For this assignment, I created a 4″x4″x4 box only using a laser cutter.

1. Testing

Before I move into cutting all 6 pieces of 4″x4″, I cut small square pieces and etched part of my design to test kerf and find my desired vector and raster setting.

Vector Setting: Speed 5%, Power 100%, Frequency 10%

Raster Setting: Speed 100%, Power 80% (for the letters), Speed 100%, Power 40% (for the design)

For rastering, I chose different settings for the letters and the design since I wanted the design to almost blend into the wood while I wanted the letters to stand out from the wood.

I first tried 0.013″ as kerf as this was in between the kerf ranges in the provided doc, but I quickly realized that this was too big (image below). While working with my laser cutting buddy, I figured the best kerf is 0.003″. Next time, I will be more patient and start with the rectangle test.

2. Etching and Cutting

For this project, I decided to separate the etching and cutting processes to minimize potential errors and maximize efficiency. The etching process went smoothly as I had already tried out my settings. I am satisfied with the outcome. The cutting process encountered a few minor issues. I applied masking tape on the areas where the laser was going to make cuts in order to minimize the burn marks on my wooden piece. However, I relied on visual estimation and as a result, some spots were left uncovered, causing minor burns.

 

 

3. College Crest

After assembling my box, I realized that I was missing the college crest. I decided to directly etch it to my assembled box instead of disassembling the box and making one of the pieces with the college crest again. I made sure to align the origin of the laser cutting machine to the corner of my box and to center my design in Illustrator. I was nervous because the box was already assembled, but I was able to successfully etch the Hanszen crest in the center on the first try.

Cost:

Wood: Plywood from Home Depot= $8

Cost of labor: $10 x 3 hours = $30

Total: $38