Hello everyone,

The Fall semester is coming to a close as we reach Finals Week in mid-December.  Despite the chill weather, the smell of Fall leaves pervades campus grounds and some trees are still arrayed in beautiful color. 

To celebrate the season, students, staff, and faculty enjoyed taking time out of their day for food, treats, and activities at UA Wayne’s Jack O’Lantern Jubilee.  We have some very creative people here at Wayne College as shown in the department pumpkin carving contest!  Many around campus decorated tables and gave out fun stickers and other giveaways, candy, and make & takes. The 3D Lab made shiny 3D printed ghosts that glowed by tealight, themed stickers, 3D printed pumpkins that were decorated with face stickers!

Everyone is welcome to visit the lab to learn 3D printing and make stickers, buttons, and laser engraved gifts.  We show you how to use the equipment; you make the stuff!  Please see the attached list of services that we can help you make.

To plan a visit, please let us know the day & time of your arrival via tjh1@uakron.edu or 330-684-8722 so that we have staff available.  People under the age of 18 need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Our hours of operation are listed here.

Student and 3D staff Cait finds more creative ways to use our Roland BN2-20A, a solvent ink printer.  It is very popular with our students and staff for making glossy, durable die-cut stickers.  But it can also make outdoor vinyl banners, canvas prints, full-color t-shirt decals, and more.

Lately, Cait made stickers were used for potions at a party.  She and her friends gathered different materials to make glittery water in bottles and wanted to use stickers to name them.  Cait used AI and Photoshop to make the labels and printed them on the solvent ink printer.  We have a large variety of sticker material such as glossy white, pearl, glitter, and many textured colors.  Our special “adhesive fabric” was wonderful for the texture and color of her stickers.  Great job, Cait!

Community members also enjoy the 3D Lab’s dye sublimation printer.  This machine is a modded Epson inkjet printer, replacing its normal ink with inexpensive sublimation ink sold by InkOwl.  Graphics are printed onto special dye sublimation paper, creating our own full-color “iron-on” transfer sheets!  These can be heat pressed onto clothing and specially coated items such as ceramic mugs, luggage tags, jigsaw puzzles, mousepads, and a lot more.  Google “dye sublimation blanks” for items that you can bring to the lab to make!  Below community members made beautiful full-color mugs and custom hoodies.

In our education programs, a “mentor teacher” is an experienced teacher who demonstrates expertise in the classroom regarding teaching and learning, is skilled in interpersonal relationships, and is interested in giving back to the profession by guiding a student teacher or field experience student.  

We recognize mentor teachers with an award created in the 3D Lab!  Amazon sells clear acrylic panels that have a mirror finish on one side, perfect for laser cutting & engraving.  A reverse image is engraved on the back of the panel (with the mirror coating).  The front then shows the image in shiny mirror.  The acrylic is then laser-cut (in this case, apple shaped), then mounted on a 3D printed base that Cait designed.  The result is quite classy!

Another idea for creating trophies and awards is tri-chromatic filament, a special kind of PLA “silk” filament that can be used in most 3D printers.  A strand of filament contains three colors at once, similar to toothpaste with swirled color in it.  Anything you print has different colors when viewed at different angles; it’s mesmerizing!  Stop-by the 3D Lab to try some out.

Stay tuned next month as we reveal more interesting things happening the 3D Lab!

Until then,

Tom

The Biggest Things You Can 3D Printhttps://all3dp.com/1/large-scale-3d-printing-the-ultimate-guide

3D Printed Toys – The 35 Best 3D Prints for Kidshttps://all3dp.com/2/3d-printed-toys-distract-kids

Maker Faire Wayne County 2024 is a wrap!  Click here to see makers who participated this year.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday Nov. 18, 2024. 7-9 pm It will be held at the Romich Maker Space in Creston focusing on anyone who has built something from a previous class.  Click here to learn more.

Check-out this makerspace’s upcoming events on their monthly calendar.  Click here for more information.

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.