99-353 IDeATe: Design Essentials for Laser Cutting
1 units, Carnegie Mellon University
PLEASE NOTE: The specific meeting dates for the A1 section of this micro course are Saturdays Sep 12, Sep 19, Sep 26. The specific meeting dates for the A2 section of this micro course are Thursdays Nov 5, Nov 12, Nov 19. This mini course is designed to get students ready to use a laser cutter. We will cover essential design considerations unique to laser cutting such as material choice, tolerances, available methods of assembly, and techniques for improving cut quality. The bulk of the class time is spent hands-on learning to design and create a laser cutter ready vector file as well as learning how to safely operate the IDeATe Laser cutters. The primary software we use is Adobe Illustrator, with some time also spent in Photoshop for learning how to integrate raster images like photos and drawings into lasercut objects. Students who complete this course will be able to use the IDeATe facility's laser cutters on their own for future course work or personal projects.
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Spring 2027, Fall 2026, Spring 2026, Fall 2025
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