Laser Cutter Problem

My idea for this laser-cut lantern originated from the traditional lotus lantern, in honor of the Mid-Autumn Festival. When I was younger, my parents would give my brother and me a fish-shaped version of the lantern; this project was created in memory of that experience. While I initially considered making a fish, I felt a flower would better suit my current style. 🪷

I began the project by consulting with Professor Kelly Cave, who helped provide a foundational structure for me to start: triangles to support the petals on the main base. As seen on the right, the cardboard and then very thin plywood from Barnard's design studio prototypes worked successfully! I was feeling ambitious and managed to construct five layers.

However, I wanted the final design to be constructed with transparent acrylic so that the layers would be visible and the light would shine through the layers.

*The last image is a peek at the different iterations from my Adobe Illustrator file.

Just as I was about to proceed with the triangle design, I decided to be more ambitious and transform the lantern into a "puzzle-piece" assembly. I wanted to create precise notches in the petals and the base to eliminate the need for both glue and the supporting triangles. However, this is where the iterative challenges began.

I had applied notches to the petal, the main base, and a small supporting piece designed to set the petal's angle and attachment point. I initially anticipated that 0.125-inch-wide notches would result in a secure fit, but due to the kerf, the fit was too loose.

I then went back to reduce the notch size. In cutting this next iteration, I focused only on the top-most layer to conserve acrylic. Unfortunately, a human error occurred: I discovered that simply scaling the piece down in Adobe Illustrator also reduced the notch size proportionally, leading to an unusable iteration.

I tried one final time after consulting with our new friend nowadays, ChatGPT. I asked the tool to suggest the ideal notch width, considering my project and the specific make and model of the laser cutter, Bubbles. ChatGPT suggested 0.115 inches. I performed a test cut, but even at this width, the notches were still too large for the perfect interference fit I was aiming for.

Ultimately, I returned to square one and proceeded with the original design that utilized the supporting triangles. 🔺

However!! cardboard, very thin plywood, and acrylic are very different materials, with cardboard and very thin plywood being significantly more pliable and forgiving.

Unlike the cardboard prototype, where the petals and triangles easily fit together on the base, the rigidity of the acrylic required me to forgo the triangle support pieces. Instead, I had to prop the petals on mini-tape towers to hold the required angle while the glue dried.

All in all, I'm still proud of the final project, even though it wasn't the exact design I originally planned. I do wish I had added a few more features before permanently gluing the pieces together. If I could go back, I definitely would have drilled small holes in the top to allow for the option of hanging the lantern.

🪷

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