Edge-Lit LED Text Engraving

thingiverse

I had just reached a point in my CNC router build that I could start using it to make something when it was time to make some gifts for Christmas! I liked the idea of edge-lit LED lights with a custom image or word. I ordered a few bases: 2019 RGB Lights LED Lamp Base For 3D Illusion Lamp and a 12"x12"x3/16" cast acrylic sheet. Since I didn't have much time, I created an OpenSCAD program to generate the correct geometry for the end that goes in the bases as well as all the names I wanted to engrave. The 1st text string is what gets engraved, the 2nd text string helps generate the right amount of spacing, and the translate_amount fine-tunes the positioning. The resulting object could be exported in multiple formats but I chose to generate an SVG image which I pulled into Carbide Create. As my first project, I was probably overly conservative with the numbers but this is what I used: 1/8" single flute endmill, DOC 0.01", Stepover 0.05", Feedrate 10"/min, Plungerate 3"/min, and Total depth of engraving: 0.03". The same settings were used to cut out each piece with a total depth of 0.187" except for 3x 2mm wide and 1mm tall tabs. The cheap Harbor Freight trim router I'm using spins up to 26000rpm but I'm using a speed control device to lower it to approximately 1/3 total power. Each sign averaged around 45 minutes total (engraving + cutting) and the 12"x12" sheet yielded 5 signs.