David Kaufman wanted to create a design tool that would make it easy to create repeating patterns that could be used in laser-cut (or other CNC or 3D printable) designs. The result is the Polygonia Design Suite. This free web-based app allows you to draw a few lines, and the Polygonia software clones and mirrors those lines to create your design. You can then save your design to your desktop as an image or vector drawing. From there, the design is ready to use or you can continue working on it within your favorite design software.
On the development of the project, David writes:
I have been working on a project to make it easy to create symmetrical patterns for laser cutting. It all started in May 2017 when I visited the Smithsonian Museum, in Washington, DC, where I saw an exhibit by an artisan from Afghanistan who made wood panels or screens of triangles, hexagons, and squares. I wanted to make my own using the laser cutter at my local makerspace, Nova Labs. So I got out a pad of paper, brushed off my high school math skills, and got to work. My goal was to create an online app that generates a symmetrical pattern based on the lines I draw, calculates the intersections of the lines, connects the lines, and generates a vector output file that I could use on a laser cutter.
The program is fun to play around with, doodling designs, whether you plan to render them out in the real world or not. Read the rest
Mtomsky's laser-cut art runs a gamut, from sweet, modest brooches like the $20.70 woodland squirrel to larger, more ambitious sculptural pieces from the wonderful mounted fish ($290); to massive spectacular pieces like the Warm Welcome ($580) and the hugely ambitious Deep Slumber ($4041). Read the rest
Chimericgarnish's Doctor Who TARDIS Sound Wave Necklace ($17.22) encodes the vworp vworp sound effect in laser-etched acrylic or mahogany (you choose).
Doctor Who TARDIS Sound Wave Necklace
(via Geekymerch) Read the rest
Constructable is an experimental laser-cutter from the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam. It uses a light-pen to direct the cutting beam, so that you can draw the cuts freehand, in realtime, rather than designing a pattern that is fed to the cutter.
You know what your bike needs? Laser-cut, geared coconut clompers that make it sound like you're riding a bike.
Bob Coulston, a woodworker and contractor, has a wildly oversubscribed Kickstarter for a laser-cut plywood "shotgun" rubber-band gun that fires tons of rubber bands at once.
Busted Bricks is selling a laser-cut Marble Machine kit for £12.95.
Matthew sez, "I just finished making this bento box featuring laser cut nori and thought you might care for it. The bento box features a scene from Princess Jellyfish (Kuragehime) as well as some good old fashioned tempura shrimp, shu mai, grilled octopus, and tamagoyaki."
Princess Jellyfish Laser Bento, Kuragehime Laser Bento
(Thanks, Matthew!) Read the rest
Nick sez, "I designed and laser cut a new women's room sign for my hackerspace (CCCKC/Hammerspace). The files are up on thinigiverse if anyone wants to make their own. It took a long time to figure out something that wasn't a dress to signify that a stick figure is a women. Down pigtails seem to do the job nicely and I noticed that Jackhammer Jill has them as well."
Womens Room Sign Welder
(Thanks, Nick!) Read the rest
Etsy's GreenTreeJewelry makes these whimsical, rube goldbergian light-switch covers that let you toggle the switch by means of a delightfully superfluous mechanism: "This light switch cover is completely functional. Levered handle toggles back and forth, turning on and off light switch."
Toggle Light Switch Plate
(via Red Ferret) Read the rest
This "designer nori" laser-cut seaweed was created by the Japanese ad agency I&SBBDO for a client whose sushi-wrapper business flagged in the post-tsunami economic trough. Jeannie Huang writes,
Each pattern is meant to symbolize good fortune, happiness, and longevity, etc. and the result is a delicate, unexpected reinvention of the classic Japanese food with a modern twist. The patterns are crisp, and when incorporated into the rolls, they create a sharp contrast between the dark seaweed and the white grains of rice within. They’ve entered (and won) a number of ad/design contests for this phenomenal work.
Designer Nori: Delicate Laser Cut Seaweed Patterns
UMINO SEAWEED SHOP | SHOWCASE | I&S BBDO [warning: autoplays music]
(via Make) Read the rest
T4obrien has uploaded files to create a laser-cut cardboard Tardis to Thingiverse:
This detailed and thoughtfully laid out laser-cuttable cardboard version of a TARDIS by t4obrien totally qualifies as awesome. I don’t own a laser cutter, but I just found the perfect excuse for buying one. And, if you don’t glue the pieces together, you could open it up so that it is larger on the inside…
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