Introduction

For the 3rd homework assignment in ENGI 210, I worked on designing and assembling a laser cut box. Even though I have had a decent amount of experience with the laser cutter, I followed the beginner level instructions because I was on a time crunch due to midterms and other assignments.

The Process

To begin I used maker box to generate the box dimensions and size (5×5 in) into an SVG. I then additionally made edits to that SVG in Inkscape to making simple engraving adjustments of the Lovett College Crest and their required information. I also had to change the orientation of the sides of the box so that it would fit the wooden board. Throughout this project my biggest challenge was adjusting for kerf, which required me to redo my cuts to ensure a proper snap fit assembly.

Makerspace generated SVG

Adjusted SVG orientation

Second Attempt

First Attempt

For my first laser cut, I used default kerf settings provided by makerspace. However, after cutting, I realized that the joints were too loose, meaning the box did not snap together as intended. The laser had removed more material than expected, making the tabs too small to hold securely.

Second Attempt

To fix this issue, I recalculated the kerf compensation using a caliper to measure the gap left by the laser and adjusted the tab size in makerspace accordingly. On my second attempt, the finger joints fit a but tighter, not perfect but and I was able to assemble the box well enough.

2nd attempt Finger Joints

Assembly

Once I had all six sides cut, I carefully snapped the pieces together, making that the edges aligned as well as they could. The engraving turned out well, with clean and readable text, though I noticed some burn marks on the edges that I could improve next time with different power settings.

Final Product

The final box was successfully assembled and functional. The text engraving and crest were clearly visible, and the box held together firmly.

Completed Box

Reflection

 Even though I’ve had previous experience with the laser cutter, I learned a decent amount about kerf compensation and engraving precision. If I were to do this project again, I would run a kerf test before cutting the final design to avoid extra material waste. Additionally I would fine tune my kerf precision more as in the final product, the fit was still not as firm as I wanted. I would also experiment with different engraving depths for a sharper etching and possibly fine tune the power and speed settings to reduce left over burn marks.

Materials Used

4×4 foot Plywood Sheet  ($5)

Rented Laser Cutting Time (2 minutes) ($0.50)

Rented Engraving Time (10 minutes) ($1.00)

Total ($6.50)