The laser cutting and putting a box together was an enjoyable yet somewhat stressful experience, but I got to learn a lot through trial and error. Initially I used the website Box Designer to create my box with dimensions of 6” x 6” x 6” and a material thickness of 0.187”.

Then I downloaded the pdf file and imported it into Adobe Illustrator. I found some images of Cagney Carnation from Cuphead that I liked and I was hoping to make it look slightly like animation. I adjusted the placement of the boards around since I wanted to try out laser cutting one piece out first. 

I thought I was ready to laser cut, but I ran into some issues with the engraving because most of the images I found were not png format so I had to convert them and retry.  I ended up using the settings 40% speed and 100% power for the engravings and 4% speed, 100% power and 10% frequency for the vector. I think my settings could be better adjusted in the future because some pieces of my wood were not completely cut through and the engravings could have been more defined. 

I really like how the first engraving I cut turned out because the lines and details are more defined compared to some of the other ones. The image stroke was probably somewhat greater because when I cut the other pieces, the settings were reset and I couldn’t figure out what the previous settings were.

When I finished laser cutting all the sides, it took some time for me to figure out how my pieces went together. When I was finally able to assemble my box together, I decided to clear coat all the sides to give it a more finished look.

Cost Analysis 

Plywood (used half of sheet): $3 / 2 = $1.50

Laser cutting renting (~ 1 hour): $25 / hr = $25

Labor- Preparing and putting box together (~ 2 hours) = ($10 / hr ) x 2 = $20 

Clear Coat (~¼ ounce): ($2.16 / ounce) / 4 = $0.54

Total Cost: $47.04