Category: Laser Cutting

Laser-Cut Copper Foil Graduation Cards

Post author By Anna Kaziunas France
Post date June 10, 2011
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All my sisters are now college graduates (with at least 1 degree). Congratulations to Sharon Kaziunas for graduating from Bryn Mahr College with her BA and to Elizabeth Kaziunas who graduated from Syracuse University with her MA in Information Science. We now have two Masters of Information Science in the family.

I thought I would commemorate the occasion by laser cutting them each a personalized graduation card.

How The Cards Were Made

The cards were etched on the laser cutter using a “wood” setting. This removed the paper material under the etch, leaving a cut out area for both the text and the image. You can see in the pictures below that the paper was removed during the etch. I had to use a x-acto knife a little to remove some bits of paper that hung on.

The cards are made of two layers of paper (shown below). The front of the card and the inside of the card. I put them together this way so I could sandwich the foil in the middle of the card and only have it showing through the gaps in the lettering.

I used two pieces of copper foil per card, cut it to the dimensions of the folded card. I put the cards together (without adhesive) with the front “congratulations” and the inside “text’. Then, I removed the adhesive backing and stuck the foil behind the lettering. I then used a glue stick to adhere the two card sections together.

Tags craft, Laser Cutter

Fab Academy AS220 - Providence, RI Fab Academy Providence -Year II - Teaching Laser Cutting

Laser-Cut Acrylic Press-Fit Construction Kit

Post author By Anna Kaziunas France
Post date February 16, 2011
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I am working through all of the Fab Academy / How to Make Almost Anything projects a second time (as a TA) with the students of the 2011 Fab Academy. My project from last year for the computer-controlled cutting unit was a tension-fit construction kit made from a deck of cards. This year I did some text cuts in masionite (hardboard) and then used some brightly colored acrylic that I found in the scrap bin at AS220 Labs. The resulting construction kit used pink, white, opaque black, translucent black, and blue acrylic. I created the following piece styles:

rectangular star piece (cut in black)
rectangular diamond piece (cut in white)
round piece (cut in all colors)
bottom connector piece (used to connect any two pieces together or to help the construction stand up)
standard connector piece

Masionite Test Cuts

Tags Laser Cutter

07 3D Molding and Casting Fab Academy Providence -Year I - Student Projects Laser Cutting

Completed TARDIS Cast | Working Light

Post author By Anna Kaziunas France
Post date March 6, 2010
No Comments on Completed TARDIS Cast | Working Light

This project went through many adaptations and in the end, it did not turn out as a blue box, but more like a weathered garden statue. The hydrostone did not turn out completely white, but grime on the urethane molds made little swirls, further enhancing the marbleized look. It is not bigger on the inside, but the wiring and battery did fit nicely within the internal cavity. A switch turns it on and off. Although this endeavor did not turn out exactly as planned, I learned many things about thinking in 3D and many more about construction and molding objects in 3D.

So what makes this model a “TARDIS” not just a model of a British police box that looks like a light-up garden statue? Honestly, nothing but my intent. I set out to make a model of the TARDIS and that is what it will be called.

The process I used to create this model:

1. I designed the TARDIS in Google Sketchup.
> See Previous Post: TARDIS: 3D Modeling

2. I used the Modela to mill out the front, 3 individual sides and roof of the model in machinable wax.
> See Previous Post: TARDIS: Moldmaking

3. I used the block of machinable wax to create urethane molds of each of the pieces.
> See Previous Post: TARDIS: Moldmaking

Laser-Cut The Casting Container:

4. I designed and laser cut an adjustable press-fit box to place the individual urethane molds in order to cast the TARDIS in hydrostone. (I also custom-cut shims to key in the urethane mold edges.)

Putting Together the Casting Container / Aligning the Mold:

5. When casting, I did my best to align the sides and roof together at the appropriate angles and hoped for the best. An additional laser-cut box with an empty pen casing was inserted into the larger mold when pouring the hydrostone in order to create a cavity for the wires to run form the LED on the top through the cast down into the base where the wiring, battery and other components are housed. The inside box then became part of the cast.

Removing the Casting Container:

6. When taking apart the mold, I found that some of the fine details of the windows and the moldings became stuck in the urethane mold or broke off easily. I may not have mixed the hydrostone long enough, or there may have been an issue with the proportions I used. Further experimentation is this matter is needed to determine the source of the problem. This breaking away of the fine detail gave the statuette a weathered appearance, like a tombstone left out in the elements.

Adding the Electrical Components:

7. In addition – I wanted to have a LED light on the top to simulate the police box light, so when cutting the outside casting box, I cut a congruent interior box (see number 4. pictures above.) This small inside box allows for an open area for the wiring from the LED through the top of the hole in the stone to the battery. The wiring consists of: