How I Used My School’s 3D Printer and Laser Cutter to Make Dorm Art

It was my junior year when I finally got bored of living in a room that looked exactly like the room next to it—and every room down the hall! Everyone at my school, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio, had the same furniture and, more or less, the same layout. I didn’t particularly want to spend a lot of money on decor since I’d have to pack everything up and move again by the end of the school year, so I looked to my school’s “makerspace”, aka a spot where people can collaborate on projects using machines ranging from 3D printers to saws. 

It turns out that I wasn’t the only one with that idea! I spoke to college students across the country about their unique DIY decor that they made using makerspace machines. The most commonly used device is the laser cutter, a computerized machine that uses laser to cut wood and certain plastics. Below are some awesome real-life college student maker projects.

Cost of materials: $6 for wood, $10 for cord 

Machines used: Laser cutter

Time: 2 hours 

Inspiration: Xyla Foxlin: a CWRU graduate who majored in mechanical and aerospace engineering, found inspiration during her study abroad semester. “I saw a yarn woven lampshade in a store display in Paris while studying abroad, and loved the way they looked! Always one to make before buying, I designed, laser cut, and assembled my own versions,” she says.

How she made it: Foxlin designed the two rings that would serve as the top and bottom of her lamp shade, as well as four vertical rods that would provide support for the hanging lampshade, in Adobe Illustrator. She then sent the file to the laser cutter for cutting onto one-fourth inch plywood. Next, she laser cut the wooden components, glued the vertical rods to the rings, and wrapped the yarn through top and bottom holes to form the shade. Finally, she attached the LED light bulb and cord. The tutorial for it can be found on Xyla’s YouTube channel, Beauty and the Bolt.

Cost of materials: $15 for the acrylic

Machine used: Laser cutter

Time: 4 hours to create the design and 10 minutes for the cut out

Inspiration: Florentina Sergiou, a junior at NYU majoring in integrated digital media, found inspiration in her desire to “promote education about endangered animals as well as prevent endangerment,” she says. “I drew design inspiration from Quibe, an artist that creates artwork using one line. I often share my creations on my Instagram stories (@flo.rentina). The MakerSpace Instagram (@NYUMakerSpace) showcases projects created in the space.”

How she made it: Sergiou wanted a modern and technological flair to her piece. She first drew the design on paper and then made vector outlines in Adobe Illustrator based on the design she came up with on paper. It was then sent to the laser cutter for cutting on acrylic. She hung the final piece on her bedroom wall using double sided tape.

Cost of materials: $12 electroluminescent (EL) wire, 10 meters of filament (entire spool is $36)

Machines used: 3D printer 

Time: 16 hours 

Inspiration: Faith Palmer, a graphic student at the University of Texas, says she was inspired by an album that she had on repeat, “How You Really Feel” by Courtney Barnett, and a neon sign tutorial she found online.

How she made it: The original neon light tutorial that Palmer saw used LED strips but she was intimidated by the complicated wiring. So she says she ended up creating a customized process using a wire that’s readily available online. “The perfectionist in me didn’t want to just bend the wire and glue it to some board. Not being satisfied, I set off to design my own EL wire neon sign. I first looked at how real neon signs worked, and then I started sketching ideas.” She then found a font that she liked, typed out the lyrics, and printed off the piece using her own 3D printer. The final step was gluing the two pieces together and then threading the EL wire through the slots and holes she made. 

Cost of materials: $10 for the wood 

Machines used: Laser cutter 

Time: 1 hour 

Inspiration: During my junior year of college, my roommates and I decided that we needed some wall decor. We had an inside joke with an acronym we made up known as “BASAF” (it was about a money situation—long story). We also wanted decor that reflected who we were; that all four of us wore glasses and that we were all somehow in Cleveland, Ohio, for college, despite coming from Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland and Bahrain. Hence the map.

How I made it: I designed the sign and found a font I liked for the “BASAF” sign. My engineering roommate helped me out with using the machine, placing the wood in the correct place and setting the laser settings. After using the laser to cut everything out, we chose to leave it untreated and hung it on a common room wall with tape since it was thin plywood. We hung the Ohio map using Command hooks. 

Cost: Under $10 

Machine used: Laser cutter 

Time: 45 minutes

Inspiration: During the summer between his fourth and fifth year, CWRU biomedical engineering graduate David Dang says he found inspiration in his culture and family. Dang says, “I used a laser cutter at my university’s makerspace to create a wooden sign with my family’s last name and our traditional Chinese names etched into it.”

How he made it: Dang says he used the CorelDRAW software to map the locations on a piece of wood for the laser cutter to etch out. He hung it with Command strip hooks. 

Cost of materials: About $25 

Time: 3 hours to design, 15 minutes to fabricate, and 30 minutes to buff and polish.

Machines used: Waterjet cutter, a machine similar to the laser cutter, but uses a high pressure stream of water and abrasives to cut. It’s used in industrial manufacturing but is becoming popular as a hobbyist machine. 

Inspiration: Jerray Dewa: a fellow CWRU recent graduate, says his inspiration came from home. “As a Texan trapped in Ohio for four years, I was feeling a little homesick and I decided to make a metal Texas Star door sign for my new dorm room,” he said. “The design was inspired by rustic metal art that can be found around Texas and other surrounding states.”

How It Was Made: Dewa, an electrical engineering graduate, designed the piece during the summer between his junior and senior years of college. He cut the sign from one-sixteenth of an inch of steel using the waterjet cutter on campus. Then he buffed the piece with a metal buffer wheel and used Command Hooks to hang his piece.

Want more dorm ideas, inspiration, and stories? Head over to Dorm Therapy HQ!