WEEK 3 - COMPUTER CONTROLLED CUTTING

heroshot

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parametric kit i made

i am excited for this week as it is the first hands on week.We could really feel things we are going to create.....

assignment

  • group assignment
    characterize your lasercutter's focus, power, speed, rate
  • individual assignment:
    cut something on the vinylcutter
    design, lasercut, and document a parametric construction kit

Group assignment

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press fit test

about Vinyl Cutting

THE vinyl cutter is a device that is used my many small businesses around the globe produce different work such as printing T-SHIRTS, stickers, lettering and even FLEXIBLE pcbs.

IT uses a small knife or blade to precisely cut the outline of figures into a sheet or piece of vinyl, but not the release liner. The knife moves side to side and turns, while the vinyl is moved beneath the knife. The results from the cut process is an image cut into the material.

here we use a Roland GX-24 Vinyl cutter machine

THESE TYPE OF CUTTERS DO NOT HAVE ACTIVE KNIFE HEAD WHEREAS HAVE A DRAG KNIFE THAT WORKS LIKE A CASTOR WHEEL

CASTOR/SWIVEL WHEEL

from gx-24 user guide

interface of gx-24
from user manual

Blades are very pointy and sharp for cutting with 45 degree angle to the cutting direction like in the picture. Blades cutting angle also available in 30° and 60° also,In Fab we use 45° cutting angle blades

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preparing machine

AFTER TURNING ON WE HAVE TO FEED THE VINYL SHEET USING THE LOADING LEVER .THEN WE NEED TO ADJUST THE PINCH ROLLER TO THE MARKED POSITION AS IT ONLY HAVE GRIP TO ROLL THE VINYL

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LOCK THE LOADING LEVER AND TURN ON THE MACHINE.

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SELECT whether "roll" or "piece" .do not interchange the setting 🚫 as it will confuse the machine

and then set the origin by pressing it for 2s.

I JUST CREATED DATE IN INKSCAPE AS TODAY IS BIRTHDAY🎂.EXPORTED IT INTO PLAIN SVG FORMAT.

I USED FABMODS - mods CE (community edition) is a fork of CBA mods research project. mods is a modular cross platform tool for fablabs.

fabmods interface

vinyl cutting my stickers

DESIGN ON INKSCAPE

upload the files into fabmods, select desired dpi of image and start CUTTING.

now we need to transfer the vinyl into a surface.thil part require some PATIENCE. i used

  • masking tape
  • tweezers
  • SCISSORS

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stick the vinyl by applying some force and pull it slowly.

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make adjustments using a tweezers

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now you are ready to TRANSFER the vinyl into the surface you desired.

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here are some others work i done with vinyl cutting....

i designed fablab kerala on inkscape and i want to stick it on my laptop.

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NOW I NEED AN WAVY TEST, FORT THAT TAKE PATH EFFECTS FROM PATH.

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CHOOSE LATTICE DEFORMATION BY SEARCHING.select the text you want to deform

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go to selection tool. now you can see the grid.MAKE ADJUSTMENT AS NEEDED.

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now we need to flip the design so that we get correct impression on tshirt.don't forget this step.

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due to space constraints i only sticked the fablab on my laptop
you can see me screen printing the same design in week 15 - wildcard week week.

cut SPECIFICATIONS

speed :- 20cm/s
force :- 90gf

Adjusting the speed can affect the force exerted, leading to variations in the cutting process, which may result in uncut edges or overcuts. These parameters can be modified in the Machine menu, and there's also a test cuts button available for calibration.

laser cutter

laser light is a coherent radiation. in laser cutter we use this coherent radiation into a surface to make cuts on the surface.

wikipedia

here you can see the laser light passing the tube which is then focused onto the surface using mirrors.

the characterisation of laser and kerf ASSIGNMENT is documented in the group assignment page

parametric construction kit(with zund cutter)

for the assignment for construction kit i am thinking about creating atomic structure kit .there lets try to create PARAMETRIC STRUCTURE of benzene and carbon.

*there is a interesting story about invention of benzene structure...

Kekulé's dream

*Kekulé's benzene ring in modern form, and the alchemical ouroboros symbol of a snake eating its tail
The new understanding of benzene, and hence of all aromatic compounds, proved to be so important for both pure and applied chemistry after 1865 that in 1890 the German Chemical Society organized an elaborate appreciation in Kekulé's honor, celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of his first benzene paper. Here Kekulé spoke of the creation of the theory. He said that he had discovered the ring shape of the benzene molecule after having a reverie or day-dream of a snake seizing its own tail

Kekulé's benzene ring in modern form, and the alchemical ouroboros symbol of a snake eating its tail

*The new understanding of benzene, and hence of all aromatic compounds, proved to be so important for both pure and applied chemistry after 1865 that in 1890 the German Chemical Society ORGANISED an elaborate appreciation in Kekulé's HONOUR, celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of his first benzene paper. Here Kekulé spoke of the creation of the theory. He said that he had discovered the ring shape of the benzene molecule after having a reverie or day-dream of a snake seizing its own tail (this is an ancient symbol known as the ouroboros

laser cutter in our lab is not properly working.so we choose zund to process this assignment.

here we do not need to account "kerf" as zund is an blade cutter.

the machine we using is ZUND G3 L-2500 Digital Cutter

from the inspiration of creating PARAMETRIC kit for atomic structure of hydrogen and carbon SIMILAR to lewis structures. i designed three components

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i used variable parameter for THICKNESS to change it according to thickness of the material
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parameter help us to change parameter and see changes ACCORDINGLY.

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THIS IS HOW CH4(METHANE) LOOKS LIKE WITH THE KIT.THIS IS DONE USING THE ALLIGN TOOL IN FUSION.

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AFTER ENUMERATING THE PIECES WITH "RECTANGULAR PATTERN" TOOL IN FUSION I ARRANGED THE PIECES with the "ARRANGE" function.

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selected the sketch the sketch and exported it into "dxf" format.

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uploaded the the files to zund and started the print job

zund basically have 3 software to for workflow

  • cut editor
  • cut queue
  • cut manager

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select the drawing and press "0" put a small gap on x and y axis to avoid chances of uncuts.

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now add a method, ie "thru cut" which cut through the material. and then add another method naming register and select the the border. i choosed "bottom right".

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one thing we really ahve to consider while using is giving clearance in "machining step setting". we have to give a small CLEARANCE to avoid any chance of bed getting damaged.

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there are 2 blades.we used z21- it gives better and cut whereas z16 is a universal blade.

after pushing the file back to cut editor from queue .now we have to press "online" button on zund interface.

jog zund head using keyboard .it have a INBUILT camera and autodetect edge feature. i will upload a screen recording of the process

then press "start" print job

final

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we can also make humans with atoms...

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reflection

Week 3 provided a hands-on dive into the world of computer-controlled cutting technologies, with a particular focus on vinyl cutting. My work with the Roland GX-24 Vinyl Cutter involved fine-tuning parameters like speed and force, directly impacting the precision of the cuts. By adjusting these settings, I optimised the cutter's performance, ensuring clean edges and avoiding OVER CUTS. The Machine menu facilitated these adjustments, and the test cuts button proved invaluable for calibration.

I also explored the capabilities of the ZUND G3 L-2500 Digital Cutter, using it to craft a parametric construction kit for atomic structures. This project allowed me to delve into both the design intricacies and fabrication techniques required for successful digital cutting.

Challenges arose with the laser cutter, but through persistence and a focus on understanding its principles, I navigated these issues. The experience underscored the versatility and precision of computer-controlled cutting technology, as evidenced by the completed projects that highlighted these machines' capabilities.