Day: October 26, 2020

For the second project, we will be working, in my opinion, with the most dangerous machine in the maker space for many reasons. First of all, the machine that we will be using has a strong laser that can burn skin and damage crucial parts of the eyes and thus harm the vision. In addition to that, this machine can cause a fire hazard if we set it up incorrectly, i.e., every material has particular settings that need to be used to cut safely and it is crucial to follow these guidelines. To protect our eyes and people’s eyes in the shop, all should wear special tinted glasses. It is important to babysit the machine and watch the process because fire can occur. If we notice a small fire, we should stop the machine and use a spray bottle to get rid of the fire. We will need to use a fire extinguisher and other guidelines in case the fire gets bigger. During the training, we learned the escaping routes, fire alarms locations, and the place where people meet after escaping the building.

The post-production process includes numbering the parts, then assembling them using a small amount of glue and wooden dowels (or other material of choice).

The main purpose of the safety training was to familiarize students with the software needed for the vinyl cutting, the vinyl cutter itself, and the post-production process. In addition to that, students had to learn how to use tools safely.

The process of vinyl cutting consists of some important steps. First, we need to set up the machine and feed vinyl to it properly. Then we need to import our SVG file in Inkscape. Then, it is important to perform a test cut before starting the main cut. After starting the cut it is important to watch the whole process of cutting aka. babysit the machine. One of the main hazards in this process is the cutting blade of the machine which is very sharp.

Post-production process:

• weeding (removing vinyl from the ground area). In this step, it is crucial to work carefully because this process includes the use of an X-Acto Knife which is extremely sharp. To perform weeding successfully it is important to use fresh blades in the X-Acto knife, but it is also important to remember no to throw away used blades into the trash can and use the special containers.
• application of transferring tape
• transferring decal to the surface