Prompt: Design and fabricate a 3D object using a CAD and CAM method (3D Printing or Laser Cutting) of your choice.
This project was my first time working with Fusion360, Slicer, and a laser cutter. Having used several CAD tools in the past (AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Catia, Solidworks), Fusion proved to be very intuitive and easy to pick up. I instantly gravitated towards some of the form tools which could quickly produce compound curves and other non-rectilinear shapes that would otherwise be quite challenging to model.
The first object I created was a circle that morphed into a sort of amoeba shape, using the loft tool, and began to resemble an Alvar Aalto vase. I added some thickness to the walls and base so that the design would translate into an IRL object.
However, this is where things went south, I imported the mesh into Fusion Slicer and started tweaking the setting to prepare the shape for slicing and laser cutting. Regardless of the number of slices, rotation of the cuts, or thickness of the material, I couldn’t get the model to render without errors that would prevent the shape from being built out of slices of cardboard. Rather than continue to fight with this shape, I decided to simplify.
The other shape I modeled was a torus, in which the volume is formed when a vertically oriented circle revolves around a center axis. In Fusion, there is a dedicated Torus tool, but the shape can also be created by rotating a circle sketch around the vertical axis, or by sweeping a circle around a circular path. While this shape is not as complex as my first model, it proved plenty challenging to make it out of slices of cardboard.
With the model complete, I sent it over to Fusion Slicer, which assists in translating a three-dimensional model into interlocking or stacked slices of material that can be cut on a laser cutter. 3D -> 2D ->3D! This step wasn’t without its challenges. The default ‘interlocked slices’ setting lost some of the soul of the torus shape, leaving a dull design. Next, I tried the radial slicer, which given the circular nature of my model, probably should have been my starting point. By adjusting the vertical and horizontal slice directions and the number of slices, I was able to get a pattern that rendered the shape well, had compelling visual appeal, and was ‘only’ 50 pieces. I exported the cut lines using illustrator, matching my material size, and headed for the laser cutter.
The Denver Public Library is awesome. Their central branch has a laser cutter and three 3D printers that anyone can use, and their staff is beyond helpful — big shoutout to Jesse for helping me with the project. We did an initial test pass on some spare material and discovered that the scaling was off, and the cut wasn’t deep enough. A round of file edits, increasing the heat and slowing the laser resulted in a much cleaner result, and we got to work cutting all six sheets at about 10mins a piece. One key learning was that warped cardboard affects the laser’s focus and ultimately results in a less precise cut.
The end product speaks for itself and looks radical. The only issue I discovered was a slight mismatch in the cardboard thickness vs. the values in Slicer. The minor mismatch resulted in a little more play between pieces, making it more fragile.
I’m not going to dwell on the assembly process but will say this: there is no way I could have done it alone, the etched piece numbers were a lifesaver, and it took much longer than anticipated.
