2D Fabrication¶
The 2D fabrication process involved much more content than I had anticipated. It was a new field for me and I learned about various possibilities and methods for constructing 3D objects and shapes. I also recognized that 3D printing simply involves stacking 2D layers.
I was fascinated by the Origami simulation and appreciated computer-aided modeling software that can convert 3D designs into different 2D fabrication models. Without this software, I would not be able to break down a 3D object into its 2D pieces, so I’m grateful that these tools exist.
For the exercise, I decided to laser-cut an airplane model that I found online, as I don’t have any modeling skills yet. You can download the model for free from the following link. https://3axis.co/download/lop08z1w/
Preparing the model for cutting was not as easy as I thought. Adai explained to me that it would be ideal to cut different hole sizes to find the one that fits the material I chose the best. As the laser eats away some material while cutting, the holes in the model become larger than what is designed in the software, resulting in wobbly end products.
I chose 2.8mm thick plywood, but after cutting some test pieces and trying different cut sizes, I found that a 2.76mm height worked best. So, I altered my model based on this material height. The trick was to find the section in the model that needs to be equal to the material height and scale the whole model so that section is 2.76mm.
After that, I colored my model layers with the correct colors that the laser cutter would recognize and sent the file to the cloud. However, the laser cutter didn’t recognize my raster layers that were in black. Adai and I figured out that this may have been because the lines were too thin while being transferred from Inkscape (CDR) to DXF, then from DXF to Rhino 5 format, and the software may not have recognized the original line weight.
After entering the correct parameters for the material I chose, I was able to start cutting, but it didn’t cut in the first try. Adai suggested making the process slower and adding a little bit of power. Doing that, the material was cut, and I repeated the cut once more to have two airplanes to compare.
After that, it was fun to construct the planes that came without instructions. I’m amazed by the possibilities this process creates. One can create many small items for the house, toys, puzzles, and craft pieces with access to a laser cutter. If you have access to a larger one, you can even create custom furniture.
My son loved these airplanes, but he’s not old enough to play with them without taking the propellers off, so I glued them. After two weeks, the airplanes are still intact, so I’m happy with the process.
