I create most of my designs for laser cutting in Inkscape or Fusion 360 but over time I also collected a list of useful file generators for laser cutting. In this
All of the generators in the list below are browser-based so you don’t need to download and install any software. They are also all free to use for private projects without any need for registration.
Boxes
Boxes are a great example of projects where generators come in very handy. While it is not difficult to design a simple box, things can quickly become time-consuming when you start adding finger joints or internal dividers.
MakerCase
MakerCase is a free web tool for designing custom project cases. It is very simple to use. When you enter the dimensions and material thickness of your box, MakerCase generates a 3D model that can be rotated on the screen. I really like the 3D preview because you can directly see how your box is going to look like.
There are three different options for joints: flat, finger and t-slot. Once you click the “Download Box Plans” button you can customize your file or example by selecting line colors and line weight. There is also the possibility to specify kerf compensation.
Download File Type: SVG or DXF
Boxes.py
Boxes.py is an open-source box generator. It comes with a library of all kinds of boxes – not just rectangular boxes but also boxes with rounded corners, hinges and more. In addition, you can also design other objects such as shelves, drawer inserts or living hinge patterns.
The possibilities with this tool are huge. If you want to dive into the more advanced settings there is some learning curve. I find parts of the descriptions for the settings not intuitive. It takes some time to discover what changing a certain setting will mean for the end result.
Boxes․py is free software licensed under GPL v3+. There is also an Inkscape plug-in for Boxes.py and you can use Python code to create your own generators.
Download File Type: AI, DXF, GCODE, PDF, PLT, PS, or SVG
Make a box
Make a box does exactly what its name says. It has a very intuitive user interface and produces nice boxes with symmetric finger joints.
Download File Type: PDF
Laser Cutter Box
A nice little generator for creating files for laser cut boxes. Not the most beautiful user interface if you ask me but it is working very well and there is a live preview of your drawing, so you can see what you will get.
You can choose between different box types like for example open or closed box. It is also possible to create boxes with a slope and add dividers to a box.
Download File Type: DXF
Template Maker – Paper Boxes
All of the previously mentioned generators are mainly for making boxes out of wood, acrylic or a similar material. This one is different. Template Maker is a collection of customizable templates for paper boxes.
There are some premium templates that require a payment to be downloaded but most of the templates are free to use under a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 License.
Download File Type: PDF, SVG and DXF
Gears
With a laser cutter, even the complex profiles of involute gears are easy to cut once you have a vector drawing for the gears you want to create. The difficulty lies with creating the drawing for the gears. Manually creating a drawing for functional gears is quite complex and time-consuming. Because of this most CAD software for technical drawings come with some sort of gear generator.
If you don’t want to use a CAD program and just need some meshing gears, the following online generators are for you.
Involute Spur Gear Builder
Involute Spur Gear Builder is an open-source,
Download File Type: DXF
Gear Designer
Simple to use gear generator. The size of the gears can be configured by setting the module and number of teeth.
Download File Type: DXF
Mazes
Laser-Cut Maze Designer
Generate files for creating your own laser cut wooden maze.
Download File Type: SVG
Maze Generator
Choose between and rectangular, triangular, circular and h
Download File Type: PDF, SVG, PNG
Other File Generators for Laser Cutting
Some other file generators that don’t fit in any of the categories above.
Vector Ruler Generator for Laser Cutting
Great for making your own custom laser cut rulers.
Download File Type: SVG
Jigsaw Puzzle Generator
Make your own jigsaw puzzles without having to draw every single piece.
Download File Type: SVG
SVGnest
A free and open-source online tool for nesting – i.e., arranging multiple parts to use as little material as possible.
There is also a free to download
Do you know of any other online generators for laser cutting? Let me know in the comments and I will add them to the list!
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Have just been shown this and at first glance it looks very interesting, will be back later to have a proper look.
Kit-o-mat for making scale model buildings
Thanks! This definitely looks interesting for scale model buildings. But according to the license terms, users are not allowed to manufacture designs from the software without approval and you need to register per e-mail to receive the plans – so it does not really fit in this list.
You are very generous. God Bless you.
This is awesome Theresa ! Thank You
Thanks 🙂
This should be added to the list as well
https://svgnest.com/
They have a app as well
https://deepnest.io/
Oh, those look very useful for nesting! Thanks for the tip – I will add them to the list.
Wow, that box generator is REALLY helpful!
https://geargenerator.com/ is a great one, the animation is helpful in visualizing designs.
Thanks! That’s a really nice gear simulator!
Really nice collection! Thanks very much, Theresa!
Thanks! 🙂
Gear designer creates dxf not svg.
Oh yes, thanks for pointing that out. I corrected it now in the post.
Fantastic, Thank you.
Excelente …muchas gracias …de mucha utilidad
¡Ha sido un placer! 🙂
boxes.py is missing few lines in box design for some reason. is there a way to fix that?
Which kind of box were you designing were you had the problem with the missing lines?
Thanks for sharing. Very helpfull.
I want to make, or at least start a file that can be used to design wooden purses. Which of the files works best for this?
Hm, this depends on the kind of design you have in mind for the purses… I think that the “Flex Box” https://www.festi.info/boxes.py/FlexBox?language=en might be a good starting point.
For a project like this you might also think of using a 3D modeling software. Have a look at this video for an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLjHWRs-iiI
Try:
http://boxdesigner.frag-den-spatz.de
creates boxes, (escher) puzzles, mazes, popup-cards, paperboxes…
Thanks for the link! There a some very nice file generators.
It does not fit the category of this post 100% because you have to register and pay a fee of 13 EUR to download files – but you definitely get a lot for a very reasonable price.
Thank you a lot, really it is useful sites.