3D printed trumpets, bevel cutter guides, and trip to Orrville High School

Hello everyone,

It’s hard to believe that almost 2-1/2 years passed since the birth of the University of Akron Wayne College 3D Lab. Starting with one Makerbot printer on a side table in my office (thanks to the Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust), we now have not only a dedicated room and more equipment, but more importantly, a community of “makers” whose lives are enriched daily by inventing and connecting with each other. What an adventure it’s been! If you want to read about our past activities, please visit our blog here. You will certainly find something that perks your interest.

Progress on the Wayne County Mini Maker Faire is coming along smoothly. We have chosen a tentative date of May 13, 2017, so mark your calendars for this extraordinary event! What makes a Maker Maker it is makers (pun intended). If you are a tech enthusiast, crafter, educator, tinkerer, hobbyist, farmer, engineer, gardener, author, scientist, artist, student, or anything in-between, we want to hear from you! Everyone has something worthwhile to bring to a Maker Faire. Please send an email to tjh1@uakron.edu if you wish to participate!

At the 3D Lab, two students embarked on an ambitious project, 3D printing a working musical instrument! David and his friend found a promising design of a trumpet on www.thingiverse.com and are printing its various parts, cleaning and tweaking each piece to fit perfectly together. I think this is the design they chose to print; follow the link to see a video of the trumpet in-action.

They already made some rudimentary sounds with the unfinished build, so the working final result is just around the corner! What a fun summer project to work on.

In Holmes County, OhioMeansJob recently hosted a job fair at New Pointe Community Church. There, companies attendees were interviewed on-site as they perused the various booths. Wayne College’s presence at the fair was a big hit, not just for recruiting students and adults interested in careers, but also because of the 3D printer that we brought to the event! Below, Carol Pleuss talked to a continual stream of folks fascinated with the technology. Who ever thought that plastic would be so interesting?

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Last week, Jacob from The Will-Burt Company in Orrville used printers in the 3D Lab to improve their machinery. They use a bevel cutter to shape round edges on metal, similar to what a router does to wood. The cutter produces fine shavings that fly everywhere, damaging clothing and making a mess on the floor.

Jacob designed a custom “chip guard” in SolidWorks that directs shavings as they fall. The guard was printed in HIPS plastic for strength on our Taz 3D printers, donated by the Wayne County Community Foundation. The beauty of 3D printing is that improved parts can be redesigned and printed immediately, not weeks or months for traditional fabrication. Over the course of several days and prototypes, Jacob soon had a chip guard that was perfect for the job!

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A few weeks ago, Wayne College was invited to Orrville High School to talk about 3D printing, its impact in the world, and to promote the spirit of inventing, creativity, and careers in engineering. Students of any age are curious about this “new” technology that’s been around for 25 years and this trip was no exception! We spoke to three classes of seniors and answered a barrage of questions, from 3D printed human organs (google “3D printed thyroid”) to entire concrete houses printed in two days! The portable 3D printer was a bit hit, as always.

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In bigger news, the University of Akron’s EX[L] Center (Experiential Learning Center) was recently honored during the National Maker Faire held in Washington D.C. EX[L]’s enables students to emerge as civically engaged, skilled and adaptable leaders, ready to take on real-world challenges. In addition, EX[L] Founding Director Jeff Hoffman was Keynote Speaker for the National Week of Making, a yearly recognition of the inventor in all of us, promoted by President Obama. EX[L] was at The White House as one of 50 projects honored for its commitment!

Last but not least, we are always thrilled when students and community members get their creative juices flowing with the laser engraver. Most of this enablement is possible by P. Graham Dunn in Dalton who provides material to learn engraving with. Below is a beautiful wood plaque made by a community member. She used Corel DRAW to create the design. And below that, a former student engraved and cut thick paper to make cards for a new board game that he invented. Creative stuff!

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