The FOLDORI precision
When FOLDORI began, we faced a physical limit. Scalar plotting cannot handle detailed designs and micron-level shapes. Traditional die-cutting (using metal blades to punch shapes) is excellent for mass production but lacks the surgical precision required for a "no tools, no glue" assembly. Blades dull over time, leading to rough edges, misalignments, and paper fiber untangling.
To achieve our "LEGO of paper" vision, we needed an average tolerance inferior to 0.1mm. We moved the entire production to CO2 laser-cutting technology. It was the birth of the FOLDORI precision you experience today.
Why 250 grams per square meter (gsm)?
In Q's Prototyping Lab, we tested everything from 120gsm (too flimsy, like a flyer) to 400gsm (too rigid, prone to cracking at the spine).
We landed on 250gsm for its resilient flexibility. It is the ideal weight to support an anti-wobble architecture, while remaining light enough for a 40-minute assembly. The mastery in laser-cutting 250gsm paper is in the search for the perfect setting: too much power and you char the edges (leaving brown marks); too little, and paper elements won't pop out cleanly.
The gas-assist breakthrough
CO2 lasers don't "cut" so much as they sublimate paper-based materials: turning paper fibers into gas. By fine-tuning the gas-assist pressure, we manage to blow away the vaporized carbon instantly. The crisp, clean edges you find in the Sunrise Dreams set are the result of this controlled carbonization. No soot on your fingers, controlled browning of the paper, with clean cuts for highly intricate designs and shapes.
Beyond the cut: "kiss-cut" folding lines
Before this milestone, paper-based kits were often scored by a blunt wheel, which crushes down paper fibers and makes the material look tired.
We use the CO2 laser to kiss-cut fold lines. This technique helps us to penetrate exactly 30% into the 250gsm depth. It creates a hinge in the paper. It guides your hand to the perfect fold every time, ensuring success even if you’ve never built a set before. It’s why our folds are inspired by millenia-old Chinese and Japanese paper techniques, far away from nowadays industry-wide bent cardboards.
It matters today, more than ever
We look back at our CO2 laser milestones as the invisible quality that makes FOLDORI premium. When you feel that effortless removal of elements from the paper sheet, or when a belt slides into a slit with zero resistance, you're feeling the results of Q's research and our on-site work with our Italian suppliers.
I remember the first time we ran a 250gsm sheet through the newly pulse-calibrated laser. The pieces didn't just fall out; they were released. It moved us from being a company that sells paper kits to a brand that makes precision art sets. We don't settle for 'close enough' in our labs, so you don't have to settle for 'good enough' on your shelf.
