05.00 Introduction

Overview

3D Printing and Laser Cutting have different advantages and disadvantages as digital fabrication processes. 3D printing can print most 3D forms but can be slow, require the use of supports, and have size limitations. Laser cutting is fast but has material thickness limitations, specific material restrictions, and can only cut planar surfaces. Combining both techniques can leverage their respective strengths.

Before using a 3D printer or a laser cutter, or even before jumping into a specific 3D Modeling software , one should ideate and iterate on their concepts first. Producing ideation sketches and then quickly translating potential good ideas into simple physical prototypes saves time and makes the ultimate form and design better.

Learning Objectives

• Identify advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing and laser cutting, such as material constraints, form restrictions, and speed of production
• Select digital fabrication techniques most appropriate for achieving desired project outcomes
• Leverage the combination of 3D printing and laser cutting to compensate for the limitations of each method
• Create ideation sketches and physical prototypes to refine designs before transitioning to digital fabrication tools
• Translating sketches and prototypes into digital models using appropriate 3D modeling software