Embedded Files
I need a small parts box because if not then I will misplace necessary parts needed this year. If I have this lazar cut piece of cardboard it will allow me to have my own place for my parts for my projects, this way it will not get mixed up with others pieces.
The thing on the right is a collection of circles, squares, and other polygons. I then added shadows to all of them and increased the border width and made it black. Next I made the insides of it red and inverted the entire thing to create an almost 3d looking shape that sticks out at you.
Vinyl Cutting
The image on the left is my graphic design. I had used the letter tool to write my last name on the silhouette studio design space. Then I looked the Chicago cubs baseball team logo and save it to my computer. Next I imported it into the silhouette studio design space as well. The letters were already traced when I brought them in, but my image wasn't traced and was instead a raster image. the Cameo 4 is not able to understand and cut those kinds of images so I used the trace tool on the image and selected trace alone. this created the red imagine of the Cubs logo above. The trace tool created a vector version of the image with the cut lines being where the changes in shapes in the image are.
Explanation of Vinyl Cutting Process
I first turned on the computer and pulled up the engineering project folder and pulled out my design onto Silhouette studio. While on that software I realized it was too big and made my design smaller. Then I clicked send and made sure to select all the correct settings for the vinyl (Glossy Vinyl). After that I selected my colored vinyl and put it on a cutting mat, which I put into the Cameo 4. Then on the computer I pressed send and the cutting started. After it finished I removed it from the Cameo 4 and started Weeding it which is when you remove all excess adhesive vinyl except for the part you want or designed. A difference from what I made was that I didn't remove the entire part of the Cubs face and left the eyes and ears, instead I removed the eyes and ears so it would look better and be easier to do. I was afraid of ripping or breaking the symmetry of the vinyl. After that I took some adhesive tape and moved the vinyl stickers to the box.
Workflow
Prepare Your Design in Silhouette Studio:
Launch Silhouette Studio software on your computer.
Import your design and check to make sure its a vector trace.
Adjust design size and placement within the software so it fits on the desired material.
Set Up Your Silhouette Cameo 4:
Check to make sure your computer is connected to the Cameo 4.
Make sure the Cameo 4 is on.
Load the Vinyl Material onto the Cutting Mat:
Position your vinyl material onto the cutting mat, make sure there are no distortion on the vinyl itself (air bubbles, wrinkles, ect)
Align the vinyl material with the grid on the cutting mat, pressing it down firmly for secure adhesion.
Then insert the cutting mat with the vinyl into the machine in the specific area.
Send the Design to the Cameo 4 from Silhouette Studio:
In Silhouette Studio, go to the Send page on the the software, select the glossy vinyl setting which will automatically choose the correct presets for blade depth, speed, and cut power. Establish a connection between your computer and the Cameo 4, and then send the design to the machine for cutting.
Weed the Vinyl Design:
Once the Cameo 4 has finished the cutting process, remove the cutting mat and vinyl.
Then cut out your design and weed out the excess vinyl material surrounding your design using tweezers or sharp objects.
Pay attention to detail, especially when working with complicated designs.
Apply Transfer Tape:
Get a piece of transfer tape larger than your vinyl design.
Attach the transfer tape over the vinyl design, making sure that there is a secure bond with the vinyl by pressing it down firmly.
Use something sturdy and flat to ensure that the tape is securely on the vinyl design.
Transfer the Design to Your Desired Surface:
Move the vinyl design with the transfer tape onto your chosen surface.
Use a scraper tool to remove air bubbles and make sure the vinyl is securely attached
Peel off the transfer tape, leaving the vinyl by itself and stuck on whatever you want it to be.
IMG_0064.MOVProblems Encountered
I had to resize the the design so it would fit on the vinyl I had. When trying to get the cameo 4 to cut the material I had the wrong material selected and it cut incorrectly. Then after I selected the correct material setting (glossy vinyl) the specific Cameo 4 we were using had a dull blade and wouldn't cut all the way through the vinyl. Next we switched to a different Cameo 4 and it finally worked.
Laser Cutting
Explanation of how I created my Graphic Design.
The image of on the right is of my graphic design for my laser cutter. I opened Correl Draw and went into the Workspace. I created these designs by using the shape tool to make a 2 inch by 2 inch square. Next I used the 2 point line tool to create a line that went from the top node to the bottom node. I changed my nudge setting to 0.125 and moved the line move over one. I copied it and did the same thing on the other side only left this time. After that I then changed the nudge setting to 0.25. Next I drew another 2 point line but this time it was from the corner node to the node of the two point line that was 0.125 inches away. After that i created 8 more of these lines going from the top to the bottom with all of them being 0.25 inches away from the other one. I replicated this on the other side of the box on the left side. I used the segment delete tool to remove certain lines that alternate each side and repeated this on the other side with the same pattern. I then used the group tool to group all of these lines together, and created 3 more of the exact same design with two of them flipped over. For the next part I created a new 2 by 2 box but unfortunately as I learned latter, that is too big of a size for the pieces to correctly fit together so later I had to change it to 1.75 to 1.75. Then I created a box around the mid-point of the bottom line and removed the inside line using the segment removal tool. I did this on all four sides using the same box that I copy pasted. I then put the box on the bottom line's midpoint on all four of my other boxes and removed the outside line segment on all four boxes. Now I had 5 boxes, 4 sides and 1 bottom that all interlocked and fitted together.
