Universal, Epilog, Full Spectrum, Glowforge, and Boss are some of the more popular names in the business. There are also plenty of great brands out there for schools, companies, and hobbyists. You could use a variety of materials with a laser, apart from metal and PVC-based plastics with typical CO2 machines. I also use a 40 watt Universal CO2 Laser Engraver to cut / engrave these rulers out of 1/8" birch plywood. I've made extensive tutorial videos for both of these programs on my Digital Classroom YouTube channel if you're looking for more support with either. Both Onshape and Gravit are free for education or personal use and compatible with any device. Students also use Gravit Designer, a web-based vector design program that is similar to Adobe Illustrator to add greater detail to their rulers and prepare designs for laser cutting. With my students, we use Onshape as its a powerful CAD program that has many of the same capabilities as Inventor, SolidWorks, Creo, or Fusion 360, but it is web-based and compatible with Chromebooks which is a must for my teaching environment. I wrote Instructables a while back about choosing free CAD programs and free Graphic Design programs that might help you better choose a software solution. Some programs are engineering / technical drawing focused like Onshape or AutoCAD, while others are more graphic design focused like Gravit or Adobe Illustrator. If you plan to produce a ruler using a CNC Laser Cutter / Engraver, you could use a vast range of programs to create some type of vector image. I've also included two supporting tutorial videos as that may help walk you through the steps with greater ease. I am going to break this project down into the same steps I use with my 8th grade students to walk you through designing your very own ruler. My students find the ruler project really challenging, not because of the digital design tools and learning curve for CAD software, but because they've never been challenged to think about why a ruler is the way it is. By the time students get to me (middle school), they often still feel uncomfortable with taking measurements and using fractions for dimensioning. One of the most memorable projects from this class is "The Ruler Project", a project where students use CAD software to draw accurate rulers, then manufacture them using a CNC Laser Cutter/Engraver.Įveryone learns how to use a ruler sometime in elementary school, but that doesn't necessarily mean they understand how a ruler works. One of the many subjects I teach is Drafting and Design which includes orthographic and isometric sketching by hand, as well as transitioning to computer aided design and manufacturing techniques.
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