In class this week, we had the opportunity to spend time in the Fab Lab. I did not know what to expect, but this class period was extremely fun and educational. There are art projects in every corner of the Fab Lab. The environment promoted creative and expressive learning. It was a space that I felt very comfortable. Jeff Ginger gave us an entire tour and showed some projects that were made in the Fab Lab. He showed us a backpack that lit up as turn signals to help kids be safe riding bikes. It was an extremely impressive idea and I think it could be very helpful. Overall, my first introduction to the Fab Lab was successful.

We split into groups and I was given the assignment to create a wooden box. We were given the freedom to pick our own designs; this was a time for us to put our creative ideas to work. We created the dimensions of the box then imported it into Inkscape. This platform allowed us to design and shape our box. I thought it was confusing to navigate and I kept missing a step. These tools take time to get the hang of and a lot of practice. Our teacher, Clinton, was very patient and helpful walking us through the steps. I put a mountain range, globe, “lookin good”, and a sea horse on my box. Printing the box is what was really impressive.

The laser cutter was extremely accurate and detailed. It printed every little piece of the image. It was so cool watching it move and carve. Sometimes the laser would catch on fire, but quickly go out. Clinton told us it was important to monitor the printer because it can easily start a fire. My box turned out perfect; accept some of my pictures were upside down. This was definitely an experiment that I really enjoyed. I am looking forward to returning to the Fab Lab next week.

Check out this article I found that talks more about laser cutting. I have never done a project like this before, but it turns out that there was a lot of information on it. You can do many different projects with a laser-cutting printer. The article talks about how it allows products to reach markets quickly on a lower cost. This could be a great tool for the future and a way for companies to save money.

https://www.manufacturingtomorrow.com/article/2017/11/the-benefits-of-laser-cutting-to-the-design-for-manufacturing-process/10581

Rather than our normal location in the BIF, the class ventured over to the FabLab. Once all the stragglers found their way into the lab, Jeff Ginger took the class on a brief tour. Most students had previously heard about the lab because Jeff, the lab’s director, was our guest speaker in Week 3. My tour experience felt like somewhat of an information overload having missed that class. I didn’t have any time to be awestruck however.

Clinton, the lab assistant, began showing me how to design a box for the laser cutter. I was glad to be in Clinton’s group because I love the smell of burnt wood. I was confident I would be able to design a box without trouble after tinkering around with Fusion360. Inkscape, the laser cutting software we were using, turned out to be more difficult. I struggled to measure the box to my liking, despite the simpler Inkscape software interface. Part of the reason I think I had trouble with Inkscape is that I was designing in 2D. Spatial reasoning has never been one of my strong suits, and I had to picture assembling the pieces of the box in my head.

The box design included a wooden base, 4 sides, and a cloth lid that would be fastened by a frame. The laser cutting machine cut these pieces from a single sheet of wood. The speed and precision of the cuts were astounding. Furthermore, the machine has another lower temperature setting for engraving. I placed the Chelsea logo, my favorite soccer team from London, on the largest face of my box. The machine seamlessly switches between its two different lasers and carved the components of my box in no time.

Total cutting time for each box was less than 15 minutes. While we were waiting for a cut to finish, Clinton made a point about how much faster laser cutting would be than 3D printing a box. In class our focus has often been on 3D printing, but this moment showed me that other digital making methods can excel in their own ways. Using the appropriate technology for your projects can end up saving you both time and money.

I didn’t have time to physically assemble my box due to time constraints (hence the lack of pictures). I was shocked that the wooden joints could naturally be joined without any adhesives or nails. This technique reminded me of past readings about construction and furniture manufacturing techniques that don’t require any materials other than wood. I dug deeper into some woodworking techniques and discovered that our boxes are held together by the aptly named box joint. If you are interested in other woodworking techniques without any fasteners, you should check this out.

Class Summary

In class this week, we had our first opportunity as a group to explore the community’s Fab Lab making space. I was pretty surprised to find some extraordinary machines and creations in what looked like the oldest building on campus. Our day started off with a tour guided by Fab Lab director (and former guest speaker) Jeff Ginger. We saw several cool creations including a backpack that acted as a turn signal with a face for students who ride their bikes to school. It was empowering to hear that those students were far younger than us and that we would soon be able to create something even more complex. The Fab Lab was much larger and more complex than what we are used to in the MakerLab in the BIF. Yes, the Fab Lab has its own 3D printers, but it also has a plethora of other technology including a wood laser cutter, raspberry pi, and threading machines.

