.
The reason i still use it is because i can import 3D models and slice them and then turn them with a button into flat cut out slices and it shows me the sheet (which size i can set) and it can also Number the slices which will be laser engraved if i want to so i know in which order to assemble it.
If you wonder why or for what purpose, this is really really great for mould making.
You can set the number of slices horizontally and vertically and the thickness of the material and offset. Slice direction etc etc
There really isn’t any software that i know that can do it.
I tried BambuSuite and i did not see any option to import an STL, STP or OBJ and to slice it for the laser cutter.
Please bambu this is a very very important feature and will open the possibilities to the next level.
This is what a 3D object sliced for a laser cutter (wood or cardboard) looks like:
I read your post a while back and it stuck with me. I ended up
building the thing.
It’s a browser-based STL slicer for laser cutting. You drop an STL,
set your material thickness and sheet size, and it gives you one SVG
per sheet ready for LightBurn.
The forum won’t let me post links yet as a new account, so:
stl-slicer dot vercel dot app
From your list, it currently does:
Import STL and slice it
Flatten to sheets at whatever sheet size you set
Auto-numbered slices, engraved on each piece so you know the
assembly order
Kerf compensation and offset
Slice direction (X, Y or Z)
Nesting so you don’t waste material
Two things I added that 123D Make doesn’t do, and that came up while
testing it on real models:
Alignment guides: a faint outline engraved on each slice showing
exactly where the next one sits, so the stack doesn’t drift over
50+ layers
It warns you about slices that have no support from the layer
below and will just fall off when you glue them
Cuts are black, engraving blue, guides green, so LightBurn assigns
the operations by colour without you separating anything by hand.
Not done yet, and these are the two from your list I know are
missing: interlocked and radial slicing, and papercraft unfolding
with fold directions and vertex count. Those are next if this turns
out to be useful to anyone.
It runs entirely in your browser, nothing gets uploaded. Free, no
signup, no account. I tested it against 200 real Thingiverse models
including broken and non-manifold ones.
Since you use it for mould making, I’d really like to know whether
it holds up for that. Mould work probably has tolerance needs I
haven’t thought about. If you try it and something breaks or is
missing, tell me and I’ll fix it.
Thanks for the welcome, and for making the link clickable.
Just to clarify since I probably didn’t explain it well: it’s not
really for papercraft. It’s for slicing a 3D model into flat layers
you cut from wood, acrylic or cardboard and glue into a stack —
mould making, topographic pieces, sculptural stuff. Papercraft is
just something I haven’t built yet.
If you ever do mould or jig work with the laser it might be more
relevant than it sounded.
I have the H2D with 10W laser, but focus mainly on engraving of (coated) metals.
I might do more in the future, but currently I prefer not to cut wood or acrylic materials in my 3D printer. Too much cleaning and in the long term a lot of debris buildup in the printer.
I might consider a dedicated laser for cutting in the future though.
Late to this, but for anyone who finds the thread later: the software you are describing exists again.
I missed this workflow enough that I ended up building a replacement. It is called Lamina, it is free and open source: https:// marcelfarres.github. io/ lamina/ (somehow I can not post links here … strange)
123D Make became Slicer for Fusion 360, and then Autodesk killed that one too, so Lamina targets the full feature set of both.
Going down your list:
Import STL and OBJ (STEP and other CAD through an optional extra), set material thickness, offset and kerf compensation
Slice count and slice direction, move and rotate the model to choose the axis
Slices numbered and engraved so you know the assembly order
Nesting onto whatever sheet size you set, with stock requirements listed per sheet
Export SVG, DXF, PDF or EPS with cut, score and engrave on separate layers
All five construction modes from the original:
Stacked slices with dowels, pegs or spacers
Interlocked (egg crate)
Radial, half slices fanning from an axis with locking rings
Ribs following a curve you draw
Folded panels: the surface is simplified to a facet size you set in millimetres, then unfolded flat with score lines and fold direction. That is the papercraft mode, with 13 joint types (tabs, laces, rivets, strips, ribs). The facet size setting is the equivalent of the vertex count slider in your screenshot.
Things the original never had, some of which matter for mould work:
Per slice edits: move, tilt, roll or change the thickness of an individual slice
Checks before you cut: parts too thin, slots that would sever a piece, pieces not actually held by anything, parts that do not fit the sheet. Most come with a one click fix.
Coverage figures telling you how much of the real model the stack actually represents, which is the number I would want before cutting a mould
A 10 cm / 4 in scale bar on every export, so you can test cut and confirm nothing is being rescaled on the way to the machine
Assembly step through with an explosion slider, to confirm it goes together before you commit a sheet
Dog bone relief if you are cutting on a router rather than a laser
It runs in your browser (the Python runs locally, nothing gets uploaded), or you can run it yourself with Python or Docker. AGPL, no account, no sign up.
It is early alpha, so there are certainly bugs I have not met yet. Mould making is the case I would most like to hear about, since the tolerances there are tighter than decorative stacking. If you throw a model at it and something goes wrong, tell me, nothing is too small to mention. Happy to help get a specific model through it too.
