Hiya! This is my Georgia x Rice collab box. For this weeks homework I did a beginner level which included Etching and cutting a box according to template. Having a really swamped week, I still decided to get creative and add my own little signature Georgia Peach emblem to my box.
To begin, I completed the laser training module and attended a laser cutting tutorial session with my TA Luke. This was really important and helped me in my project as his instruction gave me a physical and auditory instruction I was able to remember.
I next then selected my wood and measured the thickness to be 0.23in approx 1/4 inch. This was important to my settings for this template in makercase. I additionally performed a kerf test with the following design and found a kerf of 0.0083, however this was not right. I did a sample cut just because I was unsure and my finger joints were too loose. So I went with another kerf of 0.005 and this was a VERY snug fit, but better tight than loose right?right!
Too loose joints
perfect finger joints
speed test piece
After FINALLY, figuring out the kerf, I decided to do a small 1x1in test square to see what optimal speed I wanted. For vector cuts, I went with 12%speed, 100%power, 10%frequency. For etching, I asked Jordan’s settings as I liked the finish and it was 40% Speed, 90% Power. Additionally, given the laser burn from my kerf test and square, I decided to tape my piece to prevent the burning. However, I did think it was going to be cool to keep the top half exposed on my design pieces but later would realize it would affect the rastor portion of my design. To mitigate this, I decided to try interrupting the laser to take off the tape, but ended up with a weird line in my design. So now I know it won’t still continue but skip that area you paused during the laser cutting.
Finally, assembly was pretty easy other than having to put some pressure to make those snug pieces fit. Overall, I learned a lot about the laser cutter and will be implementing these techniques for my midterm project. I think the masking tape was a good call, and so were the test pieces. I was able to conserve about 20in x 10in of wood so someone else was able to use my material for their piece.
Cost analysis
- OEDK supplied sheet 1/4″ wood: $5
- 3 hours of labor at $17.50/hr (avg pay for a laser cutter operator): $52.50
- Total: $57.50
