Hello everyone,
The Fall semester is finishing its fifth week. What a joy to see many students roaming the halls and taking classes at Wayne College. If you haven’t been to campus in a while, be sure to check-out the trees just beginning to change into their fall apparel! Our engineering classes are packed with students in the Tools for Engineering section. We are excited to see the robots and 3D printed projects they will be churning out in the coming weeks.
In case you haven’t heard, the 3D Lab is a great place to make personalized gifts! Our laser engraver, vinyl cutter, dye sublimation printer, and heat press are particularly useful for this. You can bring your own items to personalize or use an assortment of materials donated by P. Graham Dunn. We will help you with the design and artwork then show you how to use the equipment. Need gift ideas? Check out this excellent list of laser engraver projects, complete with instructions!
Students in the Tools for Engineering class are currently learning computer aided design and robotics. Some of their designs will be 3D printed in our lab as class assignments and some will invent 3D printed implements (read tools of destruction) to enhance their battle bots for the end-of-semester competition.
The current project is controlling motion accuracy; robots move between two waypoints to land within a narrow marker. It’s not as easy as it sounds, as trajectory can be deviated by tire size, weight distribution, and the tolerances (or lack thereof) with individual motors. It’s the first step to advanced tasks that will happen in the coming weeks, such as the stair step climbing challenge!
The 3D Lab’s dye sublimation printer has been popular as of late, in conjunction with the flat-bed and mug heat presses. The printer is a run-of-the-mill inkjet printer where we replaced the ink with special dye subliation ink that prints onto special paper. The printouts are basically iron-transfer sheets of yesteryear.
In this case, a community member used ceramic mugs with a special coating for sublimation. The printout is taped face-in on the mug’s exterior, then placed in the heat press for several minutes at 400 degrees. We learned that the residue heat can oversaturate the ink (causing banding), so we place the mugs in water immediately after pressing. It’s a great way to get full-color, high contrast photos and designs onto mugs and tumblers!
Earlier this summer, the 3D Lab was involved in Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare’s Camp Waves of Emotion, a four-day grief camp for children ages 7-12 who have lost a parent, sibling, or significant loved one. During camp, a bereavement counseling professional and trained staff utilize art, music, play, and grief curriculum to assist children in identifying their unspoken feelings and process their grief.
For our part at camp, we helped kids dye sublimate photos of loved ones onto plastic pendants. They also laser engraved names, pictures, and phrases onto wooden items in the laser engraver. All of the children liked this creative expression of their feelings and take home something in remembrance.
Stay tuned next month as we reveal more interesting things happening the 3D Lab!
Until then,
Tom
3D Printed Basketball Debuts at NBA All-Star Weekendhttps://all3dp.com/4/3d-printed-basketball-debuts-at-nba-all-star-weekend/
The 25 Best 3D Printer Projects for Kids in 2023https://all3dp.com/2/best-3d-printer-projects-for-kids-ideas/
Maker Faire Wayne County 2024 is happening on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds! Space is limited, so sign-up soon! Click here for more information.
Assemble and learn to use a 3D printer with a two-day workshop on October 7th and 14th! Visit www.schantzmakerspace.com for more information.
Be sure to attend Make-it Monday, a monthly open meeting every second Monday at 6:00-8:00 p.m. Visit https://applecreekhistoricalsociety.com/maker-space to learn more.
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.