Week 3 Computer controlled cutting¶
Parametric Press-Fit Assembly Kit¶
Laser cutting is a process that uses a focused beam of light (laser) to cut or engrave materials with high precision. It’s commonly used on materials like wood, acrylic, metal, and fabric.
Then we determined the appropriate size, which is 1.0:
First we made a gauge to measure the appropriate thickness for the parts to be installed. speed and power of the laser
Then we made a speed and power meter for the laser machine to make sure of the best result.
Programs used in design¶
1. Adobe Illustrator
I used the Illustrator for drawing my design because it is easy for me to use it
This is the desing in illustrator I used the rectange and star to draw it and pathfinder tools to cut it, then I export it as SVG type file to edit it on the inkscape
2. Cuttle
For this design I use two forms rectangle and star I take it from cuttle shapes:
Then I draw rectangle to make hole and to do that I click on new paramter I do it tow time one for the shapes and one for the rectangle to make a parametric design.
Also I use mirror tools to have a perfect result.
I give each of them name and size in then and I connected each of them with shapes with size in mm.
I cute the shapes by put the forms up to the shapes and I use tools called Boolean Difference
This is the final result:
3. Inkscape
For Inkscape this program is good for export and resize the design that why I use it
In Inkscape I resize my design then I export it as dxf type file to open it in laser machine
How it’s work ?¶
We initiated our process by conducting experiments to identify the optimal laser power and speed settings tailored to our specific material. Determining the appropriate laser parameters is essential, as these settings can vary significantly based on the material’s properties and thickness. After establishing the correct laser settings, we focused on determining the most suitable measurements for the joints or connection points within the design. This stage is critical for the successful creation of press-fit components, ensuring that the parts interlock securely without the need for additional fasteners.
Here steps¶
Step 1
First step I open my design in laser prograom then I select the place that I will put it’ after that I click on downlaod to apload file
Step 2
By using the lazer screen I can control my design, so I click the file button then I select my design that I give it the name
Now I can start control the laser cutter
Step 3
I have to find the best place to start cut
Step 4
This button give me the point that I can start from it
Step 5
By framing the laser cutter I can image the board and see the place that will cut on it
Step 6
Before start cut my design I have to balance the laser cutter and select best height for it
Step 7
I click the start button to start cutting my design
The laser start work on my design
Result
This is final result
I put the pieces together to get this shape
Make a sticker¶
Vinyl cutter¶
A vinyl cutter is a computer-controlled machine designed to cut shapes and designs from sheets of vinyl material. Widely used in industries such as sign-making, apparel decoration, and craft production, it allows for precise cutting of intricate patterns. The cutter operates by using a sharp blade that moves along a predefined path, enabling the creation of custom graphics, lettering, and decals. With its versatility and accuracy, a vinyl cutter is an essential tool for both professional and hobbyist applications.
I made a sticker by using two designs I had from the second week that I designed using Illustrator so I didn’t have any problems with that.
I export the design in png type file to open it on the program
First I installed the sticker on the printer.
I used the trace tools to fram my image
I used trace to select and empty the image so I could cut it out
Then I resize the image to be good on cut
We start cut by clicking on the send button and we wite unti the vinyl cutter done
When the vinyl cutter finish it work I can take the layer off to put it on any where I want
I used the duct tape to take layer off and I put it on my laptop
I removed the excess
And this is the final result
There is many issue that happen with at work this week. For laser macine some of problem happen for me like the thikness of design and the size of design I printed many time to have a perfict size. And for vinyl cutter I cut the sticker many time to see what is the best of cutter hight.
During this week we used our designs to cut them using the laser and final machines to make stickers or pieces that fit on top of each other. This week was busy as they learned how to use the laser machine and final machine.