Process:
I began this process by cutting 10 rectangles to use to determine my kurf. I used a frequency of 10%, a power of 100%, and a speed of 5%. Once I cut it out I attempted to measure the gap between the rectangles and the board. The problem was the gap was so small I couldn’t measure it with the caliper. So I decided to start with the minimum curf of .012 provided by the instruction sheet (this was my first mistake!!!). I should have trusted the small measurement and gone with a smaller kurf). My next step was to go onto en.makercase.com to create my box 2D outline. I filled out all the information including the custom measurement for wood thickness. With the box template created, I saved it as an SVG. Then I opened the SVG in Adobe Illustrator using the special laser cutting template. I then changed the stroke to 0.072 pt and the color to black with no fill. I added the text and changed it to a font I liked. I decided I wanted the text to be engraved with no fill because I thought it would give my box a more aesthetic look. I set the stroke to 0.003 for the text. Next, I uploaded the college logo file. I added that to a side of the box. I wanted to emblem and text to be opposite to each other so I ensured to add them to opposite sides accordingly. I then cut the file. I used a combined cut with vector power at 100%, speed at 5%, and frecency at 10%. I used a raft of 50% power and 45% speed. I then cut the design. Halfway through my pained cutting process (reason explained in reflection) I decided I wanted to try to cut one of my sides out of ¼ inch acrylic. Although the thickness of the acrylic and wood wasn’t exactly the same I assumed it was close enough to still be feasable. I used the power and speed suggested by the chart above the laser cutter to cut the acrylic. With all my pieces cut I finally assembled my box. I used really fine sandpaper in an attempt to get some of the light burn marks off the wood. It is worth noting that once I made the top of the box clear I decided to make the text face inward so that you could see both the text and the logo from the same angle. Also, the correct kurf ended up being 0.004. My final product is pictured in figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Finished Box from three angles
Reflection:
I love the laser cutter! It is incredible how precise it can be. I was most impressed by the etching. I was surprised by how beautiful and intricate the etching can be. My two biggest struggles with this project were precision and placement. The laser cutter’s immense precision forces you to be very precise. Although I attempted to determine the kurf, I ultimately was unable to calculate an accurate number. When the first trial didn’t fit I attempted to increase the kurf. I didn’t realize that I should be trying to decrease the kurf till I was halfway through my board! Once I finally determined the kurf to ensure a snug fit everything went smoothly. Even though it took me multiple failed cuts to find the right kurf through that process I ended up changing my design. At one point I was afraid I would use all the wood before I could produce the finish box. This caused me to look through the scraps of material. I found an acrylic scrap with just enough space to print one side of the box. This gave me the idea to use acrylic for one side, so I could be able to see the objects placed in my box. Even though I ended up having enough space I still decided to use the acrylic piece! Another thing I found hard about this assignment was placement. Although I followed the steps to try to get the cut to start at the zero of the laser, it always ended up being off. This was annoying because it caused wasted space on the board and even ruined some of the prints because the laser would go over an already cut location. All in all, I am so excited about the potential the laser cutter brings. This assignment definitely got me excited about the midterm!
Cost Analysis:
wood sheet: about $10 -Home Depot
acrylic sheet: $22 – Home Depot
labor: $10 x 4 hours = $40
total: $72 to make box
