Course Description

Instructor: Bob Powell
Assisted by: Pamn Aspiri

Course title: OMAX Waterjet Design for Artists
Dates:  Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20, 27, 6:30-9:30 PM
Cost: $150.00 with a lab fee of $125.00. Tuition, lab fee, and application are due by April 29, 2008

Prerequisites: 
* General familiarity with Windows applications
* Windows laptop for use at home and in classroom (preferred)
* Windows desktop for use at home (alternative)
* Mac or other laptop capable of creating DXF, AI, CMX or EPS files

Credits: n/a

Course description:
This course will provide students an opportunity to learn how to design for the OMAX abrasive waterjet medium, using art and other sheet and solid materials.

Course objectives:
On course completion, every student is expected to understand the waterjet medium sufficiently to independently create CAD drawings that can be successfully cut on the OMAX 55100, with the waterjet shop adding only setup to their designs, requiring no re-work of the design per se.  

The intent is that each successful student becomes a self-sufficient waterjet shop customer who can create electronic artwork that requires only minimal additional design cost to cut.   Mac users who cannot use the OMAX software are accommodated by placing the emphasis on the conceptual design elements common to their CAD software, not on the details of the OMAX software.

Students who wish to master the entire OMAX software environment are encouraged to do so.  Students can elect to use any software, Windows, Mac or other that creates compatible files.

Student expectations:
Students will learn the waterjet design motifs and complete a project design to be cut as part of the class experience, using their own materials, or limited sample materials provided by the CBC shop.   Students are expected to actively participate, ask questions, assist each other with the software in class.  Students ideally will share their own unique prior design and fabrication experiences with art materials for benefit of fellow students and the instructor.

Special features:
Waterjet cutting of students’ personal projects using Vashon College’s state of the art OMAX 55100 abrasive waterjet machining center.

Instructor description:
Bob has an engineering degree from MIT and presently runs the VC/CBC waterjet shop, serving a diverse mix of art and industrial customers. Bob’s years as an advanced amateur machinist, metal fabricator and student of the machining and computer industries bring a diversity of relevant knowledge and experience unusual even for a professional machine shop setting.

Methods of instruction:
The class consists of a combination of lectures with powerpoint slides and live software demonstrations, 1-on-1 student use of the OMAX design software in a classroom setting, independent home study using the OMAX software, and lab/shop cutting of student projects.

Grading criteria/system:
No grading or formal evaluation of the students’ work is planned.   The instructor’s criterion for a student’s successful completion of the course is the student’s demonstrated ability to create a sound design for their envisioned work.

Description of assignments, projects, examinations:
Registered students will be provided with the OMAX software and DVD one week prior to the first class, and encouraged to view the DVD, and for Windows users, to install and experiment with the software on their own PC. After the first class session, students are expected to begin drafting their sample project design using OMAX Layout or any available CAD program. Students are expected to bring complete designs to the third and fourth class sessions.  The instructor and assistant will help complete the designs during the class sessions, and cut them during the lab sessions or the following business day.

Text and/or required reading:
OMAX software CD and tutorial DVD.
Instructor’s printed course notes.

Download course application