Thinking Out of the Box

Laser Cutting

I laser cut two cardboard boxes, and designed one of them, using the FabLab laser cutters and Inkscape. Inkscape is a tool that can be used to design objects and eventually to laser cut them. I used Inkscape to design my small box and I used this tool to laser cut both the small and large boxes. 

Small Box Design

For this small box design, I started by making a new design. I first changed the document properties to change the page size and, most importantly, making grid lines to see how big the box is and to see the correct proportions of the box. This box needed tabs and slots in order for it to fit together. They need to be the same size so it fits correctly. The tabs will go into the slots to assemble a working box. I starting by drawing out all of the pieces, without any slots of tabs, just squares. To make a tab, that will fit into a slot, I started out by making a half inch by half inch square. I copied it and pasted it in all of the places that I needed a tab. Then, I used the path, union tool to combine all of the small squares to the big rectangles to make one side of the box. When making slots, I used a copy of a pre-made side piece to stamp the slot into the rectangle. I made the copy of the side piece, changed the color to red to see what I was stamping, and then moved it next to the rectangle, placing the red tab where I wanted a slot to be. Then, I used the path, difference to get rid of the red piece and leave the blue piece, now with a slot. Lastly, I set up the thickness for laser cutting. The thickness setting should be "hairline" which will get a nice, clean cut. In order to laser cut, I saved this design.

Small Epilog Laser Cutter and Small Box Design

Here is the workflow I used for the small epilog laser cutter that I used to laser cut my small box:

• Go to computer that is connected to one of the small epilog printers 

• Go to Enj Proj and pull up file of the small box design

• Download this design to the computer

• Open Corel draw

• Turn on the laser cutter's vent

• Turn on power of cutter if it is not already on

• Get cardboard or plywood

• Make sure it is the correct size 

• Open design, that was downloaded, into Corel draw 

• Set to hairline size to properly cut and place the objects close to each other to save material

• Turn off fill color so that it does not raster the color

• Hit file - save as CDR if saving the file 

• File - Hit print

• Change the preferences - cut on cardboard, paper size should be 30x20, turn on autofocus, change the speed, power, and frequency depending on the material you are using, press ok and then apply

• Press print

• Place material in the machine 

• Select which “job” you want on the cutter and select go 

• Make sure that it has cut all the way through the material before you take it out 

• If it did not go all the way through, cut again but only vector if you had used the raster tool 

Large Epilog Cutter and Large Box Design

This large box design was given to us by our teacher to cut out. For this box, all I needed to do was cut it out using the larger epilog cutter. I cut out my design using the workflow below and I also was tasked with rastering. While making the small box, I only need to vector, or cut out the pieces. On this box, I needed to vector and raster, which means to engrave or mark. More specifically, once the box design given to me was in Corel draw and I was about to print, I had to change the material settings to specify what part of the box I needed to raster and what part I needed to vector. Where I needed to vector, there was a colored line, and where I needed to raster, there was a different color. I used the material settings on each of these colors to tell the cutter what colored line meant what. For example, on the rastering color I changed the material to cardstock to tell the cutter to only raster that line that thickness. Here's the workflow I used for the large epilog cutter to cut the large box design:

• Turn on vent

• Collect file of the box from Enj Proj

• Go to Corel draw - Needs to be in Corel draw for this laser cutter

• Bring in the downloaded file

• Print 

• Do not hit preferences - leave them as is

• Add material to cutter

• Don’t let the lid slam shut!

• Select material on computer

• Vector on 25%

• Speed 30%

• Power 100%

• Use joystick to pick position of the cutter to autofocus - make sure that it is clearly on the material

• Select autofocus

• Hit go on the laser cutter

Vinyl Cutting

For this unit, I was tasked with making a vinyl design of my last name, and with importing a picture to the vinyl cutter. I got to cut out these vinyl designs and add them to my laser cut box. Vinyl cutting is basically making a sticker, but with a material called, vinyl. You can add the decals that you make to all sorts of things and in my case, the cardboard box I made earlier.

Vinyl Cutting My Designs

First, I collected my saved designs from Enj Proj and dowloaded them onto the computer connected to the vinyl cutter I was using. I moved them to where I wanted to cut them, making sure to use as little space I can to save material. I selected the material I was cutting on, glossy vinyl. On the cutting mat I was using, I added my vinyl in the color I wanted. Then I placed the vinyl in front of the cutter and pressed load to load the cutting mat and vinyl into the cutter. Once everything was ready, I pressed go on the computer and the vinyl cutter cut out my two designs as pictured on the screen. When it was done cutting, I pressed unload on the Circut cutter and took my vinyl off of the cutting mat. I cut out my designs in a square, just around the edges to save material. Then, I weeded my designs, taking out all of the vinyl parts besides what I wanted to keep to put on my box. I then cut out just enough transfer tape and placed it on my two designs, pressing firmly to make sure everything would transfer. When I was ready to add my designs, I slowly peeled off the white backing, making sure every piece of vinyl I wanted stayed on the transfer tape. I then put the transfer tape and vinyl where I wanted and make sure everything was firmly stuck onto my box. I peeled off the tape, making sure that all of the vinyl pieces stayed, and I smoothed my vinyl out on my box. 

Problems Faced While Laser and Vinyl Cutting

One problem I faced while laser cutting was actually in the designing stages. While designing my small box, I didn't understand why my design was off-centered. I looked like my box didn't fit the measurements I needed and I was doing it wrong. I tried to move my design and eventually redo it, but I wouldn't seem to fit in the grid lines. To fix this, I checked my page settings. I had made my grid lines the wrong spacing so while I was doing the box right, I couldn't see the correct dimensions of my box. One problem I faced while vinyl cutting was a placement error. I had put my two designs up too high on the computer layout and when I vinyl cut it, it cut out half of my design. I had to cut out these two cuts very closely to save the vinyl material. I re-added the same vinyl piece and re-cut my designs after simply moving them down a little further on the computer.