Laser Cutting Workflows
Small
Step 1: Turn on vents
Before you start, make sure the ventilation for the laser cutter is on or you risk damaging the machine when cutting
Step 2: Turn It On
Find the power button and turn on the laser cutter. It might take a minute to start up.
Step 3: Set Up Your Material
Place the material you want to cut or engrave on the machine's work area. Make sure it's flat and secure, so it doesn't move while the laser is working. Put on the center of the bed so the laser can cut easier. Close the hatch and make sure both air locks are sealed.
Step 4: Open the Software
Use the computer that's connected to the laser cutter to open the software that controls it. It might be an app like CorelDRAW or another kind of design software.
Step 5: Create or Import Your Design
You can import a design or a design that you’ve made. This is where you decide what you want to cut or engrave. Make sure your design is over the material in the laser cutter. Move file design to Engproj folder so you can access it on the laser-cutting computer.
Step 6: Choose Your Settings
Press the print button and then click preferences after selecting the correct dimensions for the cut. In the preferences menu select the speed, power, and frequency. Uses the paper on the side of the machines to determine this. Next, select autofocus and check the dimesions again.
Step 7: Export and select your design
Press print and select your own design from the options on the machine.
Step 8: Start the Laser
Press the "Start" button on the machine. The laser cutter will follow the design you made and start cutting or engraving. Watch it closely, but don't touch anything inside.
Step 9: Wait Patiently
Wait for the laser cutter to finish, monitor it closely looking for any fire or problems. If there is a fire press the emergency stop button and get a teacher immediately.
Step 10: Finish and Turn It Off
When it's done, wait a moment for the laser to stop completely. Then, turn off the laser cutter.
Step 11: Check Your Work
Carefully remove your material from the laser cutter. Be careful because it might be hot. Look at your design and make sure it turned out the way you wanted it to.
Step 12: Clean Up
Put the extra scraps away and clean up anything else you got out. Then remove your design from the computer and you're done.
Step 13: Enjoy your cut
Use your laser cut material for whatever you want
Always show safety and the proper precautions when laser cutting.
Large
Step 1: Turn on vents
Before you start, make sure the ventilation for the laser cutter is on or you risk damaging the machine when cutting
Step 2: Turn It On
Find the power button and turn on the laser cutter. It might take a minute to start up.
Step 3: Set Up Your Material
Place the material you want to cut or engrave on the machine's work area. Make sure it's flat and secure, so it doesn't move while the laser is working. Put on the center of the bed so the laser can cut easier. Close the hatch and make sure both air locks are sealed.
Step 4: Open the Software
Use the computer that's connected to the laser cutter to open the software that controls it. It might be an app like CorelDRAW or another kind of design software.
Step 5: Create or Import Your Design
You can import a design or a design that you’ve made. This is where you decide what you want to cut or engrave. Make sure your design is over the material in the laser cutter.
Step 6: Choose Your Settings
Pick which lines to cut a certain way and how fast. Using colors choose how you want to cut the material you're using. You don’t need to adjust the preferences like with the smaller laser cutter.
Step 7: Export and select your design
Press print and select your own design from the options
Step 8: Start the Laser
Press the "Start" button in the software. The laser cutter will follow the design you made and start cutting or engraving. Watch it closely, but don't touch anything inside.
Step 9: Wait Patiently
Wait for the laser cutter to finish, monitor it closely looking for any fire or problems. If there is a fire press the emergency stop button and get a teacher immediately.
Step 10: Finish and Turn It Off
When it's done, wait a moment for the laser to stop completely. Then, turn off the laser cutter.
Step 11: Check Your Work
Carefully remove your material from the laser cutter. Be careful because it might be hot. Look at your design and make sure it turned out the way you wanted it to.
Step 12: Clean Up
Put the extra scraps away and clean up anything else you got out. Then remove your design from the computer and you're done.
Step 13: Enjoy your cut
Use your laser cutted material for whatever you want
Always show safety and the proper precautions when laser cutting.
IMG_0038.MOVProblems I encountered
Some problems I had while designing were my shape tool didn't work and I couldn't edit the specific nodes on my designs. I overcame this by realising my design would work without that step. Another problem was that when I laser cut my bottom part of the box I had made the length and width 2 by 2 instead of 1.75 by 1.75 which was too big for my box to be functional. So I resized the box, recut it, and I fixed it. Another problem I had was that I had used hairline for my thickness of the letters which instead of lightly burning my name into the box, it cut all the way through it. I didn't have time to fix this problem so I left it how it is.
IMG_0045.MOVExplanation of laser cutting process.
I turned on the vents for the laser cutter and put the cardboard into the machine. It was already on, so I then pulled up my design on the computer attached to the machine. Next I pressed print selected the laser cutter and set the dimensions of the work area. After that I clicked preferences and changed the speed, power, and frequency of the laser cutter to match cardboard standards. Then I clicked apply and print. I pressed start and the laser started cutting but I didn't account for the kerf (the amount of cardboard that burns while laser cutting). Because of this when the machine stopped and I checked my final designs they were loosly connected unlike my design on Correl draw. But because this project didn't need super persise and tight joints it was okay and I hot glued everything together.
Final Product
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