Our project was to recycle something into something new while using 3 different machines. Me and Cole Kennedy decided to work together on this project. After looking around for a while for an interesting project, we decided we wanted to make a chandelier. Our recycled objects are shoelaces and "soda" bottles. The final design is a routed wooden top with a vinyl decal on the underside then shoelaces holding our bottles which will be laser engraved.
First thing we did was make the file for the CNC router. We found a piece of wood which was big enough and made a regular hexagon with 11 inches from side to side. We slapped that into Fusion 360, changed the settings, and exported as g-code.
While we were waiting for help on routing wood, I began to laser engrave the bottles. Each one took 20 minutes and there are 4 bottles, so overall I spent 80 minutes engraving them. Below is the Illustrator file I used and the bottle being engraved.
Our final machine was the vinyl cutter. We decided a bullseye would look nice on the underside. Cole found a bullseye on Google, we moved it to Illustrator and cut out the vinyl in a sparkly pink/purple to add some pop. We then began to assemble. I attached the string to the bottom of our wood with a little glue, and added a little glue to each knot I tied around the bottles to make sure they wouldn't have to be re-tied. (Cole on the right)
Finally, Cole weeded the vinyl and applied it.
Overall, this final project cemented other concepts we had worked on in Idea. At this point I've become very familiar with the laser, vinyl cutter, and 3D printer, and with a little guidance to make sure I don't break anything, the Mill and Router aren't difficult either. Taking this class helped me realize I enjoy working with technology and machines to make things and I hope I'm able to continue working with these types of machines in college. Below is the final product!