3. Computer controlled cutting¶
Assignments and Assessment this week¶
Group assignment:¶
Do your lab’s safety training Characterize your lasercutter’s focus, power, speed, rate, kerf, joint clearance and types. Document your work to the group work page and reflect on your individual page what you learned.
Individual assignments¶
Design, lasercut, and document a parametric construction kit, accounting for the lasercutter kerf.
extra credit: design it to be assembled in multiple ways extra credit: include elements that aren’t flat extra credit: engrave as well as cut
Learning outcomes¶
Demonstrate and describe parametric 2D modelling processes. Identify and explain processes involved in using the laser cutter. Develop, evaluate and construct a parametric construction kit. Identify and explain processes involved in using the vinyl cutter.
Have you answered these questions?¶
Linked to the group assignment page. Reflected on your individual page what you learned of your labs safety training Explained how you created your parametric design. Documented how you made your press-fit construction kit. Documented how you made something with the vinyl cutter. Included your original design files. Included hero shots of your results.
What is Parametric Modeling?¶
This is a design method where values are fixed. By writing the values you want to fix in a spreadsheet such as Excel and importing it into CAD, you can track and change the design even if the size of the object changes.
Parametric Modeling in Fusion¶
For this assignment, I used parametric modeling to design a jointable object. I used the math marbles and counting sticks found in math sets used in Japanese elementary schools as inspiration. After making it, I realized that the toy blocks called Mega Bloks are similar.
Math Marbles¶
I started by modeling a hexagon.
Then, I created the cutouts for the hexagons by specifying the values using parametric modeling.
I then used circular alignment to duplicate six of them, specifying the object to be duplicated and the rotation origin.
Extruded and solidified.
I used a 45° chamfer to chamfer the edges, which were previously within the fillet but had moved and were no longer immediately visible.
This allows the joints to fit smoothly.
There are several ways to extract data from Fusion for processing with a LABS laser. Use Fusion CAM to extract post-processed data tailored to the machining machine. Create a blueprint, export it as a .PDF, and load it into Torotec’s Ruby®. (Ruby® can read .ai, .pdf, .svg, and .dxf files, and for engraving only, .png, .jpg, .jpeg, and .bmp.)Alternatively, you can load the .pdf file into CorelDRAW and then open Torotec’s JobControl® from the Print menu, or open JobControl® from vector software like Adobe Illustrator, InkScape, or Affinyty. In this case, I installed the Shaper Utilities plugin into Fusion to open it in InkScape. I downloaded and installed it from this site, then restarted Fusion.
Counting Sticks¶
I modeled the counting sticks in the same way and exported them as SVG.
Laser Cutter¶
What is a Laser Cutter?¶
Types of Lasers¶
CO2¶
Diode¶
Fiber¶
UV¶
YAG¶
Drive Method¶
XYasix¶
garubano¶
Things That Cannot Be Cut¶
Never cut materials that contain chlorine (such as vinyl chloride) as this will destroy the lens through a chemical reaction. Also, when processing mirrors, do not cut them unless safety measures against laser reflection have been taken.
Group Assignment¶
Safety Training: The optimal parameters for the lab’s laser for the 3mm thick cardboard used in this project are summarized on the group assignment page below. The Kamakura group assignment is here. This page also provides a brief summary of the details.
Participants: Koshi Kato (2026)
Instructors: Shoko Kudomi (2025) Maki Tanaka (2025) Kae Nagano (2019) Tsuchiya Yosuke (2019)
Safety Training Youka Watanabe (Lab Master)
Laser cutting machine safety training and usage training
How to determine optimal parameters for processing materials
Selecting the optimal width (kerf value) when creating a fit
Vinyl Cutter