Hello everyone,
The second week of Fall semester brought a number of new faces to the 3D Lab. Many of whom are engineering students, but quite a few from other majors, general studies, and high school students via College Credit Plus. The lab has become a gathering place for those curious about 3D printing, starting new projects, or just simply enjoying the “techie” atmosphere.
We are excited for this semester’s group of engineering students as they will build LEGO Mindstorms robots to compete in a variety of challenges such as climbing stairs and the famous Battle Bots tournament. Students use 3D printers to create modified parts for their robots such as plows, claws, and other implements of mayhem. Stay tuned as we reveal the first contest in a couple of weeks!
A couple of weeks ago, community member Norm was tasked with fabricating a rubber stamp for a community organization. A lesser-known fact about laser engravers is that they are perfect for making stamps! The lasering software supports “stamp mode” which etches away layers of rubber, leaving behind the stamp design that is raised above the rubber substrate. In addition, thin vertical shapes in the design are beveled wider at the base to strengthen them, like mountain peaks. Some of the beveling can be seen in the example below:
Norm created the stamp design at home as 2D clipart, then imported and cleaned up the design with Corel DRAW in the 3D Lab. The image was reversed, then lasered onto inexpensive rubber carving material from Pat Catan’s. The first iteration turned out nicely:
It took about five passes at medium laser intensity to progressively etch the rubber without melting it. Norm used a utility knife to cut the stamp into a round shape, though we found later that the laser can easily cut that as well. The laser engraver is also perfect for making a wooden handle! We found a design on Thingiverse that fit the bill.
If you are interested in creating rubber stamps of your own, stop by the 3D Lab! You can buy dedicated rubber stamp material here or can try Pat Catan’s rubber carving material from your local store.
We had the pleasure of meeting Ben from the University of Virginia. He works in the Department of Art with an interest in archaeology. Using the 3D printers in the lab, Ben designed and produced miniature maps of active excavation sites and period art pieces, such as votives and pottery.
The excavation site replicas were printed on our plastic filament based 3D printers, while the votive and vase were reproduced on the high resolution resin printer in the lab. Resin printers involve a tray of liquid resin that is selectively hardened with a fast moving laser. Objects are literally created and lifted out of the tray as seen here, resulting in detailed prints. Once printed, Department of Art staff painted the vase using an onscreen image as a guide.
3D printers allow these delicate pieces to be accurately reproduced and handled by the public without risk to the original. Many thanks to Ben for giving the 3D Labs a chance to make his ideas a reality!
Earlier this year, the 3D Lab was invited to go “on the road” to visit Girl Scout Troop 1695 in Wooster for a guest presentation. The scouts were very polite and interested in the portable 3D printer that was brought to their meeting. There were lots of questions about how 3D printers work, their real-world application, and how anyone can become an engineer with simply an idea, enthusiasm to learn, and a dose of creativity.
During the presentation, the scouts voted to 3D print a frog with ripples on its back as musical instrument. I would not be surprised if it is now their troop mascot!
The 3D Lab is open to the community all semester, so feel free to stop-in to get creative! The lab is open from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. on Saturday. Group tours are welcome; please let us know the day & time that your group plans to arrive to ensure staff availability. The 3D Lab also makes off-site demonstration to your school, community meetings, and clubs/organizations. Please reply to this email to setup a day & time.
See how an XBox Kinect is used at M.I.T. to create “Sue the Tyrannosaurus Rex”:
Laser engravers not only make rubber stamps, but embossing seals as well:
https://hackaday.com/2018/04/02/emboss-your-own-seals-with-a-laser-cutter
Make this fun hand launched Red Baron glider on a 3D printer:
Learn how to turn your kids’ drawings into 3D printed toys:
https://makezine.com/2018/03/19/turning-kids-drawing-3d-printed-toy
Don’t miss the next “Maker Monday” which is Monday, September 17th, 7:00 p.m. at their Wooster location on 5200 Cleveland Road. SCORE is presenting, a nonprofit volunteer group that offers workshops and one-on-one counseling to existing and prospective small-business owners
We offer a free “listserv” that allows to you ask questions to members in the makerspace. It’s great for sharing ideas, forming friendships, and helping & advising each other. To join, send an email to listserv@lists.uakron.edu with
“SUBSCRIBE MAKERSPACE-GROUP” in the subject line.