A great advantage of Laminar Jamming Structures is that you can create components with the shape and material of your choice, provided that they are layered and sealed in a plastic envelope.
In order to achieve high precision even in more complicated geometries, the encapsulated material and the frame used to form the plastic bag in the special shape can be laser-cut. In this page, we list some recommendations when following this process.
1. Always check if the material can be used in a laser-cutter. Some materials may have the desired characteristics for the laminar jamming structure but at the same time can be extremely hazardous to humans or the machine itself when used in the laser cutter. Some of the websites that provide guidelines for materials that can be laser cut are the Fabrication Lab at Harvard and the companies Epilog Laser and Trotec Laser.
2. Round the edges of the encapsulated material as this will prevent punctuating the airtight bag.
3. If you plan to design LJS with openings or stripes, as the ones pictured below, make sure to give enough space for the bag to be sealed in the in between regions.
.