Week 1: Laser Cutter Ornamental Pattern

I designed a 2D ornamental pattern using Grasshopper and Rhino and fabricated it using a laser cutter and cardboard to create what ended up being a puzzle-like tile board. Since the laser cutter would have almost been destroyed by design — had I cut it at the typical power and speed — I cut the piece at faster speeds and lower power after discussing with the teaching assistant. I was able to create work that I enjoy, but in the future I would design a piece where cutting the lines fully through will not just lead to a bunch of scrap to throw,

I followed the tutorial posted on the MAT 238 class website and was able to successfully create patterns in Rhino through Grasshopper by using the numerical sliders, which represent numerical variables in Python. However, many of the patterns I created were either boring to me, had too many lines, had too little lines, or were all over the place. I tested over 100 different combinations of sliders before settling on a final design that I liked.

The image above displays the first time I created a pattern in Rhino using Grasshopper and Python. While I liked the overall shape, I found the symmetry combined with the extensive number of lines present overwhelming to appreciate.

After my first rendering, I experimented with the slider that offsets curves and the slider that changes the modular value in my code. While I was able to decrease the number of lines present in the piece, I found that in many cases, when I offset curves, the lines begin to go wayward, which I thought looked out-of-place in contrast to the symmetry of the rest of the pieces.

After testing over 100 different combinations of sliders, I ended up with my final design, which I then baked and exported to Adobe Illustrator. The final design includes a lower frequency of lines than the first design, has no wayward lines like the second and third designs, and has more nonstandard curves than the first design did, so I was initially pleased with my design.

When I went to laser cut my design, however, I consulted with the teaching assistant, and we decided to increase the speed and the power from the standard 45% power and 55% speed to 55% power and 75% design to do a mix of cutting and engraving as f my design was cut through fully, it would end up into many tiny pieces as the laser goes over all the lines in the piece. However, the laser cutter was too powerful, and within a couple of strokes my cardboard was torn in an area where I did not want it to be torn.

We then restarted the cut with new settings: 35% for power and 85% for speed. This time, the laser cut through all the lines pretty quickly, but only some aspects of the design (such as the tile borders) were cut; the rest were partially cut or scored. The tiles themselves ended up being partially cut, so my 2D pattern design was inadvertently turned into a 3D pattern design. I thought the final pieces ended up fitting well in the gigantic X that was also created when laser cutting my design, so I saved both the pieces and the board.

Finally, I removed any attached portions of the tiles, and I took them out of the board to admire. I also removed the animal-like cardboard pieces from the failed test and saved those objects because I admired the shape of them.

One of the most important concepts I learned while doing this project was that even if a design doesn't seem beautiful in execution, I can likely find a way to create it (such as by changing the power/speed settings or finding another way to look at the design — such as a 3D tile game rather than a pattern purely for aesthetics) or find some beauty in it. Furthermore, when laser cutting in the future, I will also check my designs to avoid any issues where the lines the laser cutter cuts would just result in a bunch of tiny parts of my material.