How-Tuesday: Kirigami with the Craft ROBO

brepettis

Story by brepettis

Published on Jan 06, 2009 in Make

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The Craft ROBO is a machine that lets you cut and score paper with precision and repetition. This is really handy if you’re into scrapbooking or want to make shipping boxes, envelopes or promos for your Etsy shop. Perhaps you want to take it to the next level to create unique paper sculptures, pop-up books or custom vinyl stickers.

Using the machine is like hooking up a printer to your computer, but instead of printing ink, the Craft ROBO has a tiny little sharp knife that it can control and move around to cut through or just slightly graze paper.

Jeff Rutzky has been creating incredible kirigami (origami with cuts) with the Craft ROBO. He joined us at Etsy Labs to give us a tutorial on this wonderful bread-box sized machine.

To make the kirigami box in the video, you’ll need to have Adobe Illustrator (AI) on your computer and you’ll have to install the AI plugin. You can also use the software that comes with the Craft ROBO, but this project involves a few different type of cuts which is best done on AI.

Download the pattern. (Be forewarned! This is a mighty large zip file of documents!) Load it into AI and turn off the layers with cutting lines and print out the graphics and registration marks. Load your printed sheet onto the plastic carrier which protects the machine from its own blade. Then go into the cut/plot interface and set it to stop between each layer. That way you can change the blade out to go from scoring to cutting.

You can also do this project with an Exacto knife and a boning tool for scoring, but the beauty of the Craft ROBO is that, well, the machine does the work for you perfectly!

Watch more how-to videos and check out these how-to projects too!

Discuss: 56 comments

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  • sugarspicepaperie

    sugarspicepaperie says:

    So glad to see this! I have been stressing over trying to decide which cutter to buy! Thanks Etsy!

    3 years ago

  • KnitStorm

    KnitStorm says:

    this could be saucesome...

    3 years ago

  • theRasilisk

    theRasilisk says:

    That machine is rad. I feel compelled to get one, regardless of what i would do with it...

    3 years ago

  • ccaspia

    ccaspia says:

    ohh!!! i love paper too ^^

    3 years ago

  • notepourri

    notepourri says:

    Thanks so much for adding this. I have one but have yet to use it fully.

    3 years ago

  • handmade

    handmade says:

    wow! this is awesome. im so glad to know this exists!

    3 years ago

  • LushPunk

    LushPunk says:

    Man I want one of those cutters! Jeff's kirigami is amazing :D

    3 years ago

  • Lolleys

    Lolleys says:

    My life could be so different with a craft ROBO!

    3 years ago

  • themakelounge

    themakelounge says:

    Jonesing for this....

    3 years ago

  • BibBon

    BibBon says:

    Me want that! That is dang cool! Great job guys!

    3 years ago

  • inhope

    inhope says:

    this blows my mind with all of the possibilities....how much is this thing? 1 million $ worth of awesome I bet

    3 years ago

  • GoodNightLolaSue

    GoodNightLolaSue says:

    ilove it! very cool to see it in action!

    3 years ago

  • KnitzAndFeltz

    KnitzAndFeltz says:

    WOW! That is soooooo cool!

    3 years ago

  • OnTheNeedle

    OnTheNeedle says:

    "You can also do this project with an Exacto knife and a boning tool for scoring, but the beauty of the Craft ROBO is that, well, the machine does the work for you perfectly!" So it's less handmade?! lol, I get it, and I like it, it's awesome, but I had to giggle!

    3 years ago

  • nfall2rt

    nfall2rt says:

    wow, i'm so impressed! I make lots of paper stuff and I was imagining myself taking my hand out of the cutting part...I might be able to get used to that!

    3 years ago

  • juicychristians

    juicychristians says:

    very cool! putting on my craft gadget wish list!

    3 years ago

  • TheSeed

    TheSeed says:

    I think this is the answer to my prayers...Does anyone know if it can be programmed to cut out your own custom pattern or will it only cut certain available downloads (and I'm sure there are tons to choose from, but I've been personally dreaming of a machine that will cut things I draw.) Oh please oh please oh please someone say it will!

    3 years ago

  • bbesigns

    bbesigns says:

    This looks wonderful How expensive is it??

    3 years ago

  • dianesk9creations

    dianesk9creations says:

    here's one is the site I was looking at: http://www.getmycricut.com/

    3 years ago

  • tascha

    tascha says:

    This is so cool!

    3 years ago

  • studiocvh

    studiocvh says:

    wow, i needs me a craftso robo

    3 years ago

  • hine

    hine says:

    Wow..., what a smart machine! I should start to save money to get one for me! Thanks so much for the information and the great tutorial!

    3 years ago

  • TheBeehive

    TheBeehive says:

    I love love love my machine, mmmm, it's dreamy! Beautiful work, thanks for sharing!

    3 years ago

  • PeppermintDaydreams

    PeppermintDaydreams says:

    the craft ROBO makes me want to do the ROBO boogie!

    3 years ago

  • EJPcreations

    EJPcreations says:

    Me love me love!!!

    3 years ago

  • BluCille

    BluCille says:

    Neat. The God Bless cards are cool.

    3 years ago

  • zelas

    zelas says:

    I have one, its great :)

    3 years ago

  • smilingbluedog

    smilingbluedog says:

    Is this the same as a cricut?? (wondering if there's some differences, and wishing I had one!) Awesome & fresh paper creations!! As for handmade?? HHmmmm? It may be a machine (replacing an exacto) but then there are embroidery machines, sewing machines, and many others, doing more and more. Whatever... It's a tool, and what you do with the tools you have, is what makes your work amazing.

    3 years ago

  • LeLapinTriste

    LeLapinTriste says:

    this was delightfully inspiring! Thanks for sharing!

