Assignment 2: Laser cutter
By Carolina Aguirre and Carolina Miro
In addition to the challenge of 3D visualization introduced by the first assignment, this second assignment required the skill of decomposing a 3D design into 2D elements. Furthermore, it was important to note that not only would our designs comply with certain boundary conditions, but also that the various designs were to be placed in continuation of each other, forming a fluid whole.
Starting out, control points were added to the provided element template in order for it to assume our unique design. As it was a polysurface, the command ‘cage edit’ in rhino provided us with a bounding box, which allowed us to manipulate the shape of the seating element. Many designs followed from the experimentation with the shape. However, our final design was chosen based on the criteria set both by the machinery to be used for the fabrication process, as well as the design purpose of creating a whole with the designs of other groups. The result was a dynamic, smooth element, providing a very welcoming, broad seating surface. The fluidity of the piece provided excellent prospects for successful fabrication as also its integration with the other designs.
After the 3D shape of the element was designed it was modified to be produced using the laser-cutting machine. The surface of the design was offset and contours created in both the x and y directions. Intersecting surfaces were made from these contours. Each intersection was modified by placing columns in the panels of each direction, which were placed and modified to create voids in the elements. This was done in order to be able to mount the panels once cut by the laser cutter. The intersection slots were made to be 2.8mm wide, creating a snug fit for the mounted panels. Lastly, the various pieces needed to be separated and projected, side by side, onto a cplane which had the same dimensions as the wooden panel to be placed in the laser cutter.
Once the 3D design had been translated into a 2D waffle structure, its file was exported to the laser cutter. A 3mm thick wooden plank was cut into the various waffle pieces. The cutting process was closely monitored in order to comply with the necessary safety precautions, such as ensuring that the cut pieces didn’t obstruct the machine while it was still in progress and of course to control a possible fire. After the pieces were cut successfully and without any incidences, these were assembled to produce the final product.
