I started my tight-fit box assignment by testing out the kerf of the wood. I did so by laser cutting the kerf template on Canvas, and following instructions on calculating the kerf. I initially got a kerf of 0.007 inches, and went ahead and did a test cut of two boxes with my images. I did this to not just test the fit of the box but also how my images would turn out from the laser cutter. 

I really liked how my pictures came out with the M2 on the engraving settings of 40 power and 40 speed, so I decided to go on with this. During my test cuts, I also changed my vector speed from the suggested 3, to a 6, which helped a lot in controlling the burn around the cut edges. 

When I put my test boxes together, they did fit well but I was able to separate them with ease, so I felt that I should try a higher kerf. I cut out a super small corner test box of 0.008 and 0.0075 inch kerf boxes, and I really liked the fit of the 0.0075 kerf. My final box design was with 0.08175 finger size and 0.0075 inch kerf.

I was originally using the M2 laser cutter for my testing, but when I went to print all six of the sides of my boxes, the laser cutter would engrave my vectors instead of cutting through them, even though I had scaled my vectors to 0.072 points. I tried so many things to fix this, and asked a lot of TAs and lab assistants for help, but we weren’t able to find a solution. I was advised to just use the Fusion Pro cutter, so I had to switch over once the machine was available. I had to redo all my vector and engraving settings, and decided to just follow all the values the charts in the laser cutter room gave. I put my box to cut, and everything almost came out perfectly. 

(My file name was please work, and at the table I saw a little sign that says please work, and I though that was so funny !)

My box was a perfect fit, at least for my standards, and all my images came out well, except for two. My two full images that weren’t just made of black lines were actually engraved fully in so it was just a dark image outlining the actual figures. Although this was not according to plan, I actually really like how the blacked out pictures turned out since it reminded me of the “Who’s That Pokémon” pictures!

I would have definitely tried to rerun the two picture engravings, just to see how I could fix the issue; however, my booking was coming to an end and people were waiting to get to the laser cutter, so I felt best to leave my box as is. Plus I love it ! Here is a look at my complete box with all sides:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to put my name on the bottom to display all my pictures!

Here is a post cleaning picture for both of the laser cutters I used:

 

 

 

 

 

To break down the finances, I will use the minimum wage of Houston, since I am no expert with the laser cutter and am still learning and improving my skills. I will also include a rental cost for the machines of the hours I used them instead of the full price of them. So here it is:

Time: $29

4 hours → $7.25/ hour

Materials: $3

One ⅛” thick 48×24 inch plywood

Machine: $240

Estimate of $60/hour for 4 hours

Total: $272