FAB LAB BASICS
IN THE CLASSROOM
An introduction to using the machines

Prepared by Nick DiGiorgio (Fab Lab Guy Cleveland)

1. Game Plan and Dates

1. May 5 4:30- 7pm Laser Printing
2. May 12 4:30- 7pm Laser Printing
3. May 19 4:30- 7pm 3D Printing
4. May 26 4:30- 7pm 3D Printing
5. June 2 4:30- 7pm Shop Bot
6. June 9 4:30- 7pm Shop Bot

2. Laser Cutter
3. 3D Printer
4. CNC Shopbot
5. Cheat Sheets

1. 50 Digital Joints
2. Fractions, Decimals, Millimeters

Game Plan

The MC2 STEM High School Fab Lab serves as a practical laboratory extension of classroom theory. The Lab is equipped for all phases of woodworking, metalworking, and machining, as well as digital fabrication with CNC routing, laser cutting, and 3D printing. The lab is available to all MC2 STEM High School Faculty and Staff, as well as community members interested in making and design.

We will explore several of the machines in the Fab Lab including the Epilog Laser Cutter, 3D Printer, and the CNC Shopbot spread out over 6 days for a total of 15 lab hours.

May 5 4:30- 7pm         Kick-off & Laser Printing Cutter / Etching

May 12 4:30- 7pm         Laser Printing Cutter / Etching

May 19 4:30- 7pm         3D Printing

May 26 4:30- 7pm         3D Printing

June 2 4:30- 7pm         Shop Bot

June 9 4:30- 7pm         Shop Bot

Kickoff Challenge

Make a 2” x 2” x 2” cardboard box with the following tools:

Cardboard

Pencil & Red Pen

Ruler

Hot Glue guns

1. First sketch your layout using a pencil and the ruler
2. Redraw each line that you are going to cut with a red pen.
3. Use the ruler to make a straight edge and cut carefully with the exacto knife.
4. Assembly with hot glue

Check your measurements, is each piece 2” x 2” x 2”?  

What is the total surface area of the box?

What is the total volume of the box?  ***

Lessons:

• How to properly use an x-acto knife (cut 3 times, have something underneath)
• What good cardboard looks like? And what to throw away!
• Not everything requires a laser cutter!
• Lasers like X-acto knives like to cut on Red lines -not really, but it helps to know what you want to cut and what you want to etch
• Material thickness often gets overlooked when designing for 2D to 3D assembly

Software

* Paid Licenses

CONCEPTS:

• Gears

• Gear  program
• Woodgears.ca ()
• Involute Gear Generator:
• More about Gear:

• Geometry:

• Polyhedras
• Fractals:

• Boxes

• BoxMaker
• Free Paper Box Shapes: http://www.ideogram.nl/boxmaker/
• MakerCase ()
• Metric conversions (

Vector / Raster

Vector

Raster

Laser Printing Cutter / Etching

We are not printing with the laser we are burning things

Draw each line you are going to

KickOff ChalleneUsing cardboard provided, draw a , pencil and a red pen, draw a

3D Printing

Cheat Sheets

50 Digital Joints

Fractions – Decimals Millimeters

Glossary

Additive / Subtractive

Additive

Subtractive

3-Axis machine