Week 1 - Michael Jordan

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)

In week 1, we were asked to manufacture something of our interest using the laser cutter and the 3D printer. Inspired by Michael Jordan, I thought of delivering two basketball keychains, one through laser cutting and the other one using 3D printing.

For the laser cutting, I looked for inspirational designs on 3axis.co and I found this interesting design here. The sketch was not mainly made for a keychain. However, I liked how it was designed to express the essence of basketball. Moreover, the sketch was not fully defined when opened on Autodesk Fusion.

For the 3D printing, I took inspiration from ThingiVerse and here is the design I used. The design contained two sketches. The bottom sketch represented a complete circle, while the top sketch represented a symmetric basketball.

Tool Chain

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

The designs were downloaded from open source libraries. Then, I used Autodesk Fusion & Cura to view the designs.

Then, I used RDWorks V8 to prepare the 2D parts for the laser cutter and set the cutting and engraving parameters. The part was then cut using the laser cutter.

Also, I used Cura for slicing and preparation of the 3D part. Settings were adjusted for the Pursa 3D Printer.

For the materials, I used 3mm Ply Wood for laser cutting and PLA Filament for 3D Printing.

I used Fusion to view and navigate the downloaded desings

I used Prusa 3D Printer for the 3D parts and the laser cutter for the 2D parts.

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?

Preparing the design for Laser Cutting

1. First, I downloaded the dxf file from 3axis.co

The 2D part is a basketball keychain that is downloaded from 3axis.co. You can download the DXF file from the button below.

Download Basketball .dxf

2. I opened the design on Fusion to add a fillet to the design.

3. I, then, opened RDWorks V8 and imported the dxf file.

4. I prepared the design for laser cutting by adjusting the scan and cut parameters; speed and power. I prepared the outer frame for cutting while I prepared the basketball sketch to scanning for an engraving effect.

5. I saved the file in .ai format to prepare it for the laser cutter.

Download DXF file

Download AI file

Preparing the design for 3D Printing

1. First, I downloaded the stl file from ThingiVerse

The 3D part is a basketball keychain that is downloaded from ThingiVerse. You can download the STL file from the button below.

Download Keychain .stl

2. I opened the design on Cura for slicing.

3. I used the rotate feature to rotate the design so that the circle base of the keychain is landed on the bed. Then, there was no need for supports.

4. I scaled down the design to 70% in order to maintain the printing time below 15 minutes. Then, I defined the machine Pursa i3 Mk3/Mk3s and adjusted the infill to 10% and layer height to 0.2 mm.

5. Finally, I exported the .gcode

Download Cura file

Download .gcode 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?

For laser cutting, the process went as follows:

I opened the .ai file on the PC.
I reviewed all parameters to make sure they match the correct values set by the instructors.
I turned on the laser cutting machine and the Fume Extractor.
I downloaded the design.
Then, I adjusted the origin of the nozzle and framed the design to assure the dimensions are fitting into the board.
I started the cutting process.

For 3D printing, the process went as follows:

The lab specialist went through the file and the exported .gcode
My design was not set for Pursa machine. Hence, the lab specialist advised to adjust this parameter.
I added the .gcode to the sim card.
Then, I chose the filament of my color choice.
I cut the filament diagonally and then loaded it to the machine.
I started the 3D printing process.
The machine took some time to heat the bed. Then, it started the 3D printing process.

The process of 3D Printing and Laser Cutting.

The output 🤩 2 basketball keychains of different styles.

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?

I faced two major challenges.

In laser cutting, I needed to add a fillet to the downloaded dxf file. This was easy, however, I was not able to fully define the design as it was not a perfect circle. Instead, it was a polygon of many sides.

In 3D printing, I forgot to initially identify the 3D printer first while slicing the part on Cura. The lab specialist identified the problem and onboarded me on the appropriate solution. Moving forwarded, I learnt how to set all the parameters for the 3D printer myself.

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