Design and Fabrication

Reference pages for the Design and Fabrication classes — Intro to Design and Fabrication and Advanced Design and Fabrication. These are meant to be looked up mid-project — when you're stuck on an export, unsure what clearance to leave, or about to run a machine for the first time — not read start to finish.

Every tool we use is already documented by the company that makes it, and their documentation is better than anything we'd write from scratch. So these pages cover what's true of our shop and this class — our machines, our workflow, what we've learned the hard way — and link out to the manufacturer for everything else. When a page sends you to Autodesk, Bambu Lab, Carbide 3D, Epilog, or Silhouette, that's on purpose.

Start here

• Fusion in This Class — signing in, where your files live, and how to hand a file to a teammate.
• Machine Certification — what you need to demonstrate before running each machine on your own.
• PPE — what protection each task calls for. Read this before your first day in the shop.
• 3D Printing Air Quality — the tents, the ten-minute air-out, and the order of operations for pulling a print.

CAD in Fusion

• Fusion Sketch Tools — which sketch tool to reach for, matched to what you're building.
• Fusion Sketch Practice — a bank of 2D objects to practice on, at three difficulty tiers.
• Exporting Your Design — which file format goes to which machine, and how to get it out of Fusion.
• Fusion Training — curated Autodesk video lessons.

Designing for a real machine

• Tolerance and Fit — how much clearance to leave so parts actually go together.
• Designing for the CNC — the geometry rules a round cutting bit imposes on your design.
• Materials and Consumables — what we stock and what each material is good for.

Running the machines

• Running the CNC — the Shapeoko, start to finish.
• 3D Printing Workflow — Bambu Studio to a finished print.
• Vinyl and Cardstock Cutting — the Silhouette Cameo, including cardboard test-fit templates.
• Running the Laser Cutter — the Epilog Fusion Maker, engraving and cutting.
• Hand Tools and Joinery — the joints and fasteners that hold a build together.

Working with a real user

• User Interviews — planning and running an interview that surfaces what someone actually needs.
• Problem Statements and Success Criteria — turning interview notes into something you can design against.