Project Overview:

For this project we were tasked with laser cutting a 4 by 4 by 4 inch box. We also had to etch the box with our names, class, and date. The box should be press fit, and not come apart easily.

The Process:

In our first step we had to determine the correct kerf to allow for the laser to cut and still be precise. Due to time constraints we were not supposed to calculate the kerf ourselves, and instead used the kerf setting of the people before us. Which happened to be 0.005. Once we accounted for the kerf in our online file for the box, we downloaded it as an svg and then imported into adobe illustrator.

(The website and what it looked like when getting the files for our box)

After putting the files into adobe illustrator we began dragging and dropping our boxes in relation to where we would zero the laser cutter on the piece of wood we were using. Because a lot of other teams went ahead of us we had to place our different sides all over the place.  I added my name and date along with a digital image of the Jones crest. We also had to group the vectors together, and also set different strokes for our vectors versus rasters. I then exported the file and set the proper requirements for speed and power. For the vector cutting I used 6 speed and 100 power, and for the rastering I used 40 power and 100 speed. On our first trial run it didn’t cut through all the way and when I tried to run just the vector cuts again it burned the wood and looked pretty ugly even though it did cut through it. So, I grabbed a new sheet of wood and started over. This time I also taped the wood in order to prevent staining or burning on the wood and used speed 5 instead of 6 to cut for the vectors.

(My new piece of wood before cutting)

This piece did turn out much better in terms of the vector cutting, but it did not etch my name or the Jones crest into the wood properly because the tape blocked the not as intense power setting. So I took all of the pieces out and removed the tape. Then I put back two opposite sides of the box into the laser cutter and etched my name and the Jones crest. By only using just the rastering setting in the preferences section of the printer I didn’t have to change my file on adobe illustrator.

(Imperfections in the wood due to laser cutting)

I then pushed the pieces together. Despite it requiring a decent amount of effort, I got the job done with some light taps from a mallet.

(Final Etching of my name)

                                     

(Final Box)

 

Reflection:

Things I would like to work on in the future:

• Kerf value measured more specifically
• Tape only where vector cutting is happening
• Pick a better piece of wood to prevent needing to cut through material twice

I really enjoyed this project and I felt like it made sense and I had a clear understanding of what I was to accomplish the entire time. That being said I’m somewhat disappointed with my efficiency in the project, I felt like I was redoing steps a lot and should have put more time into the planning beforehand.

Cost Estimate:

• Material
  • Plywood 1/4″x 48″x 48″ sheet x 1: $5.75 at Home Depot
• Time Cost
  • 2.5 hours labor at $8 = $20
  • 1 hour of machine use at 25$ = 25$

Overhead Estimate = $15

Total Cost = $65.75

In the future I can confidently cut down time of labor and machine, thus reducing the overall cost significantly.