Hello everyone,
With the pleasant (and somewhat alarming) snowfall a couple of weeks ago, it feels more like the holidays than ever! The fall semester finished up; engineering students risked robotic life-and-limb with the annual Battle Bots Tournament while others completed homework and chilled in the tranquil 3D Lab environment. Having finished their final round of exams, our students look forward to a month of taking it easy and being with loved ones.
The 3D Lab is open weekdays through Wednesday, December 22nd from 8:00-4:00 p.m. After that, the 3D Lab is closed for the holidays until Monday, January 3rd.
If you have projects that need 3D printed, laser engraved, vinyl signage made, etc., reply to this email or call at the number below with the day & time that you plan to arrive.
Why buy Christmas gifts when you can make them? Handmade gifts are original and have sentimental value; they also are a “gift” to the maker simply from the joy of creating something new! Tessa, one of our community members, enlisted the help of her father to cut wine bottles in-half, creating one-of-a-kind drinking glasses. She then designed emblems with family names that were laser engraved onto the glasses, creating images with a nice, frosted look. The result was low-cost, original, and quite lovely!
Our Epilog-brand laser engraver has a wonderful company behind it, providing top-notch support years after ownership. They also have a webpage full of creative ideas of things. Epilog calls it their Sample Club where people from all over the world submit pictures and instructions for others to replicate in their own makerspaces.
One such idea is an intricate wreath, laser carved from 1/8” plywood, then sprayed with glitter paint. Our staff added a red, wooden bow with a family’s name engraved on it, resulting in a beautiful, personalized Christmas gift. Epilog included the design files for cutting the 12” wreaths, so it was a piece of cake to make these.
Want to make 3D printed gifts for loved ones? Visit Thingiverse for gift ideas! Check out these beautiful ornaments that you can make on a 3D printer.
Merry Christmas!
Tom