the struggle

This project took me much longer than I expected and what it should’ve, partially due to unforeseen circumstances, and partially because of my initial grasp of Adobe Illustrator (AI). Nevertheless, I partnered up with Ben Henderson to complete our individual boxes together within the allotted time, but that did not go as planned. First, the CO2 focus tool was nowhere to be found as a previous group dropped it below the laser cutter platform and did not inform anyone.

Additionally, for some odd reason, the AI app was not present when Ben signed into the computer. Once we got Adobe Illustrator, Ben’s credentials seemed to not work. We got Rafe, and another OEDK lab assistant to help us solve both problems. After restarting the computer, I decided to use my credentials to log into the computer and that seemed to do the trick. However, at this point, we were already more than an hour into our scheduled time. In a frantic attempt to finish the boxes, we simply choose a kerf we believed was good based on word of mouth across the course GroupMe chat. We chose a kerf of 0.005, and well, it didn’t fit….. Defeated, and basically out of time, Ben and I, called it a day and knew we’d have to complete the boxes on our own individual schedules. But, despite the setbacks, we were confident and more experienced in using the laser cutter as well as AI!

LIVE AND LEARN

I returned to the OEDK on Saturday morning because I knew no one would be there at that time (or at least I hoped not) — allowing me to take my time, and focus on the completion of my box without distractions or pressure. I began by going to the provided “maker case” website and inputting the appropriate box features. These included dimensions of 3.8″x3.8″x3.8″, material thickness of 1/4″, finger size of 0.515, and kerf of 0.007. Then, I downloaded the box to the desktop and opened it with AI for further processing.

I aligned the box file to the top left-hand corner and proceeded to delete the default text indicating the sides of the boxes. Then, I added the logos that I wanted on each side of my box, including the required text, NASA, Rice, Lycoming College (my undergrad), and the ODEK. Following that, I entered the appropriate stoke values — that is, 0.001″ for the box outline, and 0.003″ for the logos. Now, I was ready to laser cut!

After setting up the laser cutter, I completed a few tests to determine the appropriate raster and vector settings. I proceeded by rastering first because I was going to use tape to protect my wood from burning once I followed up with the vector cuts.

I used a 60-speed and 40-power for the raster settings.

 Then, I used  4-speed, 100-power, and 10-frequency for the vector settings. Despite using tape, some sides received sticky stains — likely residue from the tape’s adhesive. Nevertheless, the cuts went through the first time around, and I was able to assemble the box with relative ease while maintaining a tight fit. I used a clamp to apply even pressure on all sides as I assembled my box!

Overall, even with the initial struggles and setbacks, I enjoyed using the laser cutter and will definitely be using it in my future outside this class!

COST ESTIMATE:

Wood:

• ~$19 for 30 sheets of 150 x 100 x 2mm unfinished plywood basswood
  • I use 96 square inches of 1/4″ thick material
  • https://www.amazon.com/Unfinished-Basswood-Architectural-Building-150X100X2mm/dp/B08YN4JTGL/ref=asc_df_B09TR4GBVL/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598283014966&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12775793666315940192&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027580&hvtargid=pla-1663562146739&th=1
• Labor:
  • Based on the hourly rate of a laser technician in Houston, TX
    • ~$24.50 per hour x 5 hours = 122.50
      • https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Cosmetic-Laser-Technician-Salary-in-Houston,TX#:~:text=As%20of%20Sep%2012%2C%202022,%2Fweek%20or%20%244%2C268%2Fmonth
• TOTAL: ~$142