Freezer brackets, vinyl signs, and the Wayne County Public Library

Hello everyone,

The first day of the fall semester begins with a bang in the 3D Lab. Students already have all three printers running simultaneously, visitors are given tours of the room, and the R/C airplane club is slowly taking over every inch of free space with their designs. We are interested to see what engineering students and community members will create this semester. It’s always exciting to see non-engineers become interested in the technology as well; they are becoming makers!

A few weeks ago, a community member well versed in CAD design used our first 3D printer (affectionally known as “P-Ter” and donated by the Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust) to create a replacement part for his refrigerator. The freezer door shelf bracket had broken off, sometimes causing jars to crash to the floor when the door opened.

Mark describes the situation better than I can:

“I looked up on the Internet for a replacement part and the part was no longer available. Attempting to try to use the shelf without the cross bracket resulted in many avalanches of freezer items even with a warning sign to “Open Slowly”. So being able to 3D print a new shelf bracket has saved our precious jelly from falling off the shelf and hitting the floor. Thanks again for helping me print it out.”

Below you will see the original shelf bracket brace (beige) and the 3D printed brace (black) that he designed. The replacement bracket now attaches perfectly and no more wasted jelly. Way to go, Mark!

The vinyl cutter (provided by the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club) receives regular use by all sorts of people. It is a wonderful entry-level tool for using the 3D Lab; one can draw or trace designs in 2D which are instantly cut into vinyl.

Earlier last semester, Morgan reproduced the 3D Lab’s UAWC3 logo with the vinyl cutter’s vector software. She used the software’s “trace” command to draw outlines around the logo’s lettering, as the logo was in a bitmap format (not suitable for vinyl cutting). She then added a byline using the vector software’s text tool. The result is beautiful, a multi-color vinyl design which now hangs above our door.

A couple of weeks ago, the Wayne County Public Library invited Wayne College to offer an introductory session on 3D printing. Well over 50 people of all ages attended that evening. We talked about how 3D printing works, how it affects our everyday lives, promoted careers in engineering, and how the future may be shaped by this technology. As usual, the presentation was a big hit among kids and adults alike with lots of questions.

Barry Romich was also present to introduce the possibility of a makerspace to be created in downtown Wooster. If you are interested in this endeavor, please reply to this e-mail to request more information.