MLAB | Star Wars 3D Printed Rebel Alliance Cookie Cutter Ft BB-8

As huge fans of the Star Wars Movie Franchise, we wanted to create a project that celebrated one of our new favorite Star Wars Movie characters, BB-8, and the rest of the Rebel Alliance in honor of the series conclusion with 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'.

We decided to use the Force, well...CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and our 3D Printer to create something sweet to share with our family and friends this Holiday Season.

Hence, we decided to make Rebel Sugar Cookies by creating a 3D Printed Cookie Cutter.

Follow these simple steps to create your own 3D Printed Rebel Cookie Cutter inspired by Star Wars.

Check out this project and more DIY STEM projects in mLab Episode XIII: 'Star Wars Holiday Special' below; #TheForceIsStrong

Given our favorite member of the Rebel Alliance is BB-8, we decided to make this droid the focus of our Rebel Cookie Cutter project. However, feel free to complete these steps for Rey, Finn, Poe, and even the newest addition to the Droid family; D-O.

Hopefully, your Rebel Sugar Cookie turns out better than our Jedi Training.

Supplies

Sugar Cookie Mix and Required Ingredients (i.e. Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix)

(3) Silicone Baking Cups

(1) 12 Oz Bag of Semi-Sweet Milk or Dark Chocolate Chips

(1) 12 Oz Bag of White Chocolate Chip Morsels Paper Towels

Equipment;

3D Printer (Example: Dremel 3D20, Ultimaker 2, Makerbot replicator, etc.) w/ PLA Filament

Microwave

Refrigerator

(1) Silicone Spatula

(1) Whisk

(1) Rolling Pin

(2) Piping Squeeze Bottle (Optional: Frosted Bulb w/ Decoration Tip)

Step 1: Creating Our Rebel Alliance Cookie Cutter

In this Step-by-Step, we will show you how to make a 3D model of a Cookie Cutter inspired by the droid BB-8 from 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' film.

In order to create our 3D model, we will use Autodesk Fusion 360, a 3D design or CAD software that allows you to transform your ideas into 3D models simply using your computer and is free to use.

What's that R2? What's CAD?

No worries R2! If the term "CAD" sounds unfamiliar to you as well, don’t fear.

CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design.

It is a type of software that allows us to build 3D objects using our computer.

Once we are finished with our Fusion 360 CAD model, we can export the model to a 3D Printer, a machine that uses materials such as plastic in order to print physical objects. If you don't have access to a 3D Printer, you can also order a 3D print from VooDoo Manufacturing or explore your local resources to 3D Print your CAD Model (For Example; your local school or library). Regardless of what you decide to do with your CAD Model, the most important step is to get started.

So...Let's Get Started!

------------------------------------

In Fusion 360, we are going to import an image of BB-8 using the 'Insert Canvas' Tool in the Upper Toolbar on the Fusion 360 Workplane as shown below;

Once we have our Sketch imported into Fusion 360, we can begin creating a 2D Outline of BB-8 using Fusion 360's 'Sketch Tool'.

Using the Sketch Tool, we will first use the 'Line Tool' to trace the straight components of BB-8, in particular, the gears of BB-8's core body and the various electronics components on their head.

Next, we will use the 'Arc Tool' in order to trace the rounded edges and half arcs of BB-8 in order to complete the basic outline.

Finally, we need to use the 'Circle Tool' in order to complete tracing the eyes, sensors, and remaining electronics components of BB-8 to complete our 2D Outline. Continue using the various Sketch Tools above until you complete your 2D Outline of BB-8.

Pro Tip: If you want to make a Cookie Cutter that will leave an imprint of BB-8 as well as cut them out, create another Sketch and only trace the edges of BB-8 we want to remove as the Sugar Cookie Shape.

Now, we need to transform BB-8 from a 2D Outline into a 3D Model.
First, we need to 'Stop Sketch' in the Right-Hand Toolbar in order to complete our Sketch. Next, we need to 'extrude' or pull the Sketch from a simple 2D Model to a 3D Model using the 'Extrude' Tool in the Upper Toolbar;

Given we want our BB-8 Cookie Cutter to cut the edge of BB-8's Droid body, we want to extrude their body at a height greater than the inner parts of their body. In order to do so, we need to use the 'Extrude' Tool and then the 'Shell' Tool in the Upper Toolbar to make the outer part of the Cookie Cutter;

For the inner parts of BB-8, we want them to leave a soft imprint on our Sugar Cookie Dough like a typical Cookie Stamp. Therefore, we want to only partially extrude the inner parts of BB-8;

Feel free to play around with BB-8 until you get a 3D Model that looks too perfect not to bring to life in the Cookie Cutter form. Now, we have a CAD Model of our BB-8 Cookie Cutter for us to send to a 3D Printer.

