2D Design

Cardboard Box

2/1/18

For this project, I will be using the laser cutter again. When I cut the cardboard pieces, I am following all the same steps, except I select Vector instead of Combined, and the settings for Vector will be different. I am using thin cardboard, so the Speed is 25, the Power is 60, and the Frequency is 1000.

I've been working on different designs for my box. I know that because the laser cutter burns away part of the material you print, that I'll need to make the hole smaller, or the insert bigger. My first design was a very small difference. The hole was 0.05 inches smaller than the insert.

The end result was that there was an overhang that was way too big, and pieces that fit together extremely tight. I would consider this a success, but I also need to shrink down some parts, and decrease the tooth size a little bit.

Prototype 2 has a 0.04 inch difference in size between the insert and the hole, and the hole depth was decreased from half an inch to 0.2 inches.

2/2/18

Prototype 2 has no overlap whatsoever, and still fits together tight enough that it won't break in the drop test. This will be my snap-fit mechanism, and I'll keep testing for bigger sizes.

This design is just to test multiple latches together. Let's see how it turns out!

2/5/18

The two extended pieces fit together well, meaning I can move on to the final box design. I am going with a very simplistic design, one that requires few connections. That way the final pieces are easier, because I won't have to arrange them as much to get all the pieces together.

Using the same measurements as prototype 3, I can duplicate and reflect either side to make rectangular shapes. Each tooth is 1.04 inches wide, and each gap is 1 inch wide. Both the teeth and holes are 0.2 inches deep, so there is no overlap. Without the jagged edges of the squares, here are the measurements: Sides 1 and 3 are 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, while side 2 is 2 inches long, 2 inches wide(Numbers not engraved on box, just there for labeling).

After printing my design, 4 pieces fit together well(1 and 3 from diagram above), while the other 2 pieces were too short to fill in the space correctly.

What I noticed about the last pieces, however, is that they can be fixed easily by making the teeth into gaps, and extending the edges around them. This is because the pieces line up, but just aren't able to fit together because of some obstruction. I also need to edit piece 3 from above to make it teeth on all sides, so that the top piece can fit on it. Right now, there is no way to fit the top piece on all sides because it doesn't reach down far enough(see right picture below).

2/6/18

I start by simply changing the gaps from side 3 into teeth. You can see the differences below. The tooth is still 1.04 inches wide, with 0.48 inches around on either side, making the complete side 2 inches long. I do the same on the other side, and copy and paste the finished piece so I have two of them.

Next, I extend the side around the tooth, then add the indent. You can see in the image that the piece is bigger because of that extension. I copy and paste this piece to duplicate it, and I'm ready to print!

Here is the final page before printing. I only need these 4 pieces because I have the other 2 already printed.

My box fits together perfectly! It passed the drop test, and is very durable. This project was a success!

2/7/18 and 2/8/18

Here are the measurements, in inches, for my box pieces. to make the pieces, I used the line tool on Adobe Illustrator. The reason that so many of the measurements seem awkward is because the 0.04 difference enlarges the total length of the side, meaning you have to take a very small amount from either side of the tooth, giving you the 0.48 on two of the pieces. As for other irregular lengths, the 0.7's on the right piece are due to the overlap that the other two pieces create when connected.

Vinyl Sticker

2/12/18

Open up the application CutStudio. This is what the vinyl cutter uses for files.

There should already be a document there. This is always the document size, and if it IS changed, it will be resized upon cutting the sticker, and your design can get messed up.

Next, choose an image from the internet to make into a sticker. The image must be a .jpg file. I chose an Avengers logo that I'm going to put on my sketchbook. I found the image online and downloaded it onto my computer. Click Import on the top toolbar.

2/13/18

Find the correct file and select it.

The image should appear gray like below.

Right click on the image and select Image Outline. Click the Extract Contour Lines button, then drag the Image Density slider all the way to Light. The image should now be outlined in blue. Click OK.

Drag the image away, and you should get a gray image and a blue outlined image. Left click the gray image and click Delete on your keyboard(NOT backspace, the key marked DELETE). You should have only the blue outlined image remaining.

Drag the image to the bottom left corner of the paper. This is where the image must be for cutting.

Click the image and go to Properties in the toolbar. This way, you can resize your image based on how big the surface is of the thing you are placing the sticker on. Make sure Keep Aspect is selected. This will keep the ratio of the image the same. You can then resize your image, in the example below, making it 3 inches tall.

Click OK, and then go to File and Save As. Name the file something you will recognize easily, and save to your H Drive.

Head on over to the Vinyl Cutter and sign into the computer. Find the file in your H Drive, open it, and it should appear just as it did before.

Insert the vinyl roll of the color you want into the mechanism behind the vinyl cutter. The roll should move freely when you pull on the edge. Making sure the rollers on the machine are unlocked, insert the edge, from the back side, into the machine. Make sure the piece is straight, and covering the sensor on the left side of the machine.

There are white bars above the rollers on the machine. Align the rollers as close to the edge of the vinyl piece that you can, making sure you stay IN THE WHITE SECTIONS. Once you are finished, push the lever up, locking the rollers down.

Turn on the vinyl cutter by holding down the power button. When on, the display should light up, and the button should glow blue. On the display, there should be the word "ROLL." If this is incorrect, use the arrow keys to set the cutter to ROLL. Once you have it selected, press enter on the machine.

Now the machine is fully prepped. Go to the computer, and click Cutting on the top toolbar. A screen should pop up similar to the usual printing screen on any computer. Change the printer setting to ROLAND. Once you have that selected, you are ready to go. Click PRINT.

Once your sticker is finished printing, remove it from the vinyl and put it on whatever you want! I chose my sketchbook, which contains mostly superhero drawings.

Unlock the rollers, remove your vinyl, and roll it back up neatly. Turn off the vinyl cutter, and your project is now finished!