​ We began this project by soldering together an alarm clock. This was a fairly easy process for me, as I had done soldering before in high school. Definitely with less pieces though! It was fun to assemble, and very cool to plug in and watch the alarm clock light up.
Thinking ahead, I began designing my 3D printed box with the goal of later adapting the design for the 2d laser cutter. I created interlocking pieces that would snap together, creating a simple but efficient box. The box itself was printed in two parts, with cutouts on the front to accommodate the sensors/buttons. It was challenging to size it exactly to the buttons and LED screen, and I printed the front piece a few times with adjustments before finalizing the design and printing the full box.


My fusion design and first attempts at printing the box.

Various images of the completed 3d printed box.

Laser Cut Box

My next step was to turn the 3d design into something 2d. I had to design each side individually, extending the side, cutting it, and then adjusting the edges to allow for it to snap into the others. However, I didn't account that some of the sides would need to be a bit longer in order to snap into place, so while the box's edges do touch, they don't fit inside each other like it should. We printed the design multiple times as we figured out the power of the machine, and finally, I got six completed pieces. I then glued the pieces together to help them stay in place. I edited the design and recut it, and this time the pieces interlocked nicely! However, I glued the first two before checking that I had the right side for all the others...so now not all of them fit anymore...but that two that do look great!