Materials Processing Reflection:
Going into the materials processing activities, I had s decent amount of experience with the programs and tools involved. I took engineering classes in high school in which we used both the same application, Adobe Illustrator, and I believe I used the exact same laser cutter. We were tasked with creating one of a set few of siege engines used in medieval times. These included catapults, trebuchets, and what I built, a ballista. We modeled the structure in a rudimentary 3-D modeling program called SketchUp and then transferred our designs to illustrator. From there we took similar steps of setting stroke color and size and cut our pieces from plywood in the laser cutter.
Withing the assignment, I felt that I was able to build off my prior knowledge, especially within Adobe Illustrator. My high school course was very step-by-step and guided which I felt limited my ability to explore the program. I connected with this assignment’s flexibility and allowance of time to experience a large amount of the program’s features. I also feel that receiving a background of information regarding raster and vector graphics helped build context around the lesson. The worksheet we received was a good resource to fall back upon if any terms or concepts needed clarification. After receiving instruction, I went to the lab with a classmate to finish laser cutting my project. I felt that doing this section of the project was most impactful and influential because it put all the prior concepts into motion. I do wish that the lesson delved further into the Adobe program. The assignment briefly mentioned adding graphics, but it was somewhat unclear to me. I think more time devoted to learning it would’ve been more personally beneficial.
Although I have utilized many of the tools we used during this program, I feel much more experienced and knowledgeable about them following this assignment. I also developed skills using a micrometer. I have seen these tools utilized in engineering environments, but I did not know how to personally use them. After the worksheet, reading and utilizing them became much clearer. I was also able to obtain a brief background of tools and materials involved in materials processing. Lastly, I learned how different strokes and fill colors apply to the material being cut or engraved within the laser cutter, as well as the numerous different materials that can be processed with it.