Hello everyone,

We have been busy with the 3D printer and CAD work over the past couple of days.  The wrench for Dr. Vierheller came out superbly.  A couple of weeks ago, we printed a two-part “heart gear box” from ThingiVerse.com.  One author designed the spinning heart, while another created a hand-crank system beneath it.  We found that the hand-crank did not work well; its gear system did not mesh properly.  So Dusty designed a stronger support system for the crank in CAD and now the heart rotates perfectly!  Come to A-120 to try it out.

heart gear 2

We are making another road trip!  The Cleveland Mini Maker Faire is on Saturday, March 29th at the Cleveland Public Library.  Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.  Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community.

maker faire

We plan to check-out the MakerFaire and explore & create things at Case Western Reserve’s Think[Box] on the same day.   As mentioned previously, Think[Box] is chock-full of equipment that is open to the public for use, including 3D printers, laser cutters/engravers, vinyl cutters, circuit board creators, wood/metal shops, 3D scanners, and so much more.  Come with us to explore Think[Box] or come prepared to make things!  Before the 29th, review their excellent tutorials on how to use the machines, design your stuff in CAD, Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator, etc., then bring your designs on a flash drive.  If you don’t know how to make designs, meet us in A-120 next where we can help you design something together.  It will be an exciting time whether you are exploring the Think[Box] for the first time or making things together.

thinkbox

We plan to leave Wayne College at 8:15 Saturday morning.  If you wish to carpool with us, please meet in room A-120 by that time.  This will give us plenty of time to find parking at CWR (the Veale Parking Garage works best) then get started at Think[Box].  The rest of the day is free-form; we can check-out MakerFaire later that afternoon as we have cars and people that want to go there throughout the day.  We plan to return to Wayne College by 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the latest.

We look forward to a fun day together; be sure not to miss it!

Tom