Week 2. First steps to Digital fabrication in education

Assignments

• Task 1: Design and cut a sticker for your classroom/context that reflects your understanding of the maker mindset /maker movement in education.
• Task 2: Answer the reflection questions.

Design and cut a sticker with vinyl cutter.

During this week’s session on design-process models, I was drawn to the diagram that shows design thinking as non-linear, messy, iterative, and full of loops. It also implies that struggle and failure are part of making. I wanted to design and make a sticker that captures that “maker mindset” in education: progress through trial, error, and persistence.

I took a photo with a wooden plank and a hammer, then brought it into Inkscape. After testing a few vectorization options, I committed to a simple, high-contrast silhouette.

I wanted a plank filled with bent nails and one straight nail to symbolize learning through mistakes. Since I didn’t have any nails at the moment, I loaded the silhouette to chatGPT and I asked it to add the nails. I also added the caption “MAKER IN THE MAKING”, a nod to learners actively building skills and knowledge.

The cutter vinyl available is a Roland VerstaStudio GS2-24. It is possible to send the job to the vinyl cutter from Inkscape, but since I have this extension installed, I tend to send the job to Roland CutStudio first.

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I loaded an offcut of white vinyl and after a small test I set the cutting force to 60gf. After the vinyl cutter is done, I removed the piece and trim the edges. I use a hook to grab and remove the bits that are not part of the design. This process is call “weeding”

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Then I cut a piece of transfer tape the size of the design and smooth it firmly over the vinyl using a squeegee. I carefully peel the backing paper away from the vinyl at a sharp angle, making sure the vinyl sticks to the transfer tape.

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I decided to apply the sticker to a metal water bottle. I placed the sticker with the transfer tape and I used the squeegee to make sure it adhere to the surface and to avoid air bubles.

Then I removed the transfer tape. Here things went a bit wrong (I guess this process is mirroring the message!). The paint on the bottle was very weak and when I pulled the transfer tape I removed part of the design and paint.

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I had to cut the part of the hammer again, and since know I didn’t have paint on that area, I had no more issues. And this is the final result.

Takeaway: I should have done an adhesion test in the painted surface.

Reflection

• Based on this week experience, What are some opportunties to integrate this technology in the classroom? How do you think it could support your teaching?

Vinyl cutting can be used to engage students in the design and decoration of the classroom, creating visual aids, make their own stickers, labels to help creating an organised environtment. Personalizing notebooks, laptops, or the classroom gives immediate, visible results, and I think it is great for motivating students and creating a maker mindset. This process is is also an opportunity for students to learn about graphic design principles. I would have students design promotional and items for the public: stickers, T-shirts, and small gifts. This could be used for school events or community projects. This combines design principles with real audiences, encourages iteration and introduces basic production planning (test cuts, material selection, transfer methods, and post-processing).

• Shortly describe an educational activity in which you could use a vinyl cutter. Explain how would you implement each one of the steps of the design process model explained in the Master Class.

Context for the activity (Secondary / Design and technology, Art, or Extracurricular): Students laminate and shape a skateboard deck, then design and apply their own graphics using a vinyl cutter for a fast, clean, high-contrast finish. Works well with simple vectors; students learn vector workflows and core graphic-design principles.

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Learning outcomes:

• Prepare production-ready vector files (paths, sizing, nesting).
• Apply graphic-design principles (contrast, hierarchy, composition, typography).
• Execute a full CAD→CAM workflow (design → cut → weed → transfer → apply).
• Iterate based on feedback and evaluate the result against a brief.

This is how the steps of the design process could be implemented:

• Design brief: student take the role of graphic designers and are tasked with designing and applying the graphics to the skateboard they previously fabricated. Topics or themes for the designs could be provided. The finshing they can apply can be limited to only vinyl cutting or any other process depending on resources.

• Research: Students research different types of finishes they can apply to the skateboard and the tools and steps required. They have to learn about how to design for vinyl cutting using a design software tool. Ideate: students create a series of designs, evaluate them, ask for feedback and refine one of them.

• Execution/fabrication: Learners are introduced to a graphic design software such as Inkscape. As scaffolding, they can be provided with the skateboard outline so they can start working in the actual size of the design.before commiting a vinyl design to the actual skateboard, If students are new to vinyl cutting and application, thry can practice using transfer tape and some offcuts. They familiarise with the steps and tools required.

• Reflection: Student exam the final product and evaluate how effective the process chosen and the design choices impacted the final result.

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Tools

• Inkscape plugin Inkscape plugin that converts SVG files to an EPS format that Roland’s CutStudio software can read.

• Vinyl Cutter with Inkscape. Tutorial From Fab Academy