Week 1- Journal

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)

This week’s task is my first real experience with 3D printing and laser cutting. I will learn how to set up and operate the machines and turn digital designs into physical models. I’m excited because it’s an important step in developing my skills. And I will do that through these websites .

(Thingiverse-3axis.co)

This week's task was inspired by things I personally love, starting with cars 🏎️🏎️

For the laser cutting part, I designed a keychain featuring the logo of a car I once saw in real life and it was way more impressive than I ever imagined the Porsche GT3 RS 🐎
This keychain isn’t just a piece of acrylic, it’s a memory of a moment I’ll never forget.

The second part was all about

Marvel characters.💫

For the 3D printing part, I chose a fun and iconic character from the Marvel universe Groot.🪵
I really like this character because he’s calm, chill, and simple and honestly, I feel like he represents me most of the time.
That’s why I thought having him as a small figure on my desk would be something meaningful and personal

Tool Chain

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

Softwares 💻

I’ll use LaserCAD for laser cutting and Ultimaker Cura for 3D printing preparation.

ultiMaker cura

We used the Malky ML64 laser cutter for engraving and cutting plywood, and the Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D printer for precise, beginner-friendly prototyping with PLA filament

Plywood will be used for laser cutting, and PLA filament for 3D printing.

Malky ML64 Laser Cutter

Creality Ender 3 Pro

For laser cutting, I selected plywood because it was readily available and offers reliable results with smooth cuts and clean engraving.

For 3D printing, I used PLA filament, which was the available material and is known for its low melting point, eco-friendliness, and good detail quality

PLA Filament

PlyWood

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?

For the laser cutting part of the assignment, I downloaded a car logo design in .dxf format from 3axis.co, a website that provides free vector files suitable for laser cutting.

After downloading the file, I installed LaserCAD and imported the design into the software. I positioned it in the top-right corner of the workspace, which is the standard starting point for the laser cutter we used.

Then, I adjusted the dimensions of the logo to make it a suitable size for a keychain. Using LaserCAD’s tools, I assigned different laser operations to specific parts of the design by applying color codes:

Blue lines – for speed cut II speed 300 power 50

Red lines – for engraving II speed 250 power 60

Black lines – for full cutting II speed 10 power 70

These color codes help the machine distinguish between different tasks. Finally, I ran a simulation inside LaserCAD to ensure everything was set correctly and that the result would match my expectations before proceeding with the actual cut.

3axis file (dxf)

For the 3D printing part of the task, I chose to work with a model of Groot, a calm and lovable character from the Marvel universe. I found an open-source STL file for him on Thingiverse and downloaded it.

After that, I opened the model in Ultimaker Cura to prepare it for printing.

Brim: No

Supports: Yes (touching buildplate)

Layer Height: 0.2 mm

Infill: 20% (cubic pattern)

Nozzle Temperature: 210 °C

I resized the model to fit nicely on a desk, making sure it was flat and centered on the build plate. Once everything was ready, I sliced the file and exported the G-code to an SD card for printing

Thingiverse STL file

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 started with the CNC part. After choosing the design from the 3axis website, I downloaded the files in DXF format, then exported them to the LaserCAD software. I adjusted the dimensions to the size I wanted for the design and set the cut, cut speed, and engrave settings, making sure the engraving mode was set to unidirectional. After that, I exported the file as G-code, and the design was ready for fabrication.

After that, we powered on the machine and fixed the plywood sheet in place.

We adjusted the focus and routed the machine’s exhaust hose outside to remove the debris produced during cutting.

Finally, we set the origin at the far right corner to avoid wasting material.

We then sent the design to the machine by downloading it through the software, and make a box to double-check that the dimensions matched the intended working area.

After confirming everything, we ran the machine and waited for the output.

For the laser cutting part, my file had some issues, so I had to go through two trials . I encountered a problem with the engraving process, which required me to adjust the settings and recheck the design before getting the final result .

Porsche logo keychain

After the CNC part, I made a Mr.Groot using 3D printing, and the process went smoothly. All I needed to do was adjust the dimensions so they wouldn’t exceed the allowed printing time, and we ended up with a cool figure for the desk.

After downloading the STL file from Thingiverse,

I found that the design needed modifications because its size, manufacturing time, and filament usage didn’t match the requirements for this task.

So, I made adjustments to fit the criteria starting with the model’s dimensions.

I applied uniform scaling to make the process easier, then ensured all requirements were met.

After that, I named the file as requested and exported it in G-code format.

I transferred the files to an SD card, used the machine’s Rotary control knob to select the file, and finally started the printing process.

Before

After

Mr.Groot

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?

I asked for feedback and found out that I need to be more careful in the way I transfer and apply the files to avoid any errors during manufacturing.

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?

First attempt

In the engraving part, I made a mistake in selecting the direction, which caused an issue in that section. After running the job, the finish quality wasn’t the best. I fixed this by selecting the uni-direction option, and the result turned out better than before.

Also, I noticed that the keychain came out quite large, so I decided to remove the frame around the logo and make the keychain consist of the logo only, to achieve a more suitable size.

Final Project

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

WOW!

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

Weekly Digest [OPTIONAL]

Tell us about any other cool things that you've made this week: in the Hands-on activity, tutorial examples, exercises, or any other cool mini-project that you tried out aside from the assignment.

Assignment Design Files

Porsche logo keychain (dxf)

Porsche logo keychain (pwj5)

Groot Figurine Cura

Groot Figurine G-code

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