Step 2: 3D Printing Our BB-8 Cookie Cutter

If you have access to a 3D Printer;

Congratulations! You can make your BB-8 Cookie Cutter CAD Model into reality.

If not, you can have your CAD Model printed at your local school, library, or maker-space with public access to a 3D Printer or you can order online and have it shipped to your home through VooDoo Manufacturing.

How do you export your CAD Model for 3D Printing? It's simple.

In Fusion 360, you can go to the upper Right-Hand Corner of the Upper Toolbar and Export your CAD Model as a .STL File or 'Send to a 3D Printer' which you can upload to the 3D Printing Software which corresponds to your specific 3D Printer.

For example, we are using a Dremel 3D20 3D Printer, so we will be using Dremel DigiLab. via GIPHY

If .STL sounds like an alien format, don't panic just yet. STL files are a very popular file format for 3D or CAD Models and its similar to exporting a Document as a Microsoft Word (.doc) or PDF format (.pdf).

Once you upload the .STL File to your 3D Printing Software, the software will transform your CAD model into a language that machines, in particular, 3D Printers, can understand.

So, in order to recap: .STL = Language for 3D Modeling and Printing Software .gCode = Language for 3D Printers to understand CAD Models

In our case, we used Dremel DigiLab, which allows you to upload .STL files and convert the file into the .gCode that corresponds to our Dremel 3D20 3D Printer.

Once you have your 3D Printed Rebel Alliance Cookie Cutter, we can begin building our Rebel Alliance, one sweet recruit at a time.

Step 3: Prepare Your Sugar Cookie Dough

Finally, we have our 3D Printed Rebel Alliance Cookie cutter, we can get started making our sugar cookie dough.

For our sugar cookies, we used a Sugar Cookie Mix and tweaked to suit our needs.

Ingredients

¾ cup sugar
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter
2 egg yolks
¼ cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment

2 large mixing bowls
Whisk
Spatula
Rolling Pin
Cookie Baking Sheet
Hand Mixer (optional)

Instructions

In a bowl, mix together egg yolks, cream and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt until well combined.
Use a whisk or hand mixer to combine butter with dry ingredients until crumbly.
Add wet ingredients until dough forms.
TIP: Add additional flour in order to ensure that cookies maintain their shape while baking.
Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
Roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness

Sprinkle a little flour on your BB-8 Cookie Cutter and firmly press the cookie cutter into the dough.
Gently lift the cookie cutter to reveal BB-8 Cookie Dough.
Place General Mayhem’s shortbread cookie dough wings on a baking sheet.
Place cookies on a baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes (to hold their shape while baking)Bake at 350℉ for 8–10 minutes or until golden brown.
Carefully remove from the Oven and cool for 20 minutes before decorating.

Now, let's whip up this new recruit to the Rebel Alliance with the proper decorations.

Step 4: Welcome to the Alliance BB-8!

It's been a long journey, but you've created your own Rebel Sugar Cookie worthy of the Alliance.

When it comes to your Rebel Sugar Cookie, it's very important to customize it in order to make it your very own.

For example, we used Sugar Icing in order to create an outline of BB-8 and then added Orange and Black to (2) separate Food Coloring batches in order to add BB-8's colorful orange gears and black sensors. Before serving to our family and friends, we also whipped up a batch of our First Order Hot Cocoa, just to ensure both sides of the Star Wars Universe were represented.

Check out of First Order Hot Cocoa Project here; bit.ly/MLAB_DIY9.

As you have seen so far, Autodesk Fusion 360 allows you to make quite advanced CAD Models using a variety of Sketching Tools and Techniques.

However, you can take this a step further by customizing your Rebel Sugar Cookie.

For example, if you want to take your Rebel Sugar Cookies to the next level, try different cookie dough recipes (Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter) and even decorating your Rebel Cookie using Royal Icing, Sprinkles, Edible Glitter, and more.

Whatever you decide to do, simply #BuildMakeLearn.