Embedded Files
Materials Used
1/4" plywood board
1" keyring
vinyl sticker paper
Equipment Used
MacOS Laptop
Windows Laptop
Epilog Laser
Ventilation Fans
Roland TruVis vinyl printer
Gopro Hero 11
The laser cutter, ventilation fans, and sticker printer are pictured below.
Software Used
Google Drive for desktop
Adobe Illustrator
Steps to Create Keychain:
I found an image that I wanted to trace and cut, a whitewater kayak called a Pyranha scorch.
I placed the image into a 3" x 3" artboard in Adobe Illustrator, turning it diagonally to give the most area.
Using the pen tool, I traced the outline of the boat, utilizing anchor points to match the curves. I ensured to use 1 pt lines for where I wanted the laser cutter to engrave a line, "filled" shaped for where I wanted the laser cutter to darken, and used 0.001 pt lines for where I wanted the laser cutter to cut through the 1/4" plywood. This included the 3/16" hole for the keyring.
I then sent the .ai file to laser cutter, placed the drawing on an unused section of plywood, and prepped the laser cutter to start by following the portal tutorial.
After it cut, I realised the hole for the keyring had been too close to the edge of the piece, and had cut through the wall between them, rendering it useless.
I fixed this issue in Illustrator and repeated the process, turning out a functional keychain. The final version of this keychain file is pictured above.
For the final iteration of my keychain, I switched images and redid the entire design. I used a more dynamic image of me paddling the scorch in Mexico off of a waterfall called Pesma.
I traced the image in Illustrator using the pen tool, and was very satisfied with my design. I increased the scale to 4" so I could be more detailed. I had to create an extra area around the paddle to reinforce it from breaking.
I repeated the process to cut it, properly using the different width lines to get the right cuts.
The image below shows the final version.
Steps to Create Sticker:
To make the sticker, I created a mirrored outline shape of the laser cut file, and removed the engraved detail lines.
I found an image of some whitewater that I placed into the outline.
After downloading the file library, I had to designate which parts of the sticker I wanted cut all the way through the sheet and which ones I wanted only cut through the top layer.
The image below shows the various border lines, with the pink meaning the surface cut and the grey box surrounding meaning all the way through.
My final version is pictured below, with the 1" keyring attached.
Reflection
What went well during this project?
I am overall very satisfied with my final result. I think it looks really good and I like the scale of it.
What challenges did you face?
Learning/remembering how to use all of the software and various machinery to achieve the product I wanted. While tasks weren't innately difficult, it was my first time doing them so it was hard to remember everything from a single demo.
What would you do differently if you were to do this project again?
Find a more interesting image from the start. My first iteration was rather boring and I like the action shot much more visually pleasing. I would also use a different image on the sticker printer, as the one I chose became rather grainy.
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