I came into this project not knowing how to use a laser cutter, and while I still need to hone my skills, I feel more confident in using it. I have also never used Adobe Illustrator, but thankfully this project was fairly simple design-wise. In the future, I will need to understand the ins and outs better.
I started out underestimating the time this would take me. Besides the hour training to use the laser, this took me 4 hours. What was the problem? The kerf.
My kerf measuring box
Before I did anything else, I measured the kerf and inputted it into the box maker website. When I made a test corner of the box, I expected it not to fit, but I didn’t expect to do 5 more tests until I got it right. The kerf I measured was 0.0145″ and the value I made my final box with was 0.070″. I was confused at this drastic difference between the values, but after asking, I was assured it was normal.
All kerf tests, finally the 6th one fit together
After my kerf drama, I was finally ready to print. However, I started having problems with my file. When I tried to print out all the sides of the box and the images I had inputted, it tried to do everything as an engraving. After troubleshooting for a few minutes, I saw an option on the printing screen to separate by color. When I did this, I could change the box part of the file into a vector and I went to print. What I didn’t see was that the vector section had an estimated time of 0:00. So I ended up with my engraving but no sides cut out.
Engravings printed correctly, but were not cut out
When I removed the images from the file, the box would work properly as a vector, so I decided to cut the box first, and engrave after. I made sure to note the coordinates for the first cut, so I could use them for the engraving. Unfortunately, even though I put in the same coordinates, my engraving was offset to the left enough to notice.
Showing the front, top, and right sides of the box
For my settings, I used the recommendations on the sheet next to the laser cutter. When cutting out the box, I taped over the area so that I could minimize the wood burn from the laser. For design, I incorporated different Rice logos onto the sides besides my name and college crest.
Showing the front and bottom sides of the box
Showing the left and back sides of the box
After I had finished everything and was printing my final box, I saw this notice (sigh).
A notice taped to the computer that would have fixed my problems
At least I was able to finish everything and have a tight kerf in the end – I had to mallet my box together. Below is my cleaned workspace after putting the box together, and I made sure to label the rest of my wood and put it in the pile on the table. Despite the problems along the way, I enjoyed this assignment and look forward to exploring the capabilities of the laser cutter. Near the end, I was getting the hang of quickly redoing the kerf, and in the future, I will probably not spend as much time on that part.
My cleaned workspace after putting my box together
Every project costs, so here is the breakdown for this one:
- Labor ($15/hr): 5×15 = $75
- Materials: It is $7.28 for a 2x2x0.25 piece of plywood (Home Depot), which is about what we had. I used approximately 312 square inches out of 2304 square inches, which is about 1/7 of the sheet.
- (1/7)(7.28) = $1.04
Total Cost: $76.04; This can be minimized by me being more proficient on the laser cutter.
