For this assignment, we were to laser cut and assemble a 4″x4″x4″ snap-fit box. I used https://makeabox.io to generate the outline of the box. My tabs were .5″, and, while I probably should have tested various values for the kerf, I decided to keep my default kerf of .0024, since last semester when I took the course, my box kept falling apart. Thankfully, it mostly worked out.
In Illustrator on the laser cutter computer, I quickly added the Baker College crest and some text (name, class, semester, date), then used the quick guide to change my settings required for my material before starting the cut.
The first time around, the laser didn’t cut all the way through the wood, but the rastered images/texts looked nice. The TA on call said that it should be fine to run the laser with the same setting for the second run, so I started the laser again with the settings (probably shouldn’t have done that).
As you can see in the image above, the laser started to burn the wood a little more than I’d like the second run through. If I were to redo my second run, I would have probably turned the speed up a little. Surprisingly though, despite seeing the burnt wood outlines, the laser hadn’t made completely clean cuts through the wood, so I used a box cutter to help score the plywood and popped the pieces out. There were some splintered wood due to the removal process, but thankfully nothing a little sandpaper couldn’t fix.
To hide the obvious burnt edges of the box, I used a damp paper towel to wipe away some of the soot, then did a quick stain job on the pieces before assembly. Not sure if it really fools anyone, but hey, at least the color looks nice!
Cost Analysis:
- Material: $5 for the plywood
- Labor: $15 (1 hour @ $15 per hour)
- Machinery access: $12.73
Total: $32.73
