note pad
I was tasked with designing, engraving, cutting, and assembling a notepad using the Universal Laser. First I brainstormed in my designer's notebook, which lead me to my design idea.
I created my Illustrator file and added my text and image designs to it. The image needs to be a vector file, so I had to select the image, click image trace, and click expand. In order to cut the border or any objects, the lines must be set to .0001 pt and RGB red. Everything that is black is engraved.
I input the material and thickness of the material into my print settings when I printed my Illustrator file to the Universal Control Panel (UCP). I lined the laser up to the material, closed the lid, and watched the laser engrave and cut my note pad covers.
After my covers were finished, I hole punched the binding on top of the covers and paper for inside and twisted the coil through.
water bottle
My next project was to engrave a water bottle. I initially brainstormed, and then created my Illustrator file with my design, following the same procedures of tracing and expanding my image and printing the file to the UCP.
The UCP looked slightly different because it is engraving the round water bottle. In order to do so, I had to use a rotating jig inside the laser bed as shown below.
It successfully engraved and produced my final product.
magazine holder
I got a lot of freedom on this project. We were given the choice to make anything we wanted out of laser cut cardboard from an existing file from thingverse.com. After my brainstorming and research on the website, I decided to make a magazine holder.
All I had to do was download the Illustrator files off of Thingverse and make some slight adjustments including changing the lines to RGB red and .0001 pt. Other than that, the file was ready to print.
I assembled the box and already put it to good use.
what i learned
This first individual assignment made me learn a lot, specifically about independent work. I had to plan and brainstorm before starting each project to ensure that I am thinking the process through and not just jumping into using the machines. I had to manage my time and plan wisely. More specifically to this laser rotation, I strengthened my knowledge of using Illustrator and printing to the UCP to use the laser. I learned how to engrave a round object and how to insert the rotational jig into the laser bed. Now I'll be able to engrave round things in the future. All three of these laser projects helped me better understand the laser and softwares that I am working with.