Thread: Laser Cut Living Hinge

Originally Posted by Roger A

hi Rod,
you can draw it up yourself in Sketchup. I think you can still download it free.
3D for Everyone | SketchUp
When you have drawn it up you should be able to export it in dxf format for your laser cutter.

regards
Roger

Thanks Roger I'll give it a go.

Another name for this is a Lattice Hinge.

For a very technical explination on them, check this out: Lattice Hinges | Deferred Procrastination

I've done some work with them using Polycarbonate(Lexan) sheets on our CNC using a 2mm bit.
By varying the length of the slots (or the number of links in the piece) I could alter the bend and how springy it was.
I didn't use anything as technical as the above link, just drew up a basic pattern in Illustrator and manually tested various iterations.