PET MEMORY – Enchanting 3D laser portrait with LED, paw print & personalized name

Prepare material

3 mm plywood is used for the basic construction.

Recommended materials:

3 mm birch or basswood plywood for the outer frame

dark 3 mm wood for the inner frame

3 mm transparent or frosted acrylic for the portrait

optional PETG for the raised paw

warm white LED lighting for the backlight

Before starting, the material should lie clean and flat on the P3 work table.

Tip: Since plywood reacts differently depending on the manufacturer, glue content and batch, a small material test should be carried out before the actual cut.

Open project in xTool Studio

Download the PET MEMORY project files and open the required SVG files in xTool Studio.

The individual files are named according to their function:

FRONT FRAME – Outer frame

DARK INNER FRAME – Inner frame

PORTRAIT – Portrait insert

NAME PLATE – Name plate

PAW BADGE – Paw print

LED SPACER – Spacer for lighting

REAR COVER – Rear wall

STAND – Stand

The files can be imported individually and then arranged as a joint project.

Color coding:

Red = Cutting
Black = Engraving
Blue = Score / Marker

If you are using your own XCS/XS project file, the processing settings can be applied or adjusted directly in xTool Studio.

Personalize your portrait

Choose a photo of your pet that is as high quality as possible.

For the best result, the animal should be clearly separated from the background and the face should be clearly visible.

Edit the photo before importing:

Remove background.

Increase contrast.

Remove unimportant details.

Convert the image to a black and white/grayscale display suitable for engraving.

Adjust the portrait to the intended size of the inlay.

Place the portrait in xTool Studio within the selected area.

For the competition piece, the portrait is engraved on a separate insert. This then creates a real spatial structure between the portrait and the frame.

Tip: Fewer details often result in a more recognizable portrait when lasering than an unedited photo.

Cut and engrave

Place the material on the xTool P3's worktable and perform a material test before final production.

As a starting point for 3 mm basswood/birch plywood:

Cutting

Power: 95 %
Speed: 20 mm/s
Passes: 1

Linien / Score

Power: 20 %
Speed: 80 mm/s
Passes: 1

Surface engraving

Power: 15 %
Speed: 130 mm/s
90 Lines/cm
Passes: 1

Photo/portrait engraving

Power: approx. 3 %
Speed: approx. 80 mm/s
100 lines/cm
Grayscale
Bi-directional
1 Pass

These values are starting values and must be adjusted to the actual material used.

Sufficient Air Assist should be used when cutting. For engraving, a significantly lower airflow can be useful.

Important: Never laser unattended and carry out a small test before production.

Assembling PET MEMORY

The construction consists of several levels.

The order from front to back:

Front wooden frame

Dark inner frame

Engraved portrait inlay

LED spacing plane

Back wall

Then the personalized elements are applied to the front:

Paw print

Name tag

Optional year

Optional reminder text

The LED lighting is positioned behind the portrait.

Make sure that the light is distributed as evenly as possible behind the portrait and that no individual LED dots are visible directly through the material.

Finally, the back is mounted and the cable is passed through the opening provided.

Personalize and finish

Now the PET MEMORY can be customized.

Possible personalizations:

Pet name Year

birth

Year of death

Paw print

Reminder text

Interior frame color

Material of the portrait

LED color

Additional decorative elements

Example:

LUNA
2015 – 2024
Forever in our hearts

The design can be used not only for dogs. The interchangeable elements also allow it to be adapted for cats and other pets.

This turns a single design into an individually personalisable DIY creation.

If you make your own version, feel free to share a photo of your finished PET MEMORY creation. 🐾