Laser Archives - Plasma2002

Designing the Doctor Who Tardis lamp

March 31, 2015July 28, 2016 Plasma2002 Leave a comment

The Doctor Who Tardis lamp is one of the most detailed pieces I have designed yet. It pushes the boundaries of what my laser cutter can do to a flat piece of plastic. It features some of The Doctor’s greatest enemies on the sides, while showcasing the Tardis falling through spacetime on the front.

Projecting images onto walls has become a staple of most of The Plasmatorium’s lamps. Some work better than others, though.

Just like most other creations, it all begins with a crude and simple sketch.

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Skittles Vodka & Display Case

June 10, 2014July 28, 2016 Plasma2002 1 Comment

Gave this as a Valentine’s Day gift

As soon as I learned that her favorite candy was Skittles, and that her favorite alcohol base was vodka, I knew exactly where to go from there 😛

Step 1: Get your crap together, man

Found the bottles on Amazon… a lot more expensive that I had hoped, but oh well. She’s worth it. As per the alcohol, I knew you shouldn’t buy an AMAZING vodka, since the candy would be ruining your vodka (like ketchup on filet mignon)… but I certainly didn’t want to get bottom shelf either, since that would taste just as bad… Svedka is a good choice 🙂

Step 2: Piss off those with OCD

Separating the candy was the fun part… and no, I most definitely did not eat any…

Step 3: Start the liquification!

Water bottles were used, so I didn’t get any candy gunk on the inside of the nice expensive bottles

After about 10 mins

10 minutes in, the color was already becoming quite vibrant. I let them sit for a few more hours to let the candy COMPLETELY dissolve.

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Mario Star Tree Topper

December 1, 2013July 28, 2016 Plasma2002 1 Comment

I modeled up another lamp; a Super Mario Brothers Star lamp. Aka a Super Star 😛

But I also wanted to make it as something that could be put on top of a Christmas tree, so I added in support for that!

The Mario Star definitely takes a bit more effort to assemble than the previous Zelda Triforce Lamp, but it’s worth it. It also looks pretty awesome on top of the Christmas Tree 🙂

I also created some assembly instructions for attaching the tree-holder to the lamp, which I include when people purchase the lamp. I thought they came out pretty interesting. Almost Ikea-style.

If you want to check into getting one of these lamps for yourself, I should have it up for sale at The Plasmatorium – go check it out!

PacMan Ghost Thermoforming

April 28, 2013June 10, 2014 Plasma2002 Leave a comment

I wanted to build some PacMan Ghost lamps. The only problem was that I needed a nice, curved piece of acrylic for the top “hat” piece.

I created a bunch of thin pieces out of wood and bolted them together to make a mold for the acrylic. Then I placed it into the oven and let it heat up completely. The melting point of acrylic is around 320 degrees Fahrenheit, so I set my oven to 350.

After about 10 minutes or so, the acrylic drooped over the mold just how I wanted it to. I used something round to push the acrylic into place. In retrospect, I should have made another half of the mold; a top. But it took a LOT of time to make the bottom half, and I was getting impatient, haha. Also, I think having a top mold may have left a bit too much marking on the acrylic, making the finish non-smooth and shiny like I needed.

(Note: Yes, I later made a blue and white ghost – black and yellow just happened to be the color of acrylic I had plenty of at the time)

Zelda Triforce Lamp

April 26, 2013July 28, 2016 Plasma2002 3 Comments

A few months ago, I decided to design up a video game themed lamp. The end result was the Zelda Triforce Lamp.

I designed all the pieces in Google Sketchup, and exported them to their respective SVG files for cutting on the laser.

After cutting each of the pieces, the lamp is assembled by hand, using acrylic glue to bind them all together. After the acrylic pieces are put together, a regular lamp cord with bulb holder is inserted into the bottom, and presto; you have a lamp 🙂 What I think adds a nice tough is the shapes cut into the side of the lamp; the Rupees and the Hylian crest. They manage to project shadows of their respective shapes onto nearby walls or objects. Really makes the lamp stand out.

Interested in a lamp of your own? I’m now selling them over at The Plasmatorium – Check it out!

Design prototypes with room

April 4, 2013June 10, 2014 Plasma2002 Leave a comment

Reminder to self: when designing prototypes, make sure to leave room to stuff all those breadboard wires.

On another topic, this was my first attempt at colorizing a laser-etched piece of acrylic. It came out better than I had expected.

I laser etched a design (and text) pretty deep into the plastic, with the protective paper still on the top. Before taking the covering off, I brushed some acrylic paint over the scores and let it dry. Once dry, I simply peeled away the covering and was left with this.