Laser Cutting

lasercutter

 

Due to FDM malfunctions we have redesigned our model to work with the laser cutter.

A lasercutting machine is often used when objects need to be cut out of a solid mass at a high level of precision and the material is of a thin enough caliber.

Like 3D printers, a lasercutter takes a computer generated image and uses the embedded shapes and dimensions to make its cuts.  However, it differs from a printer in the sense that the lasercutter works off of vector files as opposed to the image of a solid body.

  1. Using Adobe Illustrator, we drew out the shape of each of the holders (a quarter circle) and replicated this 8x
  2. We then proceeded to draw out the same shape as Step 1. but added (5) ¼” D circles for the magnets to be dropped into.
  3. Each part needed to be drawn in AI with a line weight of 0.01 because it is this line weight that the laser cutter is programmed to read. It views these lines as vectors and, as such, is able to trace and follow them onto the material that is to be cut. 
  4. After drawing out all 16 components, we submitted the files to the ZCON who runs the Lasercutter in the Sophomore ID Studio.
  5. Once the file is loaded onto the laser cutter’s computer, the material to be cut is placed inside the machine (in our case, 1/8” birch wood) and oriented according to the file.
  6. Once the cutter receives the command to start cutting, it raises the material on a platform and engages a vacuum to hold the piece in place.
  7. From this point on, the process is mostly autonomous.  Using the vector files submitted, the cutter fires a high intensity laser that is mounted to a rail (similar to a printer) that is able to move along both the X and Y axis, and begins to burn the image of the file onto the surface of the material.
  8. The lasercutter will run through and etch the first pass of each object to be printed and will then wait for orders.
  9. The reason for this pause is that various materials will require any number of passes of the laser to cut all the way through.  It is the ZCONs job to determine the number of passes the laser must make to cut the material.  In our case, it took 2.
  10. After the laser cutter is done with making all of its passes, the piece is complete and removed and the machine is shut down.

 

Introduction | Material and Preparation | Vacuum-Forming Machine | Laser Cutting | Assembly of Ball | Assembly of Gloves | Final Product

KinHang Leung
Asa Berg
Brian Mizrahi
Carnegie Mellon University
March 2, 2010