November 2015

Hello everyone, If you frequent the A-Wing, you may notice robots scurring along the corridors.  Tomorrow is the big day for students to test their latest robots, notably those that will attempt to climb/descend stairs.  Their ideas and designs are amazing, which is necessary for this challenging task.  We’ll report the outcome of this event in next week’s blog. The recent engineering project involved robots tossing 3D printed cubes a calculated distance.  The cubes were designed in CAD to have shapes buried inside to vary its weight.  The landing pad was coated in Play-Doh to indicate exactly where the cubes landed. Team robots exhibited wildlyRead More →

The 3D Lab is involved with exciting projects over the past several months.  Engineering students can truly make their ideas and dreams possible with 3D printing, laser cutting, and other fabrication methods available in the lab.  I frequently discover something new and interesting being made. We were honored to be visited by the University of Akron Zips Baja Team.  This student- led team is challenged to design and fabricate an off-roading vehicle powered by a 10hp Briggs and Stratton engine. Competition entails static events such as cost report and face-to-face design evaluation judged by professional mechanical engineers, along with dynamic events such as acceleration, maneuverability,Read More →

Hello everyone, Things are humming along smoothly in the 3D Lab this week.  All of our printers are (thankfully) in working order, providing high availability to students, community members, and engineering classes that need them.  Our first 3D printer (a Makerbot Replicator 2X provided by the Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust) was recently repaired at Makerbot headquarters.  After eight hours of labor and lots of worn, replaced parts, we have a working printer again.  Makerbot’s excellent service plan allows these repairs to be provided at no-cost, a worthwhile yearly investment. We also have the portable 3D printer working better.  In the past, this printer (anRead More →

Hello everyone, With the 3D Lab soon entering its second year of existence, this polytechnic initiative and service to the public shows no sign of slowing down.  It is exciting to see designs become reality for our engineering students, community members inventing useful things that you just can’t find in stores, and mentors visiting the lab to provide teaching, advice, encouragement to our students. Wayne College is grateful to the many donors who make this lab a success, notably the Romich Foundation, Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust – PNC Bank, Trustee, Wayne County Community Foundation, Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club, P. Graham Dunn, andRead More →

Hello everyone, With the semester finishing its ninth week of classes, the 3D Lab is as busy as ever.  Our two newest printers (Lulzbot Taz 5 printers provided by the Wayne County Community Foundation) have proven to be workhorses, running flawlessly practically all day, every day.  Each day brings new activities with student assignments, community projects, club involvement, mentoring, and more. We are also thankful for our older printers (two Makerbot and one Affinia brand printers provided by the Romich Foundation and Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust).  Makerbot (based in Brooklyn, New York) is currently the most established consumer 3D printing company.  They offer serviceRead More →