16. Wildcard Week¶
Assignment
- Design and produce something with a digital process not covered in another assignment, documenting the requirements that your assignment meets, and including everything necessary to reproduce it. Possibilities include but are not limited to.
This week I’ll use the Zund machine to make a special trash bag for my workspace! It will help me remember to throw away my chocolate wrappers after snacking—no more forgetting to clean up. The bag will sit right where I work, so trash goes straight in instead of piling up around me
Fusion 360¶
I used fusion 360 to sketch a simple 2d structure. Once the design was done, I export the file in dxf since the zund reads dxf format file.
The Zund G3-L2500¶
The Zund G3-L2500 is a 2D flatbed digital cutter that can perform many tasks, such as cutting, drawing, routing, engraving, and kiss-cutting. It works on various materials, including paper, carbon fiber, and soft aluminum alloys. This flexibility comes from its modular system, which allows easy swapping of tools for different functions and materials. The Zund G3 is a high-precision machine used in industries like packaging, signage, and textiles. It cuts materials like cardboard, plastics, and foam with great accuracy. In our lab, it is one of the best machines, delivering top-quality results.
Workflow¶
Powering the machine
Turn on the main power supply of the Zund. The Zund’s operating screen will power up.
Hit F1 to begin initializing the machine. (the operating screen will tell you that you can start with F1)
DO NOT touch anything while the machine initializes itself. The modules will come towards the PC and operating screen once initialization is done.
Initializing the tools
There are three modules in the ZUND.
• ZS = "Scoring" or "Oscillating" Module
• Typically holds an Electric Oscillating Tool (EOT) or Universal Cutting Tool (UCT)
• Ideal for cutting or scoring soft to medium-density materials like:
- Foam, Corrugated cardboard, Textiles, Rubber
- Uses a reciprocating (up-and-down) motion for cleaner cuts
• ZP = "Pressure" Module, typically used for:
- Creasing wheels, Scoring tools, Perforating tools
• Great for packaging applications, especially when working with:
- Corrugated board, Folding carton
• Applies constant pressure rather than oscillation
• A high-speed rotary tool for cutting rigid and hard materials
• Suitable for:
- Acrylic, PVC, Wood, Aluminum, Foamcore
• Comes with:
- Dust extraction system
- Often has cooling options
Each module slot accepts different types of processing modules.
The operating screen will begin with module 1. The tool displayed on the screen is the same as the the tool thats currently in the module 1 slot.
After confirming, hit init. This will take you to the initialization screen. In the Initialization screen, hit 2 on the keypad to Auto init. Hit okay to start.
Once the Auto initialization is done hit ESC on the keypad to save that.
Repeat this process for modules 2 and 3.
Once all three modules are initialized, the machine will show a prompt on the screen. It will ask you to scan the magazine.Just press OK to continue.
The magazine will be scanned.This scan tells the machine which drill bits are in the magazine. It helps the machine identify and use the correct tools.
Zund Apps:
Zund has four main applications or Apps namely:
• This connects the PC and the machine to the same server.
• You don't need to make any changes here.
• This is where you edit your design.
• You also choose the material and assign processes here.
• This stores all hardware, tools, and material settings.
• You don't need to change anything unless you want to add a new material.
• This is where all your jobs are listed.
• New and old jobs appear here after you finish in Cut Editor.
• This is the final step.
• Here, you assign [text incomplete in original]
Cut Editor
Use Cut Editor to design/import design, editing, material selection, and process assignment.
From the top left, click on File.Then select Import to bring in your design.You can import files made in other apps like Fusion 360 or Inkscape.You can also design directly in Cut Editor however its not recommended.
Select your materials and material dimension by clicking on the drawing icon on right top corner.
Sometimes the lines of the design are all grouped up as one. This makes things difficult if you want to assign different job steps to different lines/parts in the same design. To split the lines, we need to split contours or ungroup. To do this, select the design you want to split, right-click and split contours or ungroup.
You can move, rotate and resize the design by hitting 0 on keyboard and give the required dimension.
There are many processing methods.Each method is different depending on the material.
In my case, I will use three methods:
-
Cutting method
-
Creasing method
-
Register method
To assign a method:
- Select a line or multiple lines in your design.
- Right-click on the selected lines.
- Then click Change Method and choose New Method.
For the crease, the line will turn green to show it’s been assigned.
For the thru-cut follow the same step as above, however here you can select the thru cut and click ok. The thru cut line will changed to blue color.
Register is a special process that uses a camera on the Zünd machine.The camera looks for marks or edges to know where to start cutting.I will use something called Register: Front Right Border.This means the camera will look at the right edge and bottom edge of the material. It will use those edges as starting points to know where to cut.
You can also assign the methods in order like in first register > crease> thrucut
After setting up the design in the cut editor, send it to cut queue by clicking on the top left the send to server icon which looks like a letter doc with an arrow.
Your job will be saved and sent to cut queue.Double click the job and it will be opened in cut center.
When your job is open, the first thing to do is make sure the right tools are picked for each step.You can check this by clicking on the steps listed on the right side of the screen.Each step will show you which tool it’s using. Make sure the right tool is matched with the right job, like cutting or creasing.
Next hit online on the machine to connect it to PC.
In Cut Center on the computer, click the Start Job button at the bottom right. If everything is set up correctly, the button will have a green border around it. If there is a problem, the button will show an orange border instead. The machine will then display a message to tell you what the issue is, so you can fix it before starting.
once you hit the start job, register process will begin. Utilize the pc’s arrow keys to align the camera with the right border first and hit Enter. Then align it with the bottom border and hit enter. This will Register the borders after which your Job will begin.
once done with the job, hit online. to stop the machine from connecting it to pc and take out your job piece. I assmebled it and this is how it looks.
Next to shutdown the machine. Press together the highlighted key together.
press yes.
Turn off the power supply.
This is my trash bag which I have kept below my table. This will help me from cleaning my area.
File¶
File for the week is here