Laser Cut Box

Steps:

1. First, I measured the thickness of my chosen wood (0.196”).
2. Via makercase.com, I was able to input my desired specifications for the box
   1. Dimensions: 4×4 inches
   2. Tab width: 0.6”
   3. Kerf: 0.004”
3. After downloading, I imported the file for the cube into Adobe Illustrator
4. Within Illustrator I added designs to the faces:
   1. I added my name, class, semester, and date onto the first face
   2. I added McMurtry’s college crest onto the second face
5. Before laser cutting, I needed to make sure that the settings were appropriate:
   1. Referring to the laser cutting guidelines inside the laser cutting room, I set the frequency, speed, and power of the cut to the appropriate quantities
   2. After adjusting, I sent the job to the laser cutter
6. I set the settings on the laser cutter:
   1. The height of the wood was adjusted using the triangle-shaped metal piece
   2. The origin of the cut was adjusted to the top left of the wood using the jog function
   3. Before cutting, I first attempted a dry run to confirm the dimensions
7. Finally, I ran the laser cut and the cuts were clean and the kerf was appropriate for the wood thickness
   1. Yet, there was a small problem: the front face said, ENGI “120” instead of “210”
   2. After repeating the process with “210” and only printing the face with the mistake, I was able to complete the box

COST

• Time – $7.50/hour = $7.50
• Wood – $6.04/sheet = $6.04
• TOTAL – $13.54