Week 1

Ideation

Tell us about your assignment's idea for this week. Why do you care about this idea? What inspired you? (Please include images or links to sources of inspiration)

  • My idea is a 3D printed espresso distributor (a tool that distribute coffee evenly in the basket)

  • As a coffee lover I enjoy drinking excellent quality cup of coffee that I made by myself and I believe that, this tool will help me enjoy my coffee.

  • I got inspired by a very famous coffee reviewer named James Hoffmann when he made a video about 3D printed coffee tools and I decided to try and make my own artistic piece.

  • My idea is a wooden laser cut bookmark.

  • I love books and woods and I decided to try using wooden laser cut shape as bookmark.

  • My idea is a flower shape I found as image on the internet.

  • I converted the photoshop PSD file to DXF using online converter.

Tool Chain

Which software/machines/materials did you use in the assignment? Why?

For 3D printing:

UltiMaker Cura to view, edit and slice the distributor tool.

PLA as printing material. Food safe and I can rely on.

Prusa i3 3D printer.

For laser cut:

LaserWork to view and edit.

Plywood 3MM

Morn MT3050D CO2 Laser Cutter.

Morn MT3050D CO2

Design/Preparation Process

Explain the design and/or preparation process of your assignment. How did you use the tool or software to design and/or prepare your assignment before fabrication/implementation?

I used thingiverse to search and download .STL file as it is opensource library.

Imported the .STL file to Ultimaker Cura to edit dimensions and infill, support etc... and then sliced it.

Set the layer height to .20 for soft texture
Infill 20 in order to add some support to inside the tool.

I checked adhesion mark.

Saved the file as Gcode as is it the file the machine can handle.

This is a photoshop file that I converted to DXF (I only got the image from the internet not the PSD file)

Imported the .DXF file to LaserWork to edit speed and power.

Set the cut speed to 15 and power to 70.

For engraving part I chose scan with speed 300 and power 35

Saved the file as .rld as is it the file the machine can handle.

Development/Implementation Process

Explain the development/implementation process of your assignment. How did you use the machine/tool to manufacture or implement the design of your assignment?

I transferred the gcode file to the machine's SD card, chose the file from SD card using the machine selector and then pressed start.

The pad started to heat up, after reaching the correct heat as I set in the file (215) machine started to print.

Transferred the .rld file to the machine's computer, opened it using laserwork.

I made sure that power and speed are correct and opened the machine (turned on the 2 big red buttons on the side of the machine).

Pressed download from laser work and renamed the file.

From the machine buttons I chose files, searched for my file and then okay.

I pressed track frame and discovered that the laser will cut in an empty area since I used sheet that was used before.

I moved the laser to new place using arrows buttons and then pressed origin to set this new point as my origin.

I tracked the frame again, made sure that everything was in place then I pressed run.

VID-20220122-WA0011.mp4
VID-20220122-WA0012.mp4

Community of Learning

Did you ask for feedback? What are the ideas that others have contributed or suggested? What was someone else’s idea that you built upon? How did you help your peers? How did your peers help you?

When I went to the lab to use the machines I was hesitant about what I will cut using laser cutter.

I brought 2 files with me

1) Bookmark.

2) Earring.

I asked Amany (Fab specialist) who was assisting us which one is good to be used she told me print both and see by myself.

I did that and I loved the flower bookmark.

Then I cut the earring she suggested that I can color it using available spray.

I used gold spray and the final result was amazing, we both liked it.

Overcoming Challenges

When you got stuck, what/who did you turn to? At what point did you have to pause to research or learn more before moving on? What are some mistakes, pitfalls, or challenges that others can avoid if they were doing this assignment?

My espresso basket width is 51 MM but the design I found on thingiverse is designed for 58 MM.

The total width of the distributor is 75 but the important part of it is the carved part in the middle

I decided to try the hard way and do some math and calculated the percentage of change based on the ratio and changed X and Y percentage based on that.

The X and Y dimensions were 100% and the inner part was designed for the 58MM espresso basket, mine is 51.

Then the new dimension = (100*51)/58 = 87.93 so I rescaled the x and y using the percentage and set it to 87.93%

Final Project

How can you use the skills and knowledge that you've acquired this week in your final project?

The 3D printing technique will help me on my idea as I will use it to print my project

WOW!

What is the coolest thing that you've learned this week? What is something that you will never forget from this week?

How to use the laser cut and how to print using the 3D machine.

Since I am fascinated with details seeing object creation from scratch and seeing PLA turns to object that I can touch and hold made my very happy.

I was like a kid discovered how new thing works.

Cutting super Mario was something super cool and nostalgic (Yes I heard the music when I saw it like you now :D)

VID_20220115_173034.mp4

Assignment Design Files