PC and amplifier vents
A 120 × 240 mm acrylic panel with 7.9 mm hexes at 10 mm pitch is 62.4% open with 2.10 mm webs.
Ventilation slots instead →Perforated Panel DXF Generator
Hex vents, staggered round holes and graded hex arrays on any rectangle or imported outline. Open area, web width and hole count update with every value, and only whole holes inside the margin are placed.
Lattice cut length · bridge · row spacing
Fills row spacing 0.6t, cut length 5t + 5 (12–60 mm) and bridge 0.8t from the thickness.
Panel size · legs · margin
- Bend zone W
- Corner zone W90
- Wrap strip
- Pattern open area
- 62.4%
- Web
- 2.10 mm
- R_min estimate
- Bend check
Inner cuts · 1stBend guides · no cutOutline · last
Too tight.
Links too thin.
Web too thin.
Cast acrylic is brittle. Acrylic living hinges crack after a few bends; use it for flat vent panels, or cut a swatch before any hinge.
Very dense. The preview draws the first 120,000 cut-outs; the numbers count every one.
Proof preview · not a cut file
Free proof
Pro · cut-ready files of this design
Early Launch Price · 50% Off
7-Day Maker & CNC Pass · every Pro export
Proof saved. The cut-ready version of this design is in the Pro pack below.
Readout
- Panel open area
- 44.5%
- Flat panel
- 120.00 × 240.00 mm
- Slit rows
- Hinge zones
- Top + bottom plates
- Net link
- Min link
- Cut-outs
- 237 holes
- Hole range
- 0.0–0.0 mm
- Total cut length
- 7.20 m
R_min, laser time and open area are estimates from the torsion and area models. Confirm the bend with the 5-strip swatch before a full cut.
Pro pack · built for the design above
Production Laser DXF/SVG & 3D STEP CAD Pack
Layered, de-duplicated, cut-ordered DXF R12 and LightBurn SVG with correct kerf handling, a STEP + STL solid of this hinge, and a 5-step swatch that follows your own design.
| You get | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Every pattern, live 2D/3D, W, R_min, open area | Yes | Yes |
| Proof PNG (≤ 1000 px) + formula TXT | Yes | Yes |
| Kerf-compensated DXF R12 + LightBurn SVG | — | Yes |
| STEP AP214 + binary STL solid | — | Yes |
| 1:1 swatch + datasheet PDF | — | Yes |
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Ready-made designs
Vent and screen panels
Click one to load it into the studio above; every value stays editable.
How to use it
Four steps from sheet to cut file
No Generate button: every step redraws the 2D path, the 3D bend and the numbers at once.
- 01Set the panelWidth, height, edge margin and corner radius define where holes may go.
- 02Pick the hole patternHex vent, staggered round or attractor gradient; size and pitch drive the open area.
- 03Check the webKeep the web above max(0.8 mm, 0.4 t) so the bars between holes survive cutting.
- 04Export layered filesHoles go on the blue layer, the outline on red; the field boundary is a green guide.
Formulas
Open area with worked numbers
Pattern open area is per repeating cell.
Holes on a 60° lattice sit at the corners of equilateral triangles of side p. A hexagon of size s across flats fills (s/p)² of its cell, a circle of diameter d fills 90.69 × (d/p)² percent. The gradient pattern keeps the hex lattice and averages the ratio of every cell.
| Pattern | Formula | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| Staggered Round 60° | OA = 90.69 × (d/p)² % | d 5, p 7 → 46.3% |
| Hexagonal Vent | OA = 100 × (s/p)² % | s 7.9, p 10 → 62.4% |
| Obround Slot | OA = 100 × ((L − w)w + πw²/4) / (px × py) % | 20 × 4 at 26 × 8 → 36.8% |
| Radial Speaker Grille | OA = 100 × N × d² / D² % | Ø100, 341 × 3 mm → 30.7% |
| Attractor Gradient | OA = mean of per-cell ratios | hex 4.0–7.9 mm graded |
Strength
Open area against web width
10 mm pitch, 3 mm stock: minimum web 1.20 mm.
| Hole size | Hex open area | Round open area | Web | Web check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 mm at 10 mm | 25.0% | 22.7% | 5.00 mm | OK |
| 6.0 mm at 10 mm | 36.0% | 32.6% | 4.00 mm | OK |
| 7.0 mm at 10 mm | 49.0% | 44.4% | 3.00 mm | OK |
| 7.9 mm at 10 mm | 62.4% | 56.6% | 2.10 mm | OK |
| 8.0 mm at 10 mm | 64.0% | 58.0% | 2.00 mm | OK |
| 8.5 mm at 10 mm | 72.2% | 65.5% | 1.50 mm | OK |
| 9.0 mm at 10 mm | 81.0% | 73.5% | 1.00 mm | Below 1.2 mm |
Hexagons give about 10% more open area than circles at the same web because their flats stay parallel to the neighbour. Above 64% the bars get close to the burn-through limit; a 9 mm hex at 10 mm pitch leaves 1.00 mm, under the 1.2 mm minimum for 3 mm stock.
Layout rules
Edge holes, margins and outlines
The lattice is centred on the field, which is the panel inset by the margin. A hole is kept only if all of it fits inside the field; nothing is clipped into a half hole, so every cut is a closed contour and the edge strip keeps its full width.
With an imported outline the same rule applies: each hole centre must sit inside the shape and at least margin plus the hole radius from every edge. The pattern open area does not change; the panel open area and hole count do, because the shape holds a different number of whole holes.
Where it fits
Use cases and related tools
Real jobs makers cut with these numbers, and the tool page that fits each one.
Speaker fronts
For a round driver, rings centred on the cone look tidier than a square lattice.
Speaker grille generator →Panels that also bend
If the panel has to curve, use a living hinge lattice instead of holes.
Living hinge generator →Check a radius before cutting
Work out W and the minimum radius for any sheet with the formula explained step by step.
Kerf bending calculator →Send the file to the laser
Layer colours, cut order and import settings for LightBurn, Glowforge, xTool, RDWorks and VCarve.
DXF & SVG guide →Compare every pattern
See all 12 hinge and vent patterns with their flexibility or open-area formula before you choose.
Pattern library →Questions
Frequently asked questions
R_min values are estimates from the torsion model; confirm with a test cut.
How is the open area of a hex vent calculated?
For regular hexagons on a hexagonal lattice, open area = 100 × (s/p)², with s the size across flats and p the centre distance. 7.9 mm holes at 10 mm pitch give 62.4%; 8 mm holes give 64.0%.
Why are pattern and panel open area different?
Pattern open area is the ratio inside one repeating cell. Panel open area divides the total hole area by the whole panel, including the margin and partial rows that were left out, so it is always lower.
What happens to holes at the edge?
Only whole holes that fit inside the outline minus the margin are placed. Nothing is clipped into half holes, so every hole is a closed contour that cuts cleanly and the edge strip keeps its full width.
What is the minimum web width?
The tool warns below max(0.8 mm, 0.4 × t). For 3 mm stock that is 1.2 mm. Thinner webs overheat on a CO2 laser, scorch plywood and snap in acrylic.
Can I lay holes inside my own outline?
Yes. Import one closed SVG or DXF outline up to 5 MB; it replaces the rectangle, the margin is kept from its edge and the pattern open area stays the same. The file is parsed in your browser.
Same engine
The rest of the toolkit
Every tool shares one geometry engine, so numbers match between pages and files.