Laser Cut Book Cover Prototypes

I am in the process of designing a wifi-connected book that will have a Particle Photon and a battery embedded into the back cover.

Today I went to St. Albans City School where my friend +Melissa Haberman, a tech savvy art educator, was kind enough to let me cut a book cover prototype on the Full Spectrum laser printer in the school's maker space.

  

While I ultimately hope to create a cover using cherry wood, I chose 1/4" medium density fiber board (MDF) for my first laser-cut prototype, thanks to the recommendation of the amazing +Leah Joly, Design Technology Instructor at Williston Central School.  I'm hoping that this sturdy material will be easy to cover, using traditional bookbinding methods. Because my first attempt at creating a cover, thick enough to embed the Photon and battery, involved cutting through four layers of binder's board with a pen-knife, I am thrilled that the laser cutter worked so well.

Although this remains a work in progress, here is a link to the Inkscape design for my book's back cover: Book Cover SVG File.  I'll be backing the covers with binder's board.  Of note, the Full Spectrum has a 12" X 20" bed.  I used a piece of 1/4" MDF, at 100% power and 50% speed, which took three passes to get through the material.