Introduction

I took on this homework with the help of Andrew and Fred. We chose to work together and had chosen a two hour time slot to complete our boxes. However, this time allotted was consumed by our troubleshooting to find the ideal kerf for our box.

Process

After all of the troubleshooting shenanigans was over with, we arrived at settings that sufficed:

Box Kerf: 0.004 in

Strokes: 0.001 in (cutting), 0.0035 in (raster)

Laser Settings: 4s 90p (cutting), 40s 40p (raster)

**^These settings were used in their respective steps**

With the ideal kerf found,  I was able to go into MakerCase to get an outline plan of my box with desired dimension 4x4x4 in.

I then went into illustrator to change the stroke size of the box plan to cut and added my name, course, semester, date, as well as college crest to be etched onto my box faces with stroke size to raster. The box plans were also moved to a space within the laser cutting bed that had enough plywood material to cut.

Note. The area that was to be cut was covered in tape to prevent unwanted burning of the wood from the laser cutting process.

Finally, after having the plywood ready to be cut and the laser settings corrected–I laser cut the wood!

The pieces were cut precisely and were no trouble to remove from the plywood bed. I then proceeded to peel off the tape to reveal a smooth, unburnt wood surface with perfect engravings. The assembly was easy as well, it did not require great force to put together.

And voila, el producto final.

Reflection

I think everything was pretty straightforward. I was a little worried about using the laser cutter, but that quickly subsided the longer I used it. There were two things I learned though: One is to be careful when setting the focus, because it fell into the depths of the laser printer and was a struggle to retrieve. Two to be more careful when putting wooden pieces together. I got hasty and ended up chipping a finger joint.

Cost

*ignoring troubleshooting*

Labor: 1/2 hr * $7.25 = $3.63 (prepping file and wood)

Machine Time: 1/6 hr * $13 = $2.17

Raw Materials: $0.57

Total Cost: $6.37

*home depot wood

$25.78 for a 1/5in x 4ft x 8ft plywood –> 4608 in^2  (surface area)

only used 1/5 in x 12.25 in x 8.25 in –> 101.06 in^2

101.06/4608 = 0.022 *ratio of how much I used —> 0.022 * 25.78 = raw material cost