Intro

For our last homework assignment, we were assigned to create two identical objects with the use of a CNC machine to cut out a noun that fits within a square surface dimension of 3×3 or 5×5 inches. Since I did not feel super confident operating the CNC machine on my own, but I wanted to do a unique design–I teamed up with Brian Seo.

Procedure

I began this homework by finding my design first. To do this, I went into thenounproject website and browsed until I found a shy guy file. I chose this little dude because he’s the character I always choose when playing mario kart.

Now that I had my design of interest, I simply downloaded the file as an svg and uploaded it onto the Carbide Create App. Brian and I opted to use the Shapeoko CNC machine as it was easier to use than the Nomad3 CNC.

When setting up our designs to be cut we first positioned and secured our MDF wooden plank on the CNC bed with doubled sided tape like so:

Next we went into the Carbide OS to position our designs and create the tool paths that would specify where we wanted to cut and create divots:

When everything was finalized, we initialized the machine and ran the gcode.

These were my results!

Note. I had to use a razor to cut off the excess wood since the machine did not end up cutting fully through.

Finally all that was left to do was the fun part–spicing it up.

I opted to use some the of plastic resin along with the dyes we had available for our final to really make my design pop. The end results speak for themselves.

Reflection

After having more practice with the CNC machine, I can now confidently say that I am comfortable using the CNC machine and will be looking forward to using it in the future. It is another tool that I now possess in my tool set and can employ for future projects, whether personal or academic.

Cost

Labor: 2.5 hrs * $7.25/hr = $18.13

Materials: MDF Wooden Plank (~$10), Dyes (~$7), Plastic Resin (~$20)

Overhead: 20 minutes run time (~$30)

Total Cost: $85.13