Based on contributions by Luckyhipster10.
The workshop has a laser cutter that’s free to use for cutting wood plates to specific dimensions. This covers designing a flat part in SolidWorks with a tab-and-slot joint, exporting it as a DXF, and getting it cut in the workshop.
What you need
- SolidWorks with the Sheet Metal tools.
- The workshop laser cutter (available to all students, free to use).
- A USB drive.
Steps
1. Pick a wood thickness
The workshop stocks wood in four thicknesses: 3, 6, 9, and 12 mm. Design your part around one of these thicknesses.
Example part:
2. Join two parts with a Tab and Slot feature
If two parts need to be joined, use the Tab and Slot function, found under the Sheet Metal tab.
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When extruding the new body, make sure Merge results is turned off.
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After extruding the body, select Sheet Metal → Tab and Slot.
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After selecting Tab and Slot, make sure the tab height is set to Blind.
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Select the first variable (blue) and pick the inside line between the two parts.
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For the second variable (pink), select the face where the slots should go. If done correctly, the rest fills in automatically.
Adjust these variables until you get the tab spacing and fit you want.
3. Save the part as a DXF
When your part is finished, save it as a .dxf file so it can be uploaded to the laser cutter. It’s a good idea to include the wood thickness and quantity needed in the file name.
After clicking save, a menu appears where you select Faces/loops/edges and pick a single face that the laser cutter should cut around. Confirm with the check mark and save if the result looks correct.
Repeat this export for every face you want cut.
4. Upload your parts to the workshop
Bring your USB drive with the DXF files to the workshop PC. You can upload your own files, but the workshop staff will do the actual cutting — they collect batches of parts and cut them together, so check back a few times after uploading.
Plug the USB drive into the workshop PC, then drag and drop your files into the laser cutter program. Give each part the color that matches its thickness, using this color code:
| Thickness | Color | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 3 mm | Blue | 01 |
| 6 mm | Black | 00 |
| 9 mm | Red | 02 |
| 12 mm | Green | 03 |
| Engrave | Yellow | 04 |
Then wait for the workshop to cut your parts.
Common mistakes
- Leaving Merge results checked when extruding the second body — this fuses the bodies together and breaks the Tab and Slot feature.
- Forgetting to set the tab height to Blind.
- Designing to a thickness that isn’t one of the four stocked sizes (3, 6, 9, 12 mm).
- Not color-coding parts by thickness before dropping them into the laser cutter program.
Related
- How to design a laser-cut wood finger joint (fingerbox) connection in Autodesk Inventor
- How to make a 2D drawing from a 3D model in SolidWorks
Rewritten and consolidated (Sept 2026) from the original student how-to’s: How to design and make parts in Solidworks for the laser cutter in the workshop.