Hello everyone,
The 3D Lab at Wayne College is undergoing equipment upgrades and improvements over the summer, so we certainly have our hands busy. We are happy to announce that two additional 3D printers have been awarded by Carl E. Congdon, Jr. and Susanna Congdon McIntyre Memorial Fund, a component of the Wayne County Community Foundation. This equipment will help us alleviate the heavy use of our existing printers and reducing wait times of students wanting to use them. This is especially important during “crunch times” when student projects are due.
The new printers (Lulzbot Taz 5) support multi-material printing, including rubber filament (wheels, gaskets, etc.), consumer plastics (such as polyethylene found in milk jugs), polystyrene, and more. We are very thankful for this generous grant (and our students are, too).
Last week, a group of students from Hiland High School in Berea visited the 3D Lab for a lesson on CAD design and 3D printing. Over the spring semester, they used SolidWorks to create CO2 dragster bodies on-screen, then shaped the bodies with traditional woodworking tools. For last week’s lesson in our lab, the students taught each other how to CAD design wheels for their cars, which were then 3D printed. We also had time to teach them vinyl cutting for dragster decals, a special bonus!
We found that our original 3D printer (the Makerbot Replicator 2X donated by the Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust – PNC Bank, Trustee) produced the best wheels. This was due to its dual extruder design in which one head printed the wheel (red) while the other printed support material with dissolvable material (white). We were impressed with the result!
The Maintenance Department is busy with the installation of the laser engraver (generously donated by the Romich Foundation). The exhaust port is bored and the exhaust blower is currently being mounted on the adjacent wall. With the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club summer camp starting in less than two weeks, this installation couldn’t come at a better time. More news on this project soon.
A couple of semesters ago, teams of students in the Tools for Engineering class designed and fabricated motors with hand powered cylinders and pistons, all 3D printed. Nathan and Chris are currently adapting their designs to be pneumatically driven. The first test run resulted in a spinning motor, but the air pressure was too great and tore-apart some of the assembly. They are close to a result and are working hard to finish the project.
In June, we are considering another trip to the thinkbox facility at Case Western Reserve. It contains high-end 3D printers, laser engravers, wood and metal shops, circuit board makers, electronics stations, and much more.
We plan to carpool from Wayne, then return before Wayne closes that evening. We need a headcount as soon as possible. If you are interested in joining us for the field trip, please let me know by replying to this e-mail or by e-mailing tjh1@uakron.edu
Did you know that the Chinese government is investing heavily with 3D printer technology for its students? It plans to install printers in all of its 400,000 schools by next year.
http://3dprint.com/56699/china-3d-printers-schools
Here in the U.S., at least 250 libraries across the country are popular makerspaces, becoming a larger trend for interactive spaces in their communities.
Stay tuned as we begin the summer camp next week!
Tom