Hello everyone, Sorry for the missing blog entry last week, as yours truly was on vacation and needed a break!  Now back to the job and refreshed, it’s time to dig into the latest exciting things happening in the 3D Lab at The University of Akron Wayne College. With engineering classes in full-swing, the 3D printed weighted cubes worked well for the LEGO Mindstorms robots that tossed them.  Now students are building robots to carry and drag heavy loads.  3D printers are currently creating student designed sleds that their robots will pull.  More about this activity in the next blog. As mentioned last week, theRead More →

Hello everyone, It’s amazing how far we have come since the 3D Lab’s opening in January 2014.  Looking back, we’ve collaborated with 18 community organizations, a dozen businesses, and another dozen schools.  We’ve made over 20 visits to these locations to demonstrate 3D printing, using the portable 3D printer provided by the Romich Foundation.  Our impact to the community is substantial, a testament of the need for polytechnic skills to be introduced to all generations. A case in-point, an employee of Orrville City Schools brought his son and friend to the 3D Lab for a laser cutting and engraving project.  They wanted to construction aRead More →

Hello everyone, The fifth week of the semester draws to a close.  Engineering students built robots for a ball tossing competition, so the lab was full of moving parts and whirring motors.  Their next assigning is to build robots that will seek and capture colored objects in a defined area.  But here in the 3D Lab, that is only half of the story.  Students of various disciplines print pre-designed objects from Thingiverse, others learn how to use the laser engraver to create beautiful gifts, and community members spend time interacting with students and inventing things in CAD.  It is wonderful to see the different activitiesRead More →