Laser Nails

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

  1. Isopropyl Alcohol (99-99.8%)

  2. Isopropyl Alcohol (70%)

  3. Formlabs Form3L Printer

  4. Formlabs Clear Resin V4

  5. Sandpaper (213Q P800-grit)

  6. Born Pretty Red Jelly Gel Nail Polish

  7. Angelina nail supply Clear UV Top Coat

  8. Nail Filer

  9. X-acto Knife

CONSTRUCTION

Preparing the 3D Resin Print

  1. SLA print the file of the nail cover design.

  2. Carefully remove the 3D print from the build plate and soak in isopropyl alcohol (99-99.8%).

  3. Cut the supports from the 3D print. 

  4. Once supports are removed, give a rinse in IPA for any remaining support debris.

  5. Using super fine sandpaper (P800), sand all the 3D prints gently to remove any remnants of supports. If needed, you can take an X-acto knife and gently remove any little broken support pieces, but be careful not to cut the model itself.

Coating and Curing the Nail Cover

  1. Apply 2 layers of Born Pretty Red Jelly Gel nail polish to the nails. Cure with a UV lamp in between each layer.

  2. Once dried, paint the nail cover with a clear UV top coat. Cure with a UV lamp.

FUNCTIONALITY

Circuitry

  1. Solder five laser diodes to each battery connector. The red wire connects to “SW,” and the blue wire connects to “-”.

  2. Connect 3.7V LiPo batteries to each of the battery connectors.

  3. Before switching on the battery connector, ensure that the laser diode is not pointing at human eyes or camera lenses. Safety goggles are recommended.

NAIL APPLICATION

Applying the Nail Cover

  1. File the natural nail and the back of the nail cover with a nail filer.

  2. Clean both the natural nails and the back of the nails with isopropyl alcohol (70%) and isopropyl alcohol (99-99.8%), respectively.

  3. Apply a clear, double-sided adhesive nail sticker to the natural nail.

  4. Attach the nail cover at a 45º angle from the nail bed to the nail tip.