Computer-Controlled Cutting
✔️ Characterize the design rules for your in-house PCB production process
⭕ Extra Credit: send a PCB out to a board house.
Individual Assignment
✔️ Make an in-circuit programmer that includes a microcontroller
✔️ Optionally customize it
✔️ Mill and stuff the board
✔️ Test it to verify that it works
⭕ Extra credit: try other PCB processes
Laser Cutting
1. The Refraction Lamp
For this week I want to explore a parametrical press kit made of laser-cutting transparent acrylic boards. The concept is a table lamp where a light source can be placed in the middle. The light is refracted multiple times to make the whole lamp look like a luminous art piece. Here is the final result. The light source can be placed either facing up or facing down, generating different light intensities and patterns on the table surfaces and in the room.
Light Facing Up
Light Facing Down
Light with Different Colors
2. The Progress
3D Parametric Design
Slicing
2D Cutting Path
Laser Cutting
As I got a larger board, so I went to the Fabrication Lab at Harvard GSD.
Remove the protection film before cutting.
Assembly
3. Photo Gallery
4. Resources
Download Project Files and Assets
Vinyl Cutting
Vinyl Cutting is fundamentally duotone art, meaning there are only color A (positive) and color B (negative). Inspired by gestalt, I want to explore how an object can be represented only by its shadow.
The Harvard Sticker
The Process
1. 3D Modeling of the Text
2. Generate 2D Shadow Graphics
An NPR (Non-photorealistic rendering) duotone black and white material is assigned to both the text and the ground. The rendering output looks as below:
From the top view:
3. Generate Cutting Path with CBA MIT Mods
What is Mods?
- Open Mods here.
- Right-click and select vinyl cutter -> GX-24 -> cut png.
- Load the image.
- Click on calculate.
- Click on send file to the printer.
- If the paper is not cut through, or other issues, adjust the force and cut again until having a good result.
4. Vinyl Cutting
5. Tear Off and Paste
6. Final Result
