Hello everyone,
Warm weather is temptingly here to stay with the glorious 60-degree temps today! With cold weather subsiding, people are venturing outdoors for hobbies, exercise, and yardwork. Students and community members use the 3D Lab makerspace regardless of the weather for making things; the electronic machines seem to work best inside without rain or snow falling on them.
Lately, we’ve been spending a lot of time with the CNC milling machine funded by the Wayne County Community Foundation. It carves signage as well as three dimensional shapes out of wood and other hard materials. I’ll explain more about this amazing machine later in this email. Equipment repair is a regular thing in any makerspace. We are currently repairing our dissolvable filament 3D printer provided by The College of Wooster; a community member is using this printer for a project just for that purpose!
John Marino of Cross View Church lately found an interesting use for the 3D Lab’s laser engraver. An engraver can etch text and images onto extruded acrylic, the result having a sand blasted appearance.
When light side is applied to the acrylic’s edge, it passes through the clear material, only to be seen on the opposite edge. In many electronic gadgets, that is how light passes from an LED on a circuit board to the gadget’s case as a power light, status light, etc. With John’s acrylic project, light also catches on the engraved imagery. The result is a glowing image that appears to float in mid-air.
As an aside, engraved images onto extruded acrylic have a transparent effect where the image is barely seen. Cast acrylic is best for this project.
Cutting and engraving acrylic is easily done with the 3D Lab’s laser engraver. To light the design, Amazon sells inexpensive bases with battery or USB powered LEDs built in! Here and here are examples of such bases.
If you want to try this project yourself, the 3D Lab has an ample supply of acrylic for you to use at no cost, courtesy of Wooster Glass Company. Stop-by the 3D Lab with a lighted base and we’ll help you create a glowing design!
This week is a 3D Lab tour; we introduce you to our CNC milling machine, the Roland MDX-40A.
What is a CNC milling machine, you may ask? A milling machine (without the “CNC”) carves shapes out of flat or cylindrical material, such as wood. The cutting tool is a rotating bit (or “mill”) much like a drill that is mounted vertically. The drill is manually moved up and down, left and right, as it carves the wood. The bed moves forward and backward as well.
The “CNC” part of “CNC milling machine” means that the motion of the drilling tool and motion of the bed are controlled by computer. If you draw text and simple graphics on the screen, the machine can carve it into the wood automatically.
What can you make with a CNC milling machine? Lots of things! Signs and plaques, especially. Also gears, lampshades, furniture, sculptures, jewelry, clocks, and so much more. Check-out this Pinterest page and also here for ideas.
The milling machine at the Wayne College 3D Lab can mill most kinds of wood, most plastics, and interesting things like cork, ceramic, bone, glass, wax, hard foam, even gold and silver! It does not mill other metals, however. The milling area is 12×12”. The machine can mill detail as fine as 1/64”.
Our CNC mill can also carve three dimensional shapes, similar to a 3D printer! You can carve shapes into flat wood such as the above frieze. The software uses the same design files (STL) as used with a 3D printer.
The Roland MDX-40A also has a rotary that allows cylindrical or cubed pieces to be carved. For example, you can carve chess pieces out of 2” dowel rods bought at Lowe’s or blocks of wood such as 2×2 or 2×4. The material is slowly rotated as the drill moves up and down, left and right, to carve into it.
If you want to make something on the CNC mill but need a design, check-out these websites here and here, many of which offer designs that you can download for free.
Feel free to stop-by the 3D Lab; we’ll be happy to show you how to work the machine. It’s a rewarding way to get into woodworking!
This 3D printer prints with sawdust https://hackaday.com/2021/06/13/sawdust-printer-goes-against-the-grain-by-working-with-wood-waste/
This handheld printer makes human skin
https://all3dp.com/4/handheld-skin-3d-printer-can-help-severe-burn-victims
Powered by a Raspberry Pi, this cute, little planter personifies a plant to report indoor air qualityhttps://www.instructables.com/Coughing-Planter
Maker Faire Wayne County 2022 is happening! May 21, 2022. It’s our fourth year at Wayne College and is an unforgettable experience. Space is limited, so apply today to participate!
https://waynecounty.makerfaire.com
Maker Monday is postponed out of COVID19 precautions. Please check www.schantzmakerspace.com for future meeting dates, workshops, and activities as some dates have changed.
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.