Laser Cutting Issues

        Frustratingly, believing that I had fathomed the correct material setting to cut through the hardboard which I was using for the prototype, I encountered the same issue when I attempted to cut the remaining parts; only this time the laser had cut nearly the whole way through. As I had no material remaining at that point, I decided that it would be best to attempt to cut the rest of the way through with a scalpel. However, this was only possible on straight lines, the board being too sturdy for the scalpel to follow the smooth curves, and the resulting cuts were messy. I therefore had to wait until my next session on the laser cutter. While I understand the logic of the system of booking slots on the laser cutter, it was somewhat prohibitive to my work, it transpired that the final two slots I was able to book (one to redo the prototype, and one to cut the final plywood pieces) were too close together for me to fully assemble the prototype before the final cut. From what I could tell however, the bulkheads would work, the shape was good.

        I chose plywood for the final puppet (making sure to test the material setting in the laser first) because of its high strength to weight ratio. It would need to be strong, to bear not only its own weight, but the pressure of the puppeteers handling it, in a 'hands on' approach. However, the pliant nature of the material meant that it had a slight bow in it. As the pattern to be cut covered the full area of the sheet, there was no simple way of weighting it down, which meant that the focus of the laser was off in some areas and consequently did not cut. Thankfully, enough of an impression was made that all of the pieces could be snapped out of the sheet, and any remaining rough edged could be filed down.

        A welcome side effect of the laser was that the pieces had a nice, scorched effect around the edges, which was quite aesthetically pleasing. However, the layers of some pieces had begun to separate, perhaps as a result of the heat. Thankfully this was only minor, and could easily be glued back together. 

        In spite of a few teething issues, the laser cutter worked well in allowing me to create a functional structure, yet which also could past muster as an aesthetically pleasing object. Had the pieces been cut by hand they would no doubt have lacked the smooth precise curves achieved with the laser. I hope to use it again in the future, perhaps to assist with the construction of sets.