Design is the Future

By: Logan Siahaan AKA EAGON

A contestant in the Epilog Laser Contest. If I won, I would continue to design and create art and other custom parts that people would want or need. I would also start a business with it because I love lasering so much! It would help me become a great model maker, I have used a laser in the past when I was in school and even did comissions for people around the world with it, I also was able to network with great people who were able to supply me with inexpensive materials. I now have many stacks of material in my basement that I can not do much with. I wanted to start a business last year but I knew I had to save most of my money for college. This laser would help me achieve my dreams!

Step 1: First Acquire Your Materials

I picked up this one piece of scapbook paper at a rummage sale for 10cents but any craft store should also have them.
I picked up these frames at a rummage sale as well.

You also need a pencil
Scissors, or X-Acto Knife/ Cutting Surface
A bit of Adobe illustrator/ AutoCAD skills (this is optional because you can do basic tracing and cutting as well)

A laser cutting, vinyl cutting service (this is optional because you can always cut it manually) (depending on choice of material)

http://www.ponoko.com/laser-cutting

or

A vinyl cutting service, but its easier to find a local business to do it over websites, because it is more common than laser cutting.

Step 2: Arrange Your Frames

Arrange the frames, the way to display your image. Make note you have the size of the frame but you also need the size of the frame that you actually see. This is where the basic CAD skills come in handy to arrange everything.

Then choose some images you would like to use from anywhere. I traced these two images I found on Google, I then used them for a reference and split and re-arranged them, so you can do what ever image you would like.

AutoCAD: line tool, spline tool, circle, cut-to tools

Step 3: Position Your Drawing

After tracing it all I mirrored the drawing because I wanted the tree to go the opposite way because I wanted it to match the flow of the scrapbook paper page.

I then positioned the tree across the frames, (using different layers helps determine what your actually seeing)
I extended the tree across the outside of the frames so it has a "bleed" and so it holds in the frame better too!

How I had the last branch I wanted an apple, so I found a heart apple and made it so the red part of the apple was different from the green leaf.

Step 4: Splitting and Fitting

Now the easiest way to do this next step is get your scrap book paper ready, and take out all the frames the way you want to position them cut out, and then trace them on your scrapbook paper. (You can have a paper that is bigger than the frames but not smaller because you will not have enough material (art). If you want you can also take the gaps into consideration and have Invisible extensions)

Cut them out and place them in the frames!

Step 5: Lasering and Fitting

You can outsource as much as you want with this project. (Since you have all the layers in different colors you can send the file with only the layer you need turned on) I was able to cut the apple out though at the tech school after hours, but I was not able to cut out the tree because I wanted it out of vinyl record, [The vinyl fumes are highly toxic, this is where you need a good ventilation system] I sent my file to a friend in seattle who cut out the tree for me, he positioned the tree so it looks like it was coming out of the center, it says "Best of the Beach Boys" on it. You could also use any color acrylics too, just as long as it fits within the frame and the glass. The record was about 1/16th inch thick. The apple/leaf was 1/8th inch acrylic.

Then when the cut-outs arrive, or you have a laser cutter and you now have the parts already, you can start to glue them to the scrapbook paper.

Make sure you have your design handy though because you have to make sure it all lines up.
Then you can glue the apple and leaf on the outside of the frame to get all 3 layers!

Step 6: Finished!

You now have a cool 5 framed art you created, to hang upon the wall or give to someone for an awesome gift!
If you have any trouble you can leave a comment or msg me! I also can send you my CAD file if you want my design!