Hello everyone,
The start of Spring semester begins next week. We’ve been busy in the 3D Lab, preparing for another semester of interesting projects. We are replentishing our filament supply, calibrating 3D printers, and making progress with the Electronics Station. Engineering students build model rockets this semester, many of which are modeled in CAD software then 3D printed. Exciting times are coming up once again!
Speaking of engineering, last semester witnessed the annual Battle Bots Tournament. Students build robots using LEGO Mindstorms kits, the goal of which involves pushing and/or disable the opponent’s robot to fall over the arena’s edge. It’s always creative, entertaining, and generates plenty of laughs.
Some robots sport plows, others are covered with armor, while another used an arm to flip the opposing robot once it neared the edge. The winner was a small, nimble robot with plenty of torque for pushing things around. Quite entertaining to watch!
Spinning appendages and flailing arms
Wirelessly controlled robots
Outlandish robots face-off
The final match! (winning robot on right)
Many thanks to Scott Gold who organized the event and Dusty who referee’d.
In the 3D printing arena, students create things purely from their imaginations. Nathan devised a clever “puzzle box” that is impossible to open without knowing its special trick. While there are plenty of puzzle box designs on www.thingiverse.com, Nathan came-up with his own idea. The result is below:
This box is difficult to open! The key to the design are loosely fitting, horizontal pins that shift from centrifugal force. When the box is closed (lid affixed), these internal pins push inward to latch the lid shut. The “trick” is spinning the box like a top, which moves the pins away from the lid’s internal lip. The only way to open the box is to spin it first! Holding the box at any angle always keeps some of the pins engaged with the lid.
As the holidays drew near last month, a number of students used the 3D Lab to make gifts for friends & family. For example, a student’s girlfriend is an avid Star Wars fan. To celebrate the new movie, Caleb 3D printed a scale model of an Advanced TIE Fighter. Due to its complexity, the model was printed in various parts, then assembled. This minimized the need for printing temporary plastic to support overhangs and recesses. The model turned out beautifully, printed on our Taz 5 3D printers furnished by the Wayne County Community Foundation.
Also commemorating the holidays, Caleb used the laser engraver to create Christmas ornaments that were given to students. Using blank ornaments generously provided by P. Graham Dunn, Caleb used vector art software (Corel DRAW) to arrange the college logo onto various ornament shapes.
Because the ornaments are not square, precisely positioning the logo was accomplished with “center engraving”. He used a red dot laser to mark the center of the ornament, then instructed the laser to print the logo’s center at the center of the dot. This technique is also used to engrave verbiage on pencils. Good job, Caleb!
Stay tuned next week as we kick-off an exciting first week in the 3D Lab!
See how consumer 3D printers are used to grow cartilage on scaffolding made from ordinary PLA filament:
http://stories.makerbot.com/post/110171358968/experiments-with-bio-ink
3D printed artificial limb technology is advancing by leaps and bounds. This one is only $300 and is controlled via smartphone:
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/23/this-300-cybernetic-arm-gets-its-smarts-from-your-cellphone
Until next week,
Tom