Blueprint artwork has always fascinated me, so I decided to try and achieve a similar effect with the Emblaser.
My goal was to create back-lit artwork for each of the Emblaser machines we have developed. I chose the Emblaser 2 as the first one to tackle.
Project Files
Materials:
- Transparent Acrylic
Other Items Needed:
- Blue spray paint
The Build
The artwork is the most important aspect to achieving a blueprint look. There are many examples online showing the type of graphic elements that make up the look.
I used CAD data to generate the main Emblaser2 elements. These were then imported into Adobe Illustrator and the secondary elements added.
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/20190909_Blueprint-invert_sml.jpg)
With the artwork imported into LightBurn, I made sure to flip the image horizontally. Since we will be engraving on the back side of the acrylic, this will make it look correct from the front.
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/LB02-1024x639.png)
To achieve the delicate line-work in the design I chose to use the ‘threshold’ mode in the image engraving settings. I used the ‘Preview’ from LightBurn to check the detail that would be engraved. ‘Preview’ is a great way to ensure what you will be engraving before wasting any material.
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/LB03-1024x662.png)
With the graphic side of the project ready, the next step was to paint one side of our acrylic sheet with blue paint. If your acrylic has a protective film, make sure you leave one side of the film on to protect against paint getting onto the wrong side.
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/build01-1024x777.jpg)
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/build02-1024x804.jpg)
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/build03-1-1024x768.jpg)
Before engraving, I removed the protective film from the other side of the acrylic. I also used our MagClips to support the acrylic above the base of the machine. You can learn more about our MagClips here: LINK
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/laser01-1024x763.jpg)
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/laser02-1024x792.jpg)
The Emblaser’s fine laser power control lets us remove only the paint layer without marking the acrylic. With some backlighting, all the fine detail shows through.
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/final04-1024x866.jpg)
![](https://darklylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/final02-1024x900.jpg)