AcrylicNet

AcrylicNet

Design 3D nets with material thickness in mind

Paper folds flat. Acrylic does not. This lab shows how sheet thickness changes your cut sizes, joints, and final clear inside.

Open the labLesson steps

Why paper nets mislead

In S2 acrylic plastic, students often draw nets the same way they did on card. Card is almost zero thickness. Workshop acrylic is usually 3 mm or 5 mm — and that changes everything when panels meet.

Clear inside vs outer size

Walls sit on the base and take up space. If you want 80 mm clear inside with 3 mm acrylic, the base must be wider than 80 mm.

Joints need the real thickness

Finger depth and slot width must match the sheet. A paper-style net never forces you to measure that — acrylic does.

Thickness lab

Set the box you want inside, then change sheet thickness. Watch the cut list, the flat net, and the 3D model update together.

Isometric view · 3 mm · amber

  • Base
  • Front / back
  • Left / right
  • Clear inside
Base 86 mm × 56 mmFront / Back 86 mm × 40 mmSides 50 mm × 40 mm

3 mm sheet — blue base is wider; green sides are shorter than orange front/back.

Laser cut list

  • 1 × Base86 mm × 56 mm
  • 2 × Front / Back86 mm × 40 mm
  • 2 × Left / Right50 mm × 40 mm

Joint tip: if you add finger or slot joints later, finger depth and slot width must equal sheet thickness (3 mm). Paper nets hide that rule.

Suggested lesson flow

Use beside your acrylic plastic worksheet. Try each step in the lab before you finalise laser-ready dimensions.

  1. Start at 0 mm (paper)

    Set your target clear inside. Explode the model. This is the net you already know from card.

  2. Switch to 3 mm and “Ignore thickness”

    Keep the same panel sizes. Watch the amber wireframe shrink — that is the space your product actually loses.

  3. Flip to “Plan for thickness”

    See the cut list grow so the clear inside matches your design intent. Copy those sizes onto your worksheet.

  4. Check joints

    If your product uses finger or slot joints, set finger depth / slot width equal to your sheet thickness before cutting.

Reflect (write on your worksheet)

  1. What happens to clear width when thickness doubles but cut sizes stay the same?
  2. For your product, which dimension matters more: outer footprint or clear inside? Why?
  3. Why is a paper mock-up still useful — and what must you recalculate before laser cutting acrylic?