Hello everyone,
It’s another busy week in the 3D Lab. Various community members frequent the lab on an almost daily basis, depending upon projects they are working on. All of our equipment gets a regular workout. The vinyl cutter, 3D printers, and laser engraver was used this week by past and current students, community members, and staff. We also hope this equipment will save money with college projects, being able to craft our own products instead of buying expensive pre-made ones.
The summer camp with the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club officially finished last week. It was an exciting time for the kids and rewarding for Chris, Nathan, and myself. This optional activity was well attended each week, testifying that the kids thoroughly enjoyed their time with us. We took their planes outside for a final flight test on a bright, sunny, slight windy day. The instructors and kids connected their controllers in tandem, allowing the former to take control if planes were in danger of crashing.
Calibrating planes before flight
Pre-flight operational tests
Up in the air!
Community member flying tandem
Nathan flew his “wing plane”, a huge plane that has no body nor tail; a giant wing with propellers behind it. It was also equipped with a wireless camera to show the kids a bird’s eye view of flight. They were impressed! The entire summer camp was a truly wonderful experience for us all, thanks to Chris, Nathan, the R/C Flight Club, the Wayne County R/C Club, and Kevin Platz from the Orrville Boys and Girls Club.
Kids viewing bird’s eye view of wing plane
Back at the 3D Lab, our own Josh from Technical Support Services designed a replacement belt clip for his father’s phone. The phone has an Otterbox protective case; the belt clip was designed to attach to this case. The original design was flawed in that the pin mount cracked and fell apart, thus the Otterbox will fall off the clip. Josh designed a clip that had a reinforced pin mount, fabricated a metal pin, and printed the design with strong ABS plastic. The result works perfectly and his father was thankful for the improved design.
Earlier this week, we were invited to give a presentation to the Orrville Rotary Club. We discussed the success of the summer camp, a collaborative effort with the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club. We also discussed the 3D Lab initiative at Wayne College, how 3D printing works, and its impact on STEM education, budding engineers, and the college’s focus on polytechnic learning. We were well received and formed new connections with the community for future collaborative projects. The food was good, too. Thanks, Kevin Platz, for inviting us!
Last but not least, Sarah Jane used the laser engraver (courtesy of the Romich Foundation) this week to make handouts for an upcoming visit to the Wooster Boys and Girls Club. She made some beautiful Zippy keychains, thanks to the generosity of P. Graham Dunn in Dalton. She found the engraver very easy to use, a good way to get started with makerspace technology. Way to go, Sarah!
For broken bones, imagine a 3D printed cast that perfectly fits you, is removable, and heals your bones 40-80% faster:
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/29/a-3d-printed-cast-that-can-heal-your-bones-40-80-faster
See how a tortoise gets a new 3D printed shell after a forest fire:
http://3dprint.com/84180/3d-printed-tortoise-shell-fred
Stay tuned for another busy week of activities!
Tom