Week #1 - Journal

I wanted to play around with spirals.

First: because they look cool.

Second: one thing I love about digital fabrication is how precise it can get with small details; contours and curvature in this case

Third, I was looking for inspiration for my final project design, and I came across many spiral shells. Like, a lot.

So, I chose to print a spiral ornament and to laser-cut, a-shape conforming spiral bowl.

Then I repeated the task because I missed the engraving requirement the first time. And I wanted to make something that wouldn't require much material or machine time (because I had already used 50 minutes). So, I decided to pick a raccoon notebook engraving design.

1. Obtained the designs from Thingiverse

2. Removed Construction Lines

3. Adjusted the speed, the power, and the working mode to

• Mode: Cut

• Max Power: 95

• Min Power: 90

• Speed: 4mm/s

4. Scaled the design down using Unifrom Scaling to make it 90mm long

5. Nested the design to the corner of the sheet.

6. Clicked Download and operated the laser Cutter

1. Obtained the design from Thingiverse

2. Adjusted the speed, the power, and the working mode to

• Mode: Engrave

• Max Power: 70

• Speed: 300mm/s

and set the outer layer to

• Mode: Cut

• Max Power: 95

• Min Power: 90

• Speed: 4mm/s

3. Scaled the design down using Unifrom Scaling to make it 50mm (5cm) long

4. Nested the design to the corner of the sheet.

5. Clicked Download and operated the laser Cutter

1. Obtained the design from Thingiverse

2. Scaled it down by 50%

3. Changed the layer Height to 0.3mm

4. Changed the infill to 10%

5. Changed the overhang angle to 65 to reduce unnecessary support

6. Sliced the model

7. Exported the GCODE file and sent it to the 3D Printer.

8. Renamed the file to be able to recognize it

Laser Cutter:

• After the design was downloaded, I adjusted the nozzle and set the origin.

• Then I placed the wood sheet and drew a box, then adjusted the sheet again

• I closed the lid and clicked the start button.

After the machine stopped, I assembled the part. It took 1 Wood sheet and 50 Minutes on the laser cutter

3D Printer:

• I turned on the 3d printer

• preheated the plate before loading the black filament

• selected my file from the print from SD option.

• The actual printing took exactly 48 minutes.

• After printing, I removed the brim and supports and used sanding paper to remove excess material and make it look better.
  

When I imported my DXF file, the settings got messed up, and I couldn't see which parts were set for engraving and which for cutting. Ahmed, the lab specialist, then advised me to use the Order By Layer feature to edit and get a better idea of how the laser cutter will work.

Furthermore, I was surfing Thingiverse and came across a design that I really liked, but it was in SVG format, so I was disappointed, but Ahmed Khaled, the instructor, informed me that LaserCad can also work with .ai and.svg files. (Spoiler Alert: I ended up fabricating another design)

I loved how the HitTheGame kit was simple yet very fun and provocative. I loved how it had two different modes. Which I'm already thinking of using in my final project.

This was my first time ever assembling a box using bolts and nuts and it took me forever to get the T slots right, But I did it!!

Also, being able to operate the Laser Cutter and 3D printer on my own is a huge plus that will help me a lot.