3D Printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process, an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.
3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out / hollowing out a piece of metal or plastic with for instance a milling machine. 3D printing enables you to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods.
Laser Cutting Technology
As the name suggests, laser cutters create patterns and designs by cutting into materials. A powerful laser beam is the source that melts, burns, or vaporizes the material.
Essentially, laser cutting is a fabrication process that uses a thin, focused, laser beam to cut and etch materials into custom designs, patterns, and shapes as specified by a designer. This non-contact, thermal-based fabrication process is ideal for several materials, including wood, glass, paper, metal, plastic, and gemstone. It’s also capable of producing intricate parts without needing a custom-designed tool.
Code for laser printing
PFont myfont;
void setup(){
size(500,500);
background(255);
noLoop();
//frameRate(5);
myfont = createFont("SentyWen",100);
textFont(myfont);
}
void draw(){
int i = 0;
translate(width/2, height/2);
background(255);
textAlign(CENTER, CENTER);
while(i <= 7){
fill(0);
textSize(100);
text("OwO", 0, 0);
rotate(PI/4);
i++;
}
}
Laser Cutting File Type
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design program developed and marketed by Adobe Inc. One of the first things to think about when preparing artwork files for the laser cutter is what you want to do to the material. In general, cutting through material requires the artwork to be in a vector format, like Adobe Illustrator or AutoCAD DXF, because paths in the artwork are used in the laser cutter software to define laser-cut paths. Therefore, In order for laser printing, the original image file needs to be saved and converted to ai (adobe illustrator) file so that paths can be added in the photo. The photo on the right is the example of it.
Result
