This article on Snapmaker applications in education will be a trilogy, introducing how to use all three functions of the three-in-one tool for teaching purposes. Now, we will introduce the second part: laser engraving !
The second course is here! Following on from the previous article, we demonstrated how to use Snapmaker's 3D printing capabilities for education. If you haven't had a chance to read that yet, please check out the following related articles . This time, let's embark on a new journey with laser technology! Traditional 3D printers can only do 3D printing, but Snapmaker can do much more! The Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer features laser engraving and cutting capabilities, highly advanced technologies used in many industries. Laser engraving achieves high precision and has become a popular method for customizing a wide variety of objects. All the work we demonstrate below was achieved using the 1.6W laser module on the Snapmaker 2.0—bringing your imagination to life by creating guitar decorations through laser engraving.
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With its interchangeable modules, Snapmaker lets you quickly switch between different functions. Now, let's move on to laser engraving. Today's task is to create an acoustic guitar ornament. Before diving into the actual production process, let's understand the structure of a guitar. The image below shows an acoustic guitar placed vertically, which can be roughly divided into three parts: the headstock, the neck, and the body. The headstock has a tuning peg for adjusting the string tension; the body includes a soundhole to amplify the sound of plucking or strumming the strings, and a bridge to hold the strings in place. Between the headstock and the soundboard is a long, thin neck.
To better assist students in making guitars, it is recommended to pose questions to guide their thinking before the design process begins.
Q: What are the distinctive features of the guitar's overall design?
A: The guitar body has a streamlined and irregular outline, wider at both ends and narrower in the middle, exhibiting axial symmetry. The head and neck can also be roughly considered quadrilaterals. Due to the guitar's obvious axial symmetry, we can first draw half of each part's outline, then flip it to obtain the other half. This saves time in the drawing process while ensuring the structural regularity of the artwork.
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This time, Snapmaker will use Inkscape as the design tool. You can also use more specialized software if needed.
If you are unfamiliar with laser engraving and are planning to try STEAM education in the classroom or at home, we highly recommend you check out this tutorial!!
First, open Inkscape and create a new file. Then, use basic drawing tools to draw the body of the guitar, creating an elliptical object and converting it to a path. Divide the ellipse in two along its central axis with a straight line, using the clipping path tool to obtain the previously mentioned "half-outline." Simplify this path using node editing, then copy it and flip it horizontally to obtain the "other half of the outline." Merge the two paths to obtain the complete guitar body path. Similar to drawing the guitar body outline, Snapmaker uses clipping paths and combined paths to draw the shield-shaped head. The neck outline is a slender trapezoidal shape, created using the rectangle tool and node editing. Finally, merge the outlines of the head, neck, and body to obtain the complete guitar outline.
How can you make a guitar more attractive and personalized by painting some designs on its surface? Using a spray paint template provided by Inkscape, we randomly scattered stars across the soundboard. Once all the graphics were ready, Snapmaker exported the images as PNGs for subsequent laser cutting and engraving in Luban.
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Here are some important tips from Luban that can help you achieve success in your projects:
Since a clear outline is required, "Vector" should be selected in "Processing Mode" and the threshold should be increased appropriately so that the outline in the preview is more obvious.
When you import a pattern into Luban, it is recommended to select "Grayscale" in "Processing Mode" for laser engraving .
Speed and power parameters can be set according to the materials you select.
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If you follow the guidelines above, all you have to do is wait for your exquisite little guitar!
In the next article, we'll share instructions on using CNC engraving and cutting. We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and were inspired to laser engrave your first piece!
The Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer is essential for turning projects into reality!!
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