After the tour, the group was split into two groups. Each group was given a different task. Mine was to create a box with no top to it. First, we created the dimensions of the box before importing it into Inkscape, a software that works similarly to Adobe Illustrator and other design tools. We created our box, manipulating various-sized rectangles so that there were interlocking pieces. Then, we were given the chance to import designs onto our box. I chose the Superman logo as well as the logo of my startup, Cover’d. I happily volunteered to be the guinea pig and print my box first. I attached a photo below – I was pretty pleased with the way it came out!

It was really cool to see the laser cutter in action as my box began to take shape.  One mistake that I made was in not mirroring the small logos on the top part of my box. Because the top and bottom sides fit in such a way onto the box, it caused my logos to appear upside down on the unseen side of the box. It was most definitely a lesson learned for next time.

I’m excited to get back to the Fab Lab this week for part two of our learning. It seems that with each week in this course, we unlock new and more powerful learning tools that further widen the possibilities of 3D printing technology.

This week in class we took a trip to the FAB LAB that is located on campus right by the ACES library. Although a lot of us were late because we didn’t know of where the lab was (or if they were like me, had just opened the announcement that we had class in the FAB LAB right before leaving to class), it was a very fun and interesting workshop where we learned a lot about the capabilities that the FAB LAB has when it comes to 3D-making and other sorts of making.

We began the class with a tour of the lab led by Jeff who had previously spoken in our class. He showed us the different rooms and sections in the FAB LAB and what was created or experimented with in each section. We learned about 3D printing, laser cutting, sewing and embroidery, as well as about all the projects that were currently being worked on in the lab. One thing that was mentioned again which I got excited for was the project that some people in the lab are working on where they are creating a dress for the famous drag queen Sasha Velour (who her father happens to teach at this university).

After the tour, we went on into two separate rooms where  we had a workshop on how to use the embroidery tools that were available for us at the lab and had to use them to create a design to be embroidered and then later used to cover a laser cut box we will make in the next visit. I was amazed at the possible images and shapes that could be embroidered after fooling around with some tools and I began to get very excited to make this object! I wanted to make a design for the dance team that I am currently a part of on campus called Dance2XS: Caliente

After multiple attempts and many many many changes of thread to change colors, I was able to embroider a box with my dance team’s logo on it as well as the Chicago flag as we perform in Chicago and I am also born and raised there, then there is a dancing couple on top (which was so small some thought was a pigeon, but I think is great!). Although in text this does not sound like a fun design, it is actually really nice! To prove such, here is a picture and a video I got on my snapchat of it:

Snapchat Video of Embroidery

This week’s trip to the CU Fab Lab was highly anticipated–after hearing so much about it, I was eager to work on a hands on project and use the various tools that are available. We started off with a workshop on digital embroidery–I was so confident that I’d be good at it, but the overall experience was humbling, to say the least.

We got to learn more about the software SewArt, which allows users to upload photos of designs and then provides a preview of what the final sewn product will look like. It was difficult to find a logo that was simple enough for the software to pick up every detail on. I’d originally chosen an otter logo (since otters are my favorite animal) and it seemed quite simple given the fact that it had only two colors, which were highly contrasted.

However, when the software revealed the print preview, the poor otter’s face was somehow mutilated by its own whiskers—it seems as though there were too many fine details, so I opted for a simpler design instead. I ended up choosing the California state outline and then overlaid some California golden poppies to add some color and complexity.

After settling on the design, the next step was to thread the actual machine—sadly, this part has yet to be automated. It took a couple tries and some help from my peers, but I finally mastered the art, and was able to hit “go.” Within minutes, the California state outline was finished and it was time to switch the thread color for the flowers.

A quick video of the machine working its magic: IMG_2439

What I learned in the process, however, is that there is a difference between embroidery thread and sewing thread, which happens to be much thicker. Blissfully ignorant of that difference, I happily watched my design come to life until I heard a terrible noise come from the machine. The sewing thread was too thick and was causing the machine to jam. On top of that, I had forgotten to “remove the overlay” from my design on the California state outline, so the embroidery on that portion was really thick as well, and made it difficult for the machine to move across it.

Since I was running short on time, I decided to call it a day and settled for this final product.

Although there were a few hiccups, I’m happy with how it turned out. I now know that like everything else we’ve learned about design so far, working with digital embroidery machines is an iterative process, prone to mistakes and unexpected challenges. That being said, I’m looking forward to the laser cutting workshop next week—hopefully, I’m better at it than I was at embroidery!