So my good friend Jenna Sellers (soon to be Cleveland) is getting married next weekend and I wanted to make her a customized gift that she and Andrew would enjoy having. So I designed this image with their new last name, their wedding date, a Bible verse that is meaningful to them, and a picture of the mountains of Guyana (where Jenna has been doing mission work for the last year and a half). I engraved it on a piece of wood that I bought from Hobby Lobby.

Original Photo

On the Screen

In class this week, we have been learning how to use Arduino, which is a simple physical computing software. We worked in groups of 4 to play around in importing the code using an "intro to Arduino" guide and kit. During class time, we were able to get a small DC motor running, an LCD screen that said "hello, world," different variations of LEDs, a buzzer, and a RGB LED that changed color depending on where we pressed on a pressure sensor (see this one in the photo below). I had never worked with Arduino before and thought that the activity was really fascinating. Though our boards were pretty big and hooked to a laptop, they make Arduino boards that run off batteries and are quite small and can hook up to bluetooth so they can be used to transmit information remotely. Arduino has been used for all sorts of projects, ranging from controlling the temperature and watering in a greenhouse (http://www.instructables.com/id/Backyard-Automated-Greenhouse/) to creating a biking jacket that has turn signals lit up on the back (http://www.instructables.com/id/turn-signal-biking-jacket/). There are lots of fascinating and helpful possibilities!

This week, my homework assignment was to make a 3d File using CAD Software and print it. I tried using the 123d Design App for iPad, which is a free software that can be downloaded in the iTunes store. Honestly, I had a really challenging time both figuring out the software and getting my file to print. I decided to try to make crocheting needles because I want to learn how to crochet and it seemed like a fairly straightforward design.

The 3D Printer in Progress

Failed Attempt #1

More successful attempt #2

We learned how to use a Full Spectrum Laser to cut and engrave wood this week, and our homework was to try something out. I spent some time in the Makerspace this evening attempting to print some crocheting needles, so I had a go on the machine. I was very pleased with both of my trials and am very excited to use the machine more in the future. My husband Jack came along and practiced his knitting (which he learned yesterday), which made it a much less frustrating evening :).

The Laser in Process

My first try was with a butterfly print that I hoped could be used for decoration or as a wooden stamp. The result was not deep enough to stamp anything, but I was interested to see how much detail it picked up. I think with some edits to the image prior to cutting, I could make it deeper and more defined.

Practice with a Raster Image, engraving rather then cutting all the way through.

 Next, I tried a vector image of a jelly fish that I found on Google. I was really impressed with the precision of the cut with the tentacles. I still need to do some cleaning of the smallest areas, but in the photo below I had already taken out the biggest pieces. Overall, I found the process quick and rewarding! The machine can do plastic, wood, rubber, and some other materials (just no metal). My head has been full of ideas of things I could do- I think I may order some laser-able rubber and attempt some rubber stamps sometime this semester.

A vector image cut of a jelly fish - still in need of some cleaning.