NAMES
LASER ESSENTIALS
LOCATION
LASER LAB
DATE
ONGOING
DURATION ONLINE
20 min
DURATION PRACTICAL
10 min
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
KNOW THE LASER LAB
KNOW THE LASER CUTTER
RHINO BASICS
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
RHINOCEROS 7
LEARNING OUTCOMES
HOW TO PREPARE A FILE FOR LASER CUTTING AND USE OUR LASER CUTTERS SAFELY
CHALLENGE
7's CHALLENGE
HAZARDS
FIRE
TOXIC FUMES
LASER RADIATION
REMEMBER
ALWAYS WATCH THE MACHINE
WAIT BEFORE OPENING THE COVER IN DOUBT, ASK FOR HELP
7's CHALLENGE:
For your Essentials you will need to draw a plaque to a very specific criteria. The outer perimeter needs to be 77mm square. Inset within the perimeter are four internal squares measuring 7mm square, they are to be set in 7mm from the perimeter. You must have your full name, group/studio and date within the plaque. It must consist of separate parts, that when cut, create an architectural element.
Above is a photograph of past examples. This should give you an idea of what is expected. The laser cutter is a machine that cuts. Use it to its best advantage. You must have parts that are cut out and assembled. Not just a picture engraved.
Sketch out your idea on paper, work out how it fits together then separate it out into its individual parts. This sketch will help you draw it in Rhino.
RHINO BASICS:
If you have not already done so, you will need to learn the basics of Rhino. To use Rhino to run the laser cutter is relatively easy. You only need to work in 2D and do not require any sophisticated 3D modelling skills. But you do need to be able to draft curves accurately in 2D, and to be able to manipulate them in the ways you’ll find necessary for cutting your points (joining, trimming, changing layers etc). You can find some basic tutorials here, login via Westminster.
DIGITAL MACHINE TEMPLATE:
Our Laser Cutters have been setup to run directly from Rhino. This makes them easy to use and more likely to produce good, predictable results. You must use the Rhino Digital Machines Template for any use of the machines. They won't work with any other file type.
The Template file is extremely rich and includes a host of information in the 'USER GUIDE' layers. It also represents the beds' sizes of our different machines and the materials' sizes that we supply. We recommend that you:
- Always work from the latest Template file
- Do not change the file, apart from adding your own drawing into the appropriate layers
- Do your drafting in a separate Rhino file or whatever other software you like, and then copy/import what you want to cut into the Rhino Digital Machines Template
- If at any time your Rhino file becomes corrupted or confused, just download a fresh, up-to-date copy and start again.
PREPARE YOUR FILE:
Below you will see a step by step guide on how to use the template and get your file ready.
FABRICATION LAB
University of Westminster
College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries
35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS
Office@FabricationLab.London
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