Hello everyone,
Today marks the final week of summer as Fall 2018 semester begins next week. The 3D Lab received a lot of patronage over the break; community members and students worked on projects in the Lab literally every day of the week. We hosted three groups of kids the past two weeks alone. The Wayne College Lab truly is a community resource where imagination is made and young minds are inspired to become makers and (hopefully) budding engineers. All of this is made possible from the many sponsors through the past several years.
The 3D Lab is open to the community all semester, so feel free to stop-in to get creative! The lab is open from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; expanded Fall hours will be posted soon. Group tours are welcome; please let us know the day & time that your group plans to arrive to ensure staff availability.
A couple weeks ago, former 3D Lab staff Nathan and a fellow student stopped by the 3D Lab to “hack” an inexpensive IKEA table into a 3D printer enclosure. A common problem with 3D printers is printing with ABS plastic. ABS is a desired print material because of its resistance to heat and sunlight, making it suitable for car parts and anything exposed to the outdoors. But printing with ABS is challenging. Objects can shrink during printing, resulting in warped edges and cracked/separated layers. By placing a 3D printer in a warm environment (such as an enclosed box), the plastic cools slowly, resulting in more successful prints.
Repurposing IKEA products is nothing new. Checkout all of these awesome project ideas from common IKEA products! Nathan and his friend used the Makerbot in our lab to make custom adapter hardware for the table, the yellow parts in the photo below.
They purchased acrylic sheets to form the walls of the enclosure, modified with tools in the 3D Lab to fit the table. Neodymium magnets were used to make the clear panels easily removable. We are excited to see the finished product, complete with printer installed!
Late last month, we were honored and humbled to take part in LifeCare Hospice Bereavement Services from Wooster, Ohio. LifeCare Hospice provides a comprehensive program of compassionate care for all individuals experiencing the impact of serious illness and loss.
Lynn Lilly and a colleague invited a number of children to the 3D Lab to make memorial plaques to honor lost loved ones. These plaques were created from photo frames donated by P. Graham Dunn. The children were shown how to use Corel DRAW vector-art software to create designs, then laser engraved their designs onto photo frames. The activity meant a lot to the kids, being able to express their feelings in a keepsake.
Many thanks to P. Graham Dunn and the Romich Foundation that made this activity possible.
This past June, The Medina County University Center and Wayne College 3D Lab participated in Kids Day of Safety and Play, an outdoor event in downtown Medina’s Historic District. Kids Day is fantastic family oriented event supported by Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital and Main Street Medina, offering a day of music, dancing, hands-on activities, strolling performers, artists, games, crafts, cars, trucks, farmers market and more.
We took our portable 3D printer on-the-road, demonstrating how 3D printing works and talking about offerings at the Medina and Wayne College branches. Our table was quite a hit with kids and adults alike. But even more fun was a guest appearance by UA mascot Zippy! She was quite interested in the 3D printer, too, as we printed a variety of kangaroos for her to enjoy. Many thanks to Denise Testa at UA Medina for inviting us to this event!
Fascinated by “cable cams” used at sporting events? Make your own using a 3D printer:
https://www.sparkfun.com/news/2736
See how a 3D printed tibia saves a man’s leg from amputation in Brisbane:
https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/3d-printed-tibia-saves-mans-leg-amputation-brisbane-120987
Have some fun-in-the-sun with this 3D printed WiFi propeller boat:
https://www.instructables.com/id/WiFi-Propeller-Boat
More fun-in-the-sun! Build this kids’ sand digger from an old wheel:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Sand-Digger-Toy-for-Kids
Don’t miss the next Maker Monday which is Monday, August 20th, 7:00 p.m. at Orrville Mennonite Church at 1305 W. Market. They will offer a group study of Fusion 360 software led by legendary CAD designer Norm Sohar.
We offer a free “listserv” that allows to you ask questions to members in the makerspace. It’s great for sharing ideas, forming friendships, and helping & advising each other. To join, send an email to listserv@lists.uakron.edu with
“SUBSCRIBE MAKERSPACE-GROUP” in the subject line.