Liberty Mata Project 2: Laser Cutter

 Process

My original idea for this project was to create a playing card box, but the dimensions of my box ended up being small, so it turned into more of a jewelry box midway through the process. I designed the box in Fusion, which I battled with many times due to my attempts to perfect the design. I found a picture online to engrave something simple and hidden into the inside bottom of the box. Then, I put my design into the laser cutter program and let the machine do its process. After my pieces were cut out and engraved, I used a bit of wood glue to secure them together. 

First draft of my box
Design during printing process

Meyer helping me with the laser cutter!



Result

I ran into a bit of issue getting the right size of wood for my design, so I had to go back into my Fusion and correct a few of the measurements. After I fixed the measurement inconsistencies, though, I was able to recut my box, so the pieces fit together perfectly. I also feel like the engravement could've been clearer if I had thickened the lines of my image, but I'm still happy with the petite size of the box and the detail of the engravement being placed on the inside for a peekaboo accent!

Reflection

This project was definitely a bit rushed for me, which is saddening since I really enjoy the ability to engrave images onto my work. In the future, I'd like to experiment with the laser cutter on a slightly larger scale and test different designs that involved engravings on all surfaces of my creation. I think a box with engraved sides, top, and bottom would be a super cool project!  

Printing final draft


Completed box!

 

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