Rab18’s Weblog

Using the laser cutter I cut to size and rastered a section of clear acrylic. This was drawn to size using 2d design. Before the acrylic can be cut it is important that the settings on the computer and laser cutter are suitable for cutting the dimensions and type of material. In order for the laser cutter to raster, the drawing has to be selected in the colour red. The front is made out of white hips polystyrene; the rectangle for the display was cut on the laser cutter. The outer profile was cut using the band saw and different types of file. The back is made from two layers of clear acrylic. This was cut and shaped using the band saw and different grades of files.Once the acrylic was cut to size, I could then form the shell using a heat bender. Once the acrylic has heated up it becomes flexible and can then be bent using a steel rod and a set square.

Using two bits of clear acrylic one acting as a plug the other seats outside the shell I was able to develop a back that velcro onto the shell.

This process involves mounting the PCB’s and clock display on small birch ply frames. I cut these frames using a cordless drill, jigsaw and band saw. The PCB’s were then fixed to these frames using 2mmx 18mm screws.