Week 3 - Computer-Controlled Cutting

Learning Outcomes:

• Design, Make and Document a Parametric Press-Fit Contruction Kit
• Experiment with the Vinyl Cutter

Here we are on week 3!! This week’s assignment consists of creating a parametric construction kit cut in the laser, where you may change its parameters so you may make it bigger or use a different material with different widths. And try out the Vinyl cutter so you see its capabilities. So this were my week steps to conclude this assignment

• Inkscape/Gimp Logo preparation for Vinyl cutting
• Print and cut Sticker
• Design and cut Parametric Press-fit kit

Before we start there are a couple of basic things we have to know regarding measurements, as it is a fundamental part to create a Press-fit design or any project. The Caliper is the most used precision measuring device used in Digital Fabrication so we must know how to use one:

Vernier Caliper:

Reading measurements in a Vernier Caliper

To take the reading you apply the Calliper and then you read the main scale and find which number does align with the Zero from the Vernier scale (lower scale) after that you must see which number perfectly aligns on the Vernier scale with the main scale and that will give you the decimal number. So with a Vernier calliper you can take 4 Basic measurements to your Project:

1. Outer Measurement



2. Inner Measurement



3. Depth Measurement



4. Step Measurement

Vinyl Cutter

I wanted to further discover and investigate the tools and capabilities of both Gimp and Inkscape which are such new tools to me but full of potential, so I started with the Vinyl cutting and created a sticker:

1-Choose an Image you want to turn into a Sticker

2-Export to Gimp and use free select tool to select part of desired image, copy/paste to a new file

3-Clear image or delete mistakes

4-Use colour picker to choose right colour to work with

5-Magic wand to select working area, use Airbrush tool to do the touches or the bucket for bigger areas to paint

6-After all the image improvements export to Inkscape, Ctrl-a/Ctrl-c/Cntrl-v

In Inkscape there is several things you can do to your image: I started by trying to make a Black contour around my sticker and started by using Trace Bitmap Using Trace Bitmap you have to play with the brightness levels till you get the desired result and you get a black and white version of your Sticker, that after selecting no fill and stoke to flat colour you get the contour. To centre it to your original image you must unable the snaps and snap both to one of the corners of Inkscape working area.

One other cool thing you can do with Trace Bitmap is using Colour Quantisation, changing the colour quantity and ungrouping twice the images you can create several logos in several colours based on the original logo colours.

After you are finished you have to print it on a plotter or printer with Inkjet Vinyl sticker without forgetting the alignment points (the process is different in the Vinyl programs, in the Roland Cut studio you must check file; Print and cut) this will make it possible to align in the Vinyl cutter on the next step.

First test on cutting in Vinyl

Result :

Inskcape Final result

After this I finally used the Roland program to add the alignment dots and to create the cut path to create my sticker using a special adhesive paper, this was the end result:

Sticker

Sticker