Week 2 - 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)

Polygon cool glass

This week's assignment idea is inspired by my love for square glasses. If I were to design a pair of glasses, I would make the frame square because it aligns with my personal brand in content creation. Square frames have a unique and stylish look that I find very appealing, and they represent my brand's aesthetic perfectly.

Tool Chain

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

Fusion 360 for design Cool Glass

For 3D printing

Ultimaker Cura Software for slicing and preparing the file to be printed

3D Printer Ceality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer

PLA plastic filament

For Laser Cut

laser Cad for preparing the file for cutting

El Malky ML149 CO2 Laser Cutter

PLY wood 3mm

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 Fusion Design

Firstly, Search for glasses sizes.
Secondly, draw help lines using standard dimensions.
Thirdly, draw one side of the glasses.
Fourthly, Mirror work for the first side.
Fifthly, Extrude The sketch into a 2.5D part.
Finally, I extracted the file as DXF then imported it to Laser CAD program.

For Laser Cut

I downloaded the file in DXF format and also tried downloading other formats and conversion.

Then, I added the design to Laserworks. I changed the dimensions and edited the middle section of the design.

Next, I moved the design closer to the origin. then I started by selecting lines based on the action they represented, then assigned speed and color to each selection.

I chose the following colors to represent each action:

Cut - Black
Engrave - Red

I set the cutting action as the last step to ensure it wouldn't affect the design, finally export the file in RLD format.

(The photos show the used power and speed for each action, note that we did a little changes in the lab) .

For Arms

Firstly, Search for glasses sizes.
Secondly, draw help lines using standard dimensions.
Thirdly, draw right side of the glasses arm.
Fourthly, Mirror work for the first side.
Fifthly, Extrude The sketch into a 2.5D part.
Finally, I extracted the file as .stl then imported it to Cura program.

For 3D Printing

After downloading the design as STL file format, I opened it in Cura software , choosed the machine and adjusted size and parameters to fit the target.

For the settings parameters, I consulted the settings provided by the design owner on the website, but I made some edits.

Believing the design needed support, I don't need to add support and adhesion. Additionally, I set the layering to 2 mm to reduce printing time and have reasonable finish.

checked slicing to see the time and no of grams used.

Finally, Saved the file in g- code format , with naming convention of the desgin name, needed time and grmas.

as a challenge: I kept accidentally changing the scaling while zooming in.

Now, I'm satisfied with the dimensions, although it fits just right.

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 3D Printing:

After saving the file as a g-code on the SD card, I inserted it into the machine and started the 3D printing process with a white PLA filament.
The machine started heating the bed to 220 C which is the standard heat required for printing with PLA.
When the job was done, I waited ten mins till the bed cool down to avoid any warping of the model.

For Laser-cutting:

After importing the DXF file to LaserCAD software, I had to adjust the right speed and power for each operation.
Before making sure that the laser focus (distance between the lenses and the material used) is correct I had to use masking tape to make sure that the material will not move during the vibration of the machine and that the sheet is completely flat on the bed.
I connected the laptop to the machine with a USB cable and downloaded the file.
After closing the bed cover I did the following:

Position the head in the right corner of my sheet and press on "origin"n, so I communicate the start point to the machine.
Select "frame" from the control panel to make sure that my design fits in the sheet area.

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?

This week, I learned a lot about collaborating with my friends in the diploma program.

Traveling together helped us discover many things about the metro system and trying out food from different places.

We also helped each other through discussions, sharing ideas, and providing feedback.

This experience not only strengthened our teamwork but also made the learning process more enjoyable and enriching.

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?

Check fixed the part for wood sheet

Check Height for origin

I had a problem imagining the dimensions of the glasses, but when I went around and did a lot of searching, because I do not use glasses, I found the real dimensions and worked on them in the design using fusion.

While I was doing 3D printing, I saw that most of my friends’ shields for their glasses were broken, so I said I would make the shield thicker so that it would be able to fit me without breaking it. I succeeded in this, but the idea was that the thickness was too large, and this is clearly visible in the picture.

Final Project

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

The skills and knowledge I have acquired this week are actually the basics of 3D printing and laser cutting

File preparation
Machine usage

After using the laser machine and the 3D printer myself, I gained new experience that will benefit me in the final project. I will use the laser machine to print the body of the project and the 3D printer to connect and make the parts that need details.