Hello everyone,
Several of us from Wayne College made a trip to Case Western Reserve’s “ThinkBox” initiative last Friday. ThinkBox is possible through numerous generous donations. And what an exciting time we had! They have all sorts of equipment for making and building things. For those who like to creating objects, there are high-end 3D printers for printing plastic parts and 3D scanners for copying physical objects into the computer. For shaping and cutting, there are laser engravers, vinyl cutters, and a computer controlled router. There is also a wood shop and metal shop for crafting things by-hand. For those who like working with electronics, there is a circuit board maker and electronics microscope. And this is just scratching the surface of what is possible at ThinkBox.
ThinkBox is open to students at CWR and the public, too. You are welcome to use the facility for free, provided that you bring or pay for the cost of materials (wood, plastic, metal, etc.). They encourage everyone to come learn how to create things in CAD and operate the machines. Their website have excellent tutorials for each machine. Once you complete a tutorial, you are qualified to use the machine. There are plenty of helpful staff to get you started; the goal is for you to learn how to use the equipment. Over time, we hope to create a similar environment at Wayne College.
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| Dusty trapped inside a 3D printer! | 3D scanner | Another 3D printer |
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| Vinyl cutter | Computer controlled router | Electronics microscope |
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| Box maker | Laser engraver / cutter | Metal shop |
We plan to make another trip to ThinkBox in late March or April, on a Saturday or Sunday so that we can spend a day creating things. If you would like to come along, read tutorial(s) for the machines that you would like to use here, then let me know that you want to join us. We plan to use the laser etcher, circuit board maker, and whatever else we can dream up.
Tom
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