UAWC3 Lab (Page 18)

Hello everyone, It’s been an exciting week in the 3D Lab.  Even though the lab sees less use by students during the summer, our staff is making good use of the equipment.  Various employees are learning the laser engraver which involves studying a safety guide, taking a written safety & use test, and demonstrating proper use.  This technology is more approachable and easier to use than 3D printing; it allows people to become interested in making and inventing with basic computer skills. Our summer camp is into its second week and is a big success.  Last week, kids from the Orrville Area Boys and GirlsRead More →

Hello everyone, Our kids summer camp is off to a good start.  Not only did the Orrville Area Boys & Girls Club fly radio controlled aircraft for the first time, members of the Wayne County R/C Flight Club joined us!  It was an exciting time for the kids with Chris and Nathan as camp instructors.  We’ll report more on this next week. The big news in the 3D Lab is the laser engraver is now fully operational!  The Maintenance Department connected the exhaust fan (to remove smoke/fumes), the air compressor feed (to reduce flare-ups while cutting), and T.S.S. connected the engraver to our network. WeRead More →

Hello everyone, The 3D Lab at Wayne College is undergoing equipment upgrades and improvements over the summer, so we certainly have our hands busy.  We are happy to announce that two additional 3D printers have been awarded by Carl E. Congdon, Jr. and Susanna Congdon McIntyre Memorial Fund, a component of the Wayne County Community Foundation.  This equipment will help us alleviate the heavy use of our existing printers and reducing wait times of students wanting to use them.  This is especially important during “crunch times” when student projects are due. The new printers (Lulzbot Taz 5) support multi-material printing, including rubber filament (wheels, gaskets,Read More →

With summer classes starting this week, the 3D Lab is taking a break to recover from a hectic Spring semester.  We have a lot of work planned to improve the room and prepare for the coming semester.  Some of the larger projects involve the installation of the laser engraver and resin 3D printer, improvements of our filament recycling system, and preparing for summer camp with the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club.  We are thankful to have staff in the 3D Lab over the summer to help with these endeavors. Early last month, the Replay for Kids organization hosted a workshop at Wayne College. VolunteersRead More →

Hello everyone, With the spring semester officially ending this Saturday, activity is temporarily winding down in the 3D Lab.  We have a lot planned for this summer’s work.  The laser engraver will be fully installed as well as a new resin printer and up to three more 3D printers to setup and learn.  These will better handle the printing demand during the upcoming fall semester.  With our summer community outreach, we plan to present at the OHECC conference at Miami University about our experiences in building a makerspace.  And starting soon is a 10-week summer camp that teaches kids from the Orrville Boys and GirlsRead More →

With finals being underway this week, students use the 3D Lab to complete homework, tutor each other, study for finals, 3D print items of interest, and just “hang-out”.  It is a wonderful place for collaboration for disciplines of many types, not just engineering. Even as the semester draws to a close, plans are already in the works for an exciting summer, especially for the Orrville Boys and Girls Club.  We are organizing a summer camp where kids will build model R/C airplanes from scratch.  This project involves most technology in the room, including laser cutting, 3D printing, electronics, and vinyl cutting.  Stay tuned for moreRead More →

Hello everyone, This was an exciting week for engineering students in the Dynamics class.  Having finished calculating, designing, and fabricating model rockets (most of them 3D printed), students and onlookers withstood a cold, windy Monday morning to watch their rockets take flight.  Most rockets flew straight and true, quickly lost in the low hanging clouds above.  There were some interesting designs including a triple-engine rocket that regrettably ran haywire from one engine that failed to ignite.  Some parachutes deployed and some did not as students scoured the surrounding field when the rockets hit ground. Rocket nosecones, including the huge triple-engine nosecone Preparing rockets for launchRead More →

Hello everyone, The 3D Lab has been the center of all things aerial lately.  Engineering students enrolled in the Dynamics class are busy printing model rockets, R/C Flight Club members are designing planes and gliders, while others are experimenting with drones.  The R/C club recently took a field trip to the MAPS Air Museum, more on that experience later this week. Chris recently purchased a tri-copter drone that is powerful enough to support a GoPro digital camera.  He built the aircraft from a kit, so 3D printed parts were not needed.  After calibrating its three propellers and engines to be synchronized, the drone took itsRead More →

Hello everyone, As the 3D Lab grows beyond its first year, we are polishing the initiative’s rough edges by establishing policies, maintenance and operations schedules, and documentation.  In addition to the wonderful introductory video made by Betty Rogge, Morgan Silvey, and Dusty Ball, tutorial videos are being produced that demonstrate how to use the 3D Lab equipment.  This is no small undertaking as video shooting and editing is intensive work.  Many thanks to our video team for doing this. We now have easy-to-follow PDF instructions for our equipment, written specifically from our experiences in the 3D Lab.  The instructions even have pictures!  You are welcomeRead More →

Hello everyone,  Now into the final month of the semester, our engineering students are currently building and performing physics calculations on their model rockets.  Some student 3D print nosecones and rocket fins/bodies, others choose different fabrication methods.  Because the three printers are in high demand, we now have reservation boards next to each printer to queue student use.  Thankfully all three printers are working well during this “crunch time”. Last Friday, eight young adults from the Orrville Boys and Girls Club visited Wayne College to learn more about 3D printing, CAD design, and other creative pursuits.  Using donated square wooden plaques, I engraved a checkboardRead More →