Week 2: Press-Fit Laptop Riser (MAT238)

In this project, I designed and built a laser-cut laptop stand with press-fit components.

• Fusion 360
• 1/4" Plywood
• Laser Cutter

Most laptop stands are one-dimensional and have no other uses, so I wanted to create something that is multi-use, and doesn't look like a laptop stand when not in use. The goal with the curves was to make it look like a cylinder that had been deformed.

To design all the legs, I created a single sketch for all seven. Most dimensions are function-based, so I can change parameters like material thickness, and the model will universally change to account for the new material.

I pieced together the model in an assembly to confirm that my design would be assemblable once laser cut.

To account for the kerf of the laser cutter, I created a test block with pegs and holes of varying designed overlaps. Laser-cut pieces will have a different dimension than the design file due to the burned-off material. This means pegs should be laser-cut larger designed for, and holes smaller. A 0.15mm overlap between the peg and hole had my desired friction fit.

All the components in the assembly were converted to DXF files and were all put into one Illustrator file to be laser cut.

The file was sent to the laser cutter which cut the 1/4" plywood.