How to Make a Shadow Box Dinosaur with Value Acrylic and LED Strips

2024-08-29 | By Kitronik Maker

License: See Original Project Laser Cutters

Courtesy of Kitronik

Guide by Kitronik Maker

An easy way to explore topics in a more memorable format is by including them in ‎a craft project! Our example, by Emma, is a dinosaur, though of course you can ‎choose any topic.‎

topics_1

We Used:‎

‎3mm Black Value Acrylic Sheet
‎‎0.5mm Black Polypropylene Sheet
‎LED Strip Kit
‎Heat Shrink (optional)
‎Then just add - Last Cutter, Printer, Paper, diffuser material
These DXFs‎‎

dino_2

STEP 1 - LASER CUTTER: ‎

Laser cut the box and inner panels. They should appear as below. Make sure that ‎on the box sides (the four thin pieces) the interior vertical lines are only kiss-cut ‎and not cut all the way through. These are intended to provide friction to hold the ‎polypropylene panels in place.‎

cuts_3 ‎

STEP 2 - CONSTRUCTING THE BOX:‎

Construct the box as shown below, making sure to be careful while pushing the ‎finger joints into their corresponding holes. The scored lines should face the inside ‎of the box.‎

box_4 ‎

‎STEP 3 - PREPARING THE LED STRIPS: ‎

The flying leads on the USB cable need to be Soldered to the pads on the LED ‎Strip. Once they are in Place, either use heat shrink as we have or use electrical ‎tape to insulate the joints.‎

prepare_5 ‎

‎STEP 4 - ADDING THE LEDS TO THE BOX:

Feed the strip through the hole in the bottom right of the box and use the adhesive ‎on the back to stick the strip against the back of the box.‎

adding_6 ‎ ‎

STEP 5 - DIFFUSER:‎

Pack the box with a layer of a light diffusing material. We used wool batting, but ‎packing foam or similar materials would work well too.‎

diffuser_7 ‎ ‎

STEP 6 - ASSEMBLY:‎

Stack on the polypropylene pieces as shown. In the case of the top layer, this is ‎where the layer of paper will want to go. In order to achieve a sharp and clear ‎shadow at the front, we taped the paper to the top layer of polypropylene.‎

assembly_8 ‎