Hello everyone,
There are so many things going on at the Wayne makerspace that it is difficult to keep track of them. The lab seems to have a life of its own, given the students who are pursuing all sorts of projects.
Aside from the LEGO robots being built by students in the Tools for Engineering class, the R/C Club has made the makerspace their home. For the past couple of weeks, students are cutting airplane parts from foam board, printing motor mounts, propellers, and firewalls with the 3D printers, designing complex assemblies in CAD, etc. It’s amazing what 3D printing makes possible with this craft.
With Guidance Counsellor’s Day approaching on November 11th, Sarah Jane asked if we could create 3D printed items for the various high schools visiting that day. Morgan, our assistant in the makerspace, decided upon the perfect idea: 3D printed mascots! She traces the mascots using the graphics tablets loaned to us (thanks, Lori!) using Adobe Illustrator. This drawing is imported into SolidWorks, which is converted to 3D like a cookie cutter. This is printed on a flat base to complete the design. The onscreen drawings are turning out beautifully.
John Lorson invited Dusty and me to the Millerburg Rotary Club yesterday. We explained 3D printing and demonstrated the portable 3D printer to a crowd of 20-some. Besides the warm reception and interested crowd, the food was really good, too. 🙂 Dusty did an excellent job of explaining 3D printing from an engineering viewpoint.
Last but not least, check-out this softball holder for Ann Martin’s first pitch! Dusty and a student designed this together in about 20 minutes, a first for the student who had never used CAD before:
3D printing is getting BIG, literally. Read how a 2,400 square-foot house is coming to New York, complete with swimming pool:
http://3dprint.com/12034/3d-printed-house-pool-ny
See how Local Motors has built the Strati, the world’s first 3D printed car:
http://www.gizmag.com/2014-3d-printed-car-challenge-winners/32416/
You can print your own scaled model of the Strati from Thingiverse here
Stay tuned for some big announcements next week!
Tom