First Try at a Lithophane

 

The creator of the image above posted it to an internet forum.  I'm assuming it was provided for free use for non-commercial purposes.  This type of image is ideal for creating a lithophane.  Unlike like some of the finely detailed lithophanes posted elsewhere this image won't require micro sized cutting tools or endless hours of cutting.

Recently I've found a source of Corian cut-offs at near give away prices.  Corian is a brand name Solid Surface Material which has translucent properties if not infused with dark pigments.  The piece used in this post is some shade of white.

   To get the lithophane effect the Corian was first milled down to a thickness of 0.130".  As shown in the screenshot above the 1/8" ball end mill will be carving to a max depth of  -0.100 which means only 0.030" of material will remain at the deepest parts of the carving.  The settings shown in the image above are the exact settings used.  A roughing pass was also used but is not shown here.

Camotics was used to check the gcode before cutting.  Camotics can be a bit deceptive depending on how the image view is rotated.  The first image shows the features on the chin a forehead as depressions:

in fact they stand proud of the surface as shown from this angle:

Below is the finished item back lit with a florescent light which makes it appear quite yellow.  When illuminated by natural light, such as hung in a window,  it has a bluish-white hue which I find more attractive but more difficult to photograph.