It came to me because I read a lot of Chinese English translated novels.
I got the design from 3 Axis
Dragon medal
Minions remind me of a dear friend of mine, and also it can be considered a small toy for my little cousin who's almost 3 years old.
I found the design on Thingiverse:
Minion Dave 3D
3D printing
UltimakerCura Software
PLA Orange Color
Prusa i3 mk2 printer for printing
Laser Cutting
LaserCad Software
Malky Laser Cutter ML 64
3D printing
I got the design from Thingverse
I edited this design using UltimakerCura to be printed in nearly 90 minutes, I made the scale to 45% with an infill density of 20%
Laser Cutting
I got the design from :
https://3axis.co/dragon-tribal-dxf-file/qommmp4o/
I prepared the design using LaserCad Software and I made it to be cut at a speed of 25 mm/s and a power of 70.
and to be engraved at a power of 45 and a speed of 300 mm/s
3D Printing Process
For printing the minion, I used the white filament spool, then inserted the SD card where I've already uploaded the g.code file using the laptop of the Fab Lab Specialist
The machine calibrated the bed before printing and then it heated up gradually till reaching the specified temperature of 60 degrees for the bed and 210 degrees for the nozzle.
After that, it started printing for about 81 minutes and it took about 15 grams of material to be printed.
3D Printing Process Video
3D Printing Full Process Video
Laser Cutting Process
For cutting the medal I used the laser cutter with the help of the fab lab specialist as she instructed that the drawing cannot be engraved due to the drawing is open and not fully closed, so it should be made with speed cut process of 350 mm/s speed and a power of 40Watt.
I downloaded the PTL file to the machine and we first checked the focus, the frame and the origin before cutting, then pressed start and waited for the medal to be cut and it took about only 3 minutes to get the desired shape.
Laser Cutting Process Video
Laser Cutting Process
For the Laser Cutting, the design had too many repeated lines which I didn't know about and the specialist helped me in deleting them, also the machine was unable to engrave the drawing because it was a bit too much, so the Specialist suggested that we do speed cutting instead of engraving, also she helped me in widening the ring of the medal which connects the keychain using the lab driller.
3D Printing Process
For the 3D Printing, there was a problem with the orientation of the design, as I made it to be like a sleeping minion on the bed of the printer, also that I forgot to bring the STL file which could have been helpful as I would have edited with help of the Fab Lab specialist now and then.
Also, I was wrong that I added an adhesion layer under it that was not needed, the fab lab specialist corrected me that it should have been printed in a standing position which would have been better, even if it had a bit too many supports, it could be removed, but the sleeping position had too many unneeded grams of adhesion and some supports, and took a bit more time to be done.
I can use the Printer to print some may be needed parts of the robot arm, and this experience helped in think about which certain part I would need most for the project and how it would be printed and how I would edit it.
I would use the laser cutter to make the main body of the robot arm, so that experience with how things are cut with the laser, and which speed to choose, really helped me a lot and would make me think more thoroughly about how to cut the parts.
For Laser Cutting
Cutting the medal and engraving it, made me learn how I can use speed cut power to engrave it and how this would affect the final output on wood, as using a speed of 350 will result in speed cuts to the wood which would engrave but still not go through and cut the wood or make holes
My Dragon medal
For 3D Printing
Printing the minion while using the adhesive layer on the printer's bed under the minion, and making it in a sleeping position, made me realize that errors can always be made even if you think you're good to go and you're fully prepared and that these mistakes are good for the process, and that is what makes the journey enjoyable, as how you can learn from your past mistakes to not repeat it again in the next time.
3D Printed Minion