    3 years ago

  • designbycathleen

    designbycathleen says:

    I love this, now I really want this machine.... :-)

    3 years ago

  • nicolecarey

    nicolecarey says:

    i'd break the machine if i had it i bet

    3 years ago

  • beta

    beta says:

    I had my Craft Robo for the past 3 years and use for so much. It's great for cutting decals.

    3 years ago

  • geritom71

    geritom71 says:

    That's amazing - and, as always, doesn't seem to be available in Australia!

    3 years ago

  • saraaires

    saraaires says:

    WOWOWWW! I never thought that there could be a "domestic" version of such a machine! Idon't think it is available in Portugal... is this the correct name? Craft Robo? I'm off to searching... Thanks!

    3 years ago

  • TheCottageCheese

    TheCottageCheese says:

    I wanted this machine as soon as I read the name of it. Anything with the word "robo" in the title has to be wicked cool.

    3 years ago

  • eyeshoot

    eyeshoot says:

    What a great bit of kit! I'll add it to my long wishlist!

    3 years ago

  • NinjaJenn

    NinjaJenn says:

    Do want, do want, do want!!!

    3 years ago

  • salonskacollections

    salonskacollections says:

    This is AMAZING!!! Thanks so much for the article. I'm checking to see if I can afford one right now.

    3 years ago

  • GumballGrenade

    GumballGrenade says:

    What a neat little machine. Thanks for the introduction and lovely tutorial!

    3 years ago

  • jadewicks

    jadewicks says:

    OMG - I've been looking for something like this and it's great to know it DOES exist and it's not for industrialists. Excited! :)

    3 years ago

  • AnnSchwartz

    AnnSchwartz says:

    Fabulous demonstration--very clear and inspiring. Great music too. This looks like a must for every paper crafter. So cool! Thanks, Jeff

    3 years ago

  • LaireMarie

    LaireMarie says:

    such wonderful items, and to think from paper?

    3 years ago

  • redyellowandblueink
  • Studio618

    Studio618 says:

    Technology! And I was picturing someone with the Xacto knife, with bleeding fingers. How neat!

    3 years ago

  • scrapnoutlawcat

    scrapnoutlawcat says:

    The Cricut Expression and Xyron Wishblade are similar machines. The Wishblade is more for using your own designs via the computer where as the Cricut uses their own special die cuts that you buy already packaged in a special cartridge. I did hear though that Cricut now has a software product for designing purposes but it's limited. Both products are fabulous. My Cricut is on order as I speak and a Wishblade is of all things on my Wish List!

    3 years ago

  • ljoembroidery

    ljoembroidery says:

    I L O V E the Craft Robo. I've been using in for a few years now for cards, invitations, projects... it's so much fun. Way more versital than any of the other products out there.

    3 years ago

  • hanginmoon

    hanginmoon says:

    love it, but I prefer do it the manual way by hand

    3 years ago

  • RedFenyx

    RedFenyx says:

    Really interesting! Thanks for the explanation! ^^

    3 years ago

  • EmbersOfLove

    EmbersOfLove says:

    There's Craft Robo, WishBlade, Silhouette, Pazzles and Klic-n-Kut. Cricut does not need to be plugged to a computer. All of these have lots of accessories, and of course these don't come cheap. So what are the downsides and the advantages of each one? Does anyone know?

    3 years ago

  • mollylee

    mollylee says:

    OMIGOD, thanks for the article! I LOVE my robo and use it for all my cards! (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5033209) it allows me to do a lot more complicated things, cutwise, than I can otherwise do. I have started a wiki about the robo: http://craftrobocutter.wetpaint.com/

    3 years ago

  • mollylee

    mollylee says:

    Just to answer a few questions: it's about $300, but you can search and find it for a little bit less, if you look. It comes with its own propriatary software, but I use it with the Illustrator plug-in (as does Jeff in the demo, it's very amazing software). The main difference between it and something like the Cricut is that you can use it to cut ANY design you want, as long as you draw it out in the software. With the Cricut, you have to buy a cartridge everytime -- extremely limiting! It's the same thing as a Wishblade. If anyone out there wants to get together about their Robos, let me know! I'm dying to make contact -- the one bad thing about the robo is that the documentation kind of sucks, so I've had to do a lot of trial and error (this is partly why I started the wiki, to gather up all this knowledge in one place: http://craftrobocutter.wetpaint.com/) I can't tell you how much I LOVE my robo!

    3 years ago

  • TrevaPoston

    TrevaPoston says:

    I thought of the times when my ex-husband told me of the new robots developed at the Navy Base here in Pensacola to cut metals for parts for airplanes in the Navy Depot. This is a mini version of that machine. Progress is great! Especially when it can be applied for artsy stuff too! Thank you for the demo and flashback.

    3 years ago

  • rocketandbear

    rocketandbear says:

    thanks so much for this, lovely and clear I've just got one and was having a bloomin nightmare trying to get it to work with the mac now I know i need illustrator! just bought one off ebay (fingers crossed) anyway your short clip has given me far more insight into the thing than a whole day of research on the web and my poor machine clanking away because I was doing it all wrong...phew...i'm off for wine!!! I LOVE ETSY and all it at stands for...hurrah!

    2 years ago

  • PattiTrostle

    PattiTrostle says:

    Thanks..love this!!

    1 year ago

  • niki194

    niki194 says:

    I L O V E the Craft Robo. I've been using in for a few years now for cards, invitations, projects... it's so much fun. Way more versital than any of the other products out there. nice informtion thankx to share me this http://www.sbpak.com/daily-ausaf

    227 days ago

  • niki194

    niki194 says:

    I L O V E the Craft Robo. I've been using in for a few years now for cards, invitations, projects... it's so much fun. Way more versital than any of the other products out there. nice informtion thankx to share me this Daily Ausaf

    227 days ago