03.08 3D Print and Laser Cut Ideation Sketches Assignment

Assignment Deliverables

1. Minimum 5 thumbnail sketches
   • Label files YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname thumbnail sketches
2. Minimum 3 larger refined ideations
   • Label files YYYYMMDD Lastname Firstname refined sketches
3. Upload a series of labeled images or a compiled pdf (png, jpg, pdf)
4. Cardboard model of 1 of the refined ideas at 1:1 scale (actual size)

Sketch Requirements

• What are Ideation Sketches?
• Thumbnails - These should be 5 completely different ideas. Draw without constraint. Do not limit your concepts. It takes ~ 5-10 minutes to draw a decently developed thumbnail sketch. If you finish a thumbnail under 2 minutes, it may lack depth and consideration. If you spend much more than 10 minutes on a thumbnail sketch, then you might be getting bogged down in details instead of brainstorming multiple ideas. (Time 25 - 50 minutes)
• Refined Ideations - Choose some of your ideas from your thumbnails. Refine them and iterate on the concepts. Which parts do you like and which parts can you change to make your ideas better?

Assignment Overview

You will tackle specific design challenges using the 3D printing fabrication process in combination with Laser Cutting .

Project Minimum Design Requirements

• Use 3D Printed Clamping Mechanism
• Use 1/8" - 1/4" plywood or clear acrylic
• Have a minimum of 1 laser cut joint
• Have a minimum of 1 fastener joint
• Have a minimum of 1 3D printed thread joint
• Have a minimum of 1 surface with laser engraving or etching
• Create a joint or connection between the 3D print and the laser cut piece(s)

Design Challenges

Often creative work has arbitrary restrictions on the creative process. There may be challenges based on material availability, budget, time, aesthetic criteria and countless other constraints on what you can make. Part of your job as an artist and designer is to work around these restraints and still create new and compelling creative works of culture.

For this project you are required to design a 3D printed clamping mechanism that attaches to a specific object such as a desk or a workbench. The clamp base will be designed to accommodate planar forms cut from a laser cutter. While a3D printer could print a flat rectangle of plastic, it would be slow, wasteful, weak, and not very flat. Plywood and acrylic sheet are already flat and are goo planar building materials. How can you use the relative strengths of each material to create something better than using one material alone?

Grading Rubric