Education in mechanical design and control theory is paramount to anyone interested in engineering and the "Maker" culture. Additionally, integration of concepts normally presented in discrete learning segments enhances technical and intuitive understanding of how systems work individually and together. This project aims to increase students' understanding of engineering topics while equipping them with the necessary tools and information to recreate a high-precision laser-cutting machine at a minimal cost. These topics include electronic designs, mechanical assemblies, machine calibration, and control theory. Although there is a wide range of laser-cutting machines currently available, most low-cost options are inaccurate and low-quality. Because such systems come preassembled and with little documentation, using them offers no educational value with respect to learning how the system functions. Since pre-assembled systems offer little hands-on learning potential related to their construction and design, the goal of this project is to develop a system that will offer this experience and enhance student understanding as they "Learn by Doing." Students learning about the aforementioned topics will investigate them by constructing their own low-cost and reproducible laser-cutting machine. This system will enable students to study how to combine the ideas and theories learned throughout their engineering curriculum into a single design.
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