IDeATe: Design Essentials for Laser Cutting

Undergraduate

Fall and Spring: 1 unit PLEASE NOTE: The specific meeting dates for the A3 section of this micro course are Saturdays Jan 23, Jan 30, and Feb 6. The specific meeting dates for the B3 section of this micro course are Thursdays Feb 11, Feb 18, and Feb 25. This mini course is designed to get students ready to use a laser cutter. We will cover essential design considerations unique to laser cutting such as material choice, tolerances, available methods of assembly, and techniques for improving cut quality. The bulk of the class time is spent hands-on learning to design and create a laser cutter ready vector file as well as learning how to safely operate the IDeATe Laser cutters. The primary software we use is Adobe Illustrator, with some time also spent in Photoshop for learning how to integrate raster images like photos and drawings into lasercut objects. Students who complete this course will be able to use the IDeATe facility's laser cutters on their own for future course work or personal projects.