3 Different Parts
Unlike the previous individual assignment the laser assignment has three different parts. The first part is to 2D laser cut and engrave a cover for a notepad out of mat board. The second part is to laser engrave a water bottle. And the third part is to Laser cut a 3 Dimensional item found on Thingiverse or created yourself using Adobe Illustrator/Inventor.
First Part: Notepad
Requirements:
- For the notepad there was certain criteria that I had to follow;
- Must have both a cut process and an engraved process.
- The notepad will be 4.25x5.5 in size.
- Must laser cut the front and back cover boards for your notepad.
Individual Laser Assignment Day 1
The first of the three parts that I completed was the Notepad. I first did some brainstorming and decided that I wanted to make a flame design on my notebook. Since I also had to include text on my design I decided I would put my name on the front cover above my flame design. Taking into consideration all the requirements this is what my notepad will look like; I will have my name engraved above a flame design which will also be engraved. On the back cover I will have a flame design but instead of engraving it I will cut it out. After I had decided all of this I opened up Illustrator. I created two art boards both 4.25 by 5.5 in size which is the size of the notepad. Then, I added my name on the front cover. Next I found two different flame designs on google and pasted, one under my name on the front cover, and one on the back cover. After that I hit image trace and then expand for both of the designs and my name. I then left both my name and the flame design on the cover black because they will be engraved. However I outlined the flame design on the back cover red because it will be cut out. After I finished my design on the computer it was time to leave for the day, next class I will cut out my design.
Individual Laser Assignment Day 2
Today my goal was to get my notepad cut out and to build it as well, however I was only able to achieve one of those goals. I initially had some trouble with the laser cutter when I went to cut out my design. For some reason I couldn't get it to cut where I wanted it to. However after looking back through the guide on how to use the laser cutter I was finally able to fix the problem and start cutting. This took some time however to fix, and I was only able to cut out my notepad today. Next class I will have to get a lot done including finishing up my notepad and starting my water bottle.
Individual Laser Assignment Day 3
Today did not go as I expected as all. After last class I was a little behind after my trouble cutting out my notepad on the laser cutter. Today though I got even more behind. When I looked again at my notepads back cover I realized that it had not cut out but instead it had just engraved my design. This is not what I had planned out on day 1 and it would not meet the requirements. However I was sure that I had outlined the design in red on Illustrator. When I went back and checked my design I quickly found out that it was the wrong weight even though it was colored red so it had not cut it out. I quickly fixed this problem and went back down to re-cut my back cover. This was actually a win for me today because if I had not caught this mistake I would not have met the requirements for the notebook, I also learned a lesson to always check the weight of the design. Even though I learned some things though this mistake still put me more behind which meant I would have to catch up during contact time.
Finishing My Notepad During Contact Time
During contact time the next day I was able to put together my notepad. I first trimmed my both of my covers so they were the correct size. To make the sheets I took printer paper and folded it four times. Since I needed 20 pages I folded five pieces of paper. I then cut them on the folds making 20 pages for my notepad. Next I hole punched both the paper and the notepad covers. Finally I put the binding on and after that I had completed my notepad.
Second Part: Water Bottle
Requirements:
For the water bottle there was certain criteria that I had to follow;
- The design should include both text and an image.
Individual Laser Assignment Contact Time On Day 4
Today I was able to complete my water bottle during contact time, which is a big win because I was really behind and needed this to catch up. Making the water bottle design was actually pretty easy. Mr. Willaur showed me the dimensions and how we were going to make the design fit onto the water bottle. I easily found a Waunakee Warriors image off of google and pasted it onto my art board. I also added my name underneath of the image. After my design was complete it was time to engrave it. I remembered exactly what Mr. Willaur had said regarding how to set up and engrave the water bottle and luckily the laser cutter was already set up for the water bottle which made it even easier. After I had finished engraving the water bottle contact time was basically over but I felt very accomplished getting my water bottle done that fast.
Third Part: 3-D Object
Requirements:
For the 3-D object there was certain criteria that I had to follow;
- These items must be signed off on by Mr. Willauer/Mrs. Proctor
- Must fit on one sheet of material no bigger than 18x32, the size of the laser bed
Individual Laser Assignment Day 4 (Last Day)
Today I was crunched for time since I had an Orthodontist appointment at 3:00 so I would try and get done as much as possible. I originally thought that this would be the hardest part of the laser rotation, but I soon had different thoughts. I looked on the website Thingverse and easily found a design of an X-wing and a tie fighter from Star Wars to laser cut out. I easily downloaded the design into an illustrator file no problem. However I realized that everything that was supposed to be cut out was blue and not red, so it took a while to change all the blue parts to red. After this it was time for me to go to my appointment so I would have to cut this out and create it another time.
Finishing Up During Contact Time And At Home
In contact time the next day I was able to cut out the parts for my object from thingverse. Even though it took all of contact time I was still able to cut it all out. When I went home that day I was able to assemble the objects. I first took them out of the excess cardboard and took out any non needed pieces from the design. Next using the instructions that came with it I assembled all of the cardboard pieces into the objects, using some hot glue. After I completed them they actually looked like the X-wing and Tie fighter on thingverse and even looked like the real ones from Star Wars. After this I had finally completed my rotation and did it on time.
Online Designs
Here is my design on Illustrator for the notepad;
Here is my design on Illustrator for the water bottle;
Here is my design on Illustrator for the 3-D object;
What I learned
After this individual laser assignment I not only have a better understanding of the machines (mainly the laser cutter), but I also learned some valuable life skills. With this assignment I had to do more than I had ever done before with the laser cutter. While the notepad and the 3-D object was similar to what I did with the laser cutter in the past, the water bottle was totally different. With the water bottle I learned that the laser cutter was capable of cutting not just flat things but could also cut and engrave 3-D objects like the water bottle. The 3-D object also gave me a different perspective because I had no idea that you could print out pieces of something to make into a 3-D object, I will definitely use this and the website thingverse in the future. This assignment also taught me some valuable life skills, for instance I learned how to manage my time better. Since I kept getting more and more behind I had to really manage my time in order to catch up and finish on time. I also learned skills like perseverance. When I couldn't get the laser cutter to cut where I wanted it to it was very frustrating and at times I felt like giving up. But I persevered and eventually got the laser cutter to work. As you can see this Individual Laser assignment was very educational in both the machines and real life skills.