PART I: Introduction
In 2017, I had a chance to learn how to use a laser-cut machine to produce some stuff for celebrating the 60th anniversary of my elementary school. As the youngest staff, I was assigned to this task. However, since my school did not have any experience with laser cutting, building up a new system was too expensive. Therefore, I did not have a chance to do it after the training.
I am glad to have the chance to catch up on this skill in the class. Also, I am able to practice after Madison’s training. Below is the name plate I made during the training.
PART II: Steps
After training, I felt more comfortable processing the laser cutter independently. I appreciated that the staff in the OEDK are kindly helping me to fix some tiny issues.
- First of all, before we started to laser cut, I measured the kerf in order to make sure my cube could join tightly without using glue.
. - Second, I used the kerf I measured and combined “en.makercase.com,” a website, to design my 4x4x4 inch cube. After that, I did some design on each side.
. - Last, I joined all the pieces together to make a cube.
. - In the end, I checked the machine, which was completely off and did not have any debris on the laser-cut bed.
PART III
- Issue 1: Vector condition adjustment
For some reason, my wood sheet is harder than Joy’s one. So, I could not use the parameter Joy and I tested on his wood sheet. As seen in the picture below, my Kurf Box did not cut out when I used the original parameter. After testing, I found the perfect parameter specific to my wood sheet.
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Here is the final parameter I used for this assignment.
Vector Engrave
- Issue 2: The “linked file” caused an error when sending the file to the laser cutter
When I tried to print my design, I found that the “.AI” file could not be sent to the laser cutter. One of the staff of OEDK provided a way for me to fix the issue quickly. Steps: Select the objective > click menu bar: objective > click Rasterize > Color mode: bitmap > OK.However, by doing so, the picture’s resolution will be decreased. So, the best way is to remove the links of pictures before using them.
PART IV: Cost Estimation
| Cost Type | Cost | Price | Source | Quantity | Total |
| Materials | 6″ X 12″ Solid Wood Sheets | $7.50 | 3duniverse | 1 | $7.50 |
| Labor | Laser Cutting Operator | $20.00 | Indeed | 3 | $60.00 |
| Prototyping Engineer | $34.00 | Indeed | 1 | $34.00 | |
| Overhead | Facility Cost (Machine Time) | $100.00 | Salasers | 3 | $300.00 |
| Quality Control | $21.01 | Indeed | 1 | $21.01 | |
| Design | Engineering and Development | $66.22 | ZipRecruiter | 0 | $66.22 |
Total: 488.73
