Hello everyone
With three weeks remaining before finals, the Wayne makerspace is in high-gear with students designing and printing projects. Dusty is assisting the instructor with student teaching Tools for Engineering class, initiating a new assignment that wasn’t possible before: designing working motors. The motors are entirely 3D printed, operate by hand, and have no glue to attach the parts. It is amazing the complex designs they are producing (and printing)!
We are using filament like it is going out of style. Before we run out, Will and I are still tweaking the filament maker to extrude the correct thickness of filament, then we can make it on-demand.
A couple of weeks ago, Wayne College Disability Awareness Week was happening in the Student Life Building. Julie Hartzler commissioned the 3D Lab to produce medals for the Disability Olympics, a hundred of them! We printed them with our homemade filament, then Julie spray painted the medals for a “metal” effect. They turned out beautifully!
Yesterday, we had a wonderful interview with Paul Locher from the Daily Record. He was interested in a project where Dusty designed an implement to help one of our students play the guitar via a pick that is attached to the thumb.
We also had the honor of presenting and demonstrating 3D printing technology and engineering careers to attendees of the annual Guidance Counsellors Meeting at Wayne College. Sarah arranged 3D printed centerpieces and printed her own bracelets for the attendees. It was a well-attended event. We offered free CAD and printing lessons; already we have three requests for training, including Kingsway Christian School!
Last but not least, Lt. Chad Cummingham requested a banner for the UA Shooting Club. With the spirit of a true makerspace, we put Chad to work with designing the banner, operating the vinyl cutter, and affixing the lettering to an empty banner that he provided. It turned out rather well, and now Chad is a Maker! Thanks, Morgan, for assisting him.
Tomorrow we have lots going on in the 3D Lab with CAD tutoring for an UA alumni, the Orrville Boys and Girls Club kids are coming back to learn about 3D scanning and vinyl cutting, and a covert trip to Pat Catan’s for room enhancement ideas!
See how a company uses 3D Printing and design to change the way we Look at prosthetics…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tarunwadhwa/2014/06/26/using-3d-printing-and-design-to-change-the-way-we-look-at-disability/
Stay tuned for another exciting week at the Wayne makerspace!
Tom