UAWC3 Lab (Page 19)

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 →

Hello everyone, Despite being the week of Spring Break, the 3D Lab at Wayne College is still a busy place.  Students came to the college to work on projects for themselves, projects for others, and just to “hang out”.  The R/C flight club also had their weekly meeting on Monday followed by a fun afternoon of flying outside in warm, windy weather.             Roche Harmon from Hiland High School invited Morgan and me to give two presentations on 3D printing, CAD design, and careers in engineering.  We drove through beautiful Amish country to Berlin, Ohio to deliver the presentations.  AsRead More →

Hello everyone, It’s hard to believe how fast the semester flew, quite literally.  With five weeks to go before Finals Week, students will be using 3D printers to build model rockets from their own custom designs.  The 3D Lab is also a popular place for the R/C Airplane Club where students build planes from foam board, 3D printed parts, motors, and batteries.  There are student-made planes scattered around the room; come to A-120 to take a look! Speaking of R/C airplanes, the NE Ohio Electric Festival is happening this weekend at the University of Akron Stile Athletics Field House.  Hundreds of attendees will fly planesRead More →

Hello everyone, The 3D Lab is a continual flurry of activity.  On most days, all three printers are running simultaneously for student, staff, and personal projects.  The printers are working fairly well, though our first printer was having quality issues.  We have service plans for two of the printers, which is a wise investment to keep the machines functional during heavy use.  Nathan noticed that the x-axis belt was loose and could not be tightened, so he installed a replacement belt free of charge from Makerbot.  We received so many parts that it more than pays for the service plan’s annual fee. We are alsoRead More →

Hello everyone, Now into the halfway mark of the semester, activity is picking up in the 3D Lab for student projects.  The Dynamics class builds model rockets this semester based on custom designs, aerodynamic studies, and various fabrication methods (including 3D printing).  We are thankful that all three printers are working well; they have been running simultaneously for most of the week.  One of our students is building a two-stage rocket, creating the design in CAD and building it with our first 3D printer provided by the Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust.  It is a modular design with stacking sets of fins to support eachRead More →

Hello everyone, Things are moving fast in the 3D Lab.  During most hours of the day, there are quite a number of students hanging out, making things, and having fun together.  The laser engraver arrived early this week; we can’t be more excited about that.  The Maintenance department is busy with preparing the area in the lab to receive it.  All three 3D printers are being used practically all day long.  When a printer misbehaves, our engineering students and lab staff are on the problem immediately.  The 3D Lab really is a group effort in maintaining the lab and helping one another. Last semester, CerCoRead More →

Hello everyone, It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since the college received its first 3D printer.  Thanks to the generosity of the dean and the community, we now have a dedicated room, three printers, and other “makerspace” equipment that fosters creativity and invention.  The birth of this space has fostered the growth of the R/C Airplane Club, given engineering students a place to work and collaborate, the ability offer training to schools, companies, and community organizations, and is now an official stop during student orientation!  We’ve come a long way in such a short time. Last weekend, students Chris and Kenny toRead More →

Hello everyone, After taking vacation for a week in the sunny state of Florida, I wondered (and even worried) about how things were going at the Wayne College 3D Lab.  It seems that the room generates a life of its own; there are always a smattering of students working on various projects and hanging out together. Chris (a Wayne College student who also works in the Technical Support Department) is president of the R/C airplane club, now in its second semester.  This past Monday, a sizable group of students and community members flew almost two dozen radio controlled airplanes in the gym.  Part of theRead More →

Hello everyone, It was a fast week at the Wayne College 3D Lab, yet we haven’t even started the model rocket projects yet.  It’s amazing how many projects we start and are asked to do.  And even more amazing (and gratifying) that students offer to help, though it is not related to their course studies nor homework!  The self-driven motivation that the 3D Lab instill into our students is wonderful. Morgan and Word processing are busy creating promotional posters to help students become aware of the 3D Lab.  This was an original idea from Maureen Lerch in the library.  Thanks Maureen!  The posters are nearingRead More →

Hello everyone, The 3D Lab currently sounds like an 80’s arcade machine parlor.  All three printers are chugging away at building objects, producing all sorts of interesting sounds.  Two printers are building parts for our popular “heart gear” that we found on Thingiverse.com (that Dusty redesigned), while the portable printer is creating cute robots that we use as giveaways for visitors and offsite presentations.  The model R/C airplane club is having their first semester meeting in the 3D Lab today; they already have three models will be flying sometime soon. Debbie Muniak (our Events Coordinator at Wayne) connected us with Replay for Kids, an organizationRead More →