UAWC3 Lab (Page 20)

Hello everyone, The Spring 2015 semester begins next week.  The 3D Lab is ready for another exciting semester.  As with last January, our engineering students will design model rockets, some using 3D printed parts.  Last year’s rockets were quite creative, so we are excited to see how the printers and vinyl cutter will be used this year. A big announcement is the receipt of a generous grant from The Romich Foundation for a laser engraver!  These incredibly diverse machines are used for engraving/etching designs onto wood, metal, plastic, even onto laptops, leather, foam, etc.  The laser also cuts out shapes from wood, plastic, and otherRead More →

Hello everyone, With the holidays fast approaching and students on winter break, the 3D Lab is still going strong. Betty Rogge has graciously offered to record instructional videos for the equipment use in the lab, starting with the 3D printers. Morgan will write scripts and Dusty will star in the episodes. I’ve been told that the videos will have a Crocodile Dundee flair to them; so they should be quite interesting. We should have our first video available in a few weeks! Dusty and Kenny have improved the design of the portable 3D printer’s spool holder as the existing one was falling apart. The newRead More →

Hello everyone, The 3D Lab is quiet today, being the last day of the semester.  Several engineering students are staying through winter break to work on projects in the lab, notably creating a large vinyl sign for Student Services, designing a scissor lift for the Chemistry Lab, offering CAD lessons to a handful of community members and one company, and anything else that we can dream up.  Morgan and Ifrah decorated the lab for Christmas, including a cute tree with a 3D printed “Mario star”. The highlight of this week’s activities was a trip to Kingsway Christian School on the south end of Orrville.  NathanRead More →

Hello everyone, As the semester draws to a close, students are scrambling to study for finals and finish major projects.  The 3D Lab is the perfect hang-out place for students of any discipline, whether it’s using the 3D printers and vinyl cutter, doing homework, having pizza parties, or just hanging out.  It is a beautiful thing to see everyone coming together to share ideas and work on projects together, academic or not.  That is what makerspaces are all about!  We are so thankful to the donors who made this environment possible. The highlight of last week’s activity was the egg drop project.  Engineering students designedRead More →

Hello everyone, This has certainly been the week for the UAWC³ Lab connecting with community.  We welcome businesses, schools, and community members to the lab for free tours and CAD lessons.  And boy, have they come! Dusty is into his fourth week of CAD lessons for representatives of Cerco, a leader in industrial ceramic solutions.  About 4-5 employees are taught advanced concepts in AutoCAD 2015.  Yesterday, Dusty taught them how to create a plastic water bottle, complete with threaded cap.  We are thankful that we can offer services to this company. Earlier yesterday afternoon, four students from Kingsway Christian School arrived for an introduction toRead More →

Hello everyone With three weeks remaining before finals, the Wayne makerspace is in high-gear with students designing and printing projects.  Dusty is assisting the instructor with student teaching Tools for Engineering class, initiating a new assignment that wasn’t possible before: designing working motors.  The motors are entirely 3D printed, operate by hand, and have no glue to attach the parts.  It is amazing the complex designs they are producing (and printing)! We are using filament like it is going out of style.  Before we run out, Will and I are still tweaking the filament maker to extrude the correct thickness of filament, then we canRead More →

Hello everyone, With mid-semester upon us, this has to be the busiest time our makerspace has yet experienced.  For the past week or so, all three printers are under continual use, mostly from the engineering students printing motor parts, the RC Club printing airplane parts, student printing their own things, etc.  All three are humming along with minor problems here and there.  I didn’t expect this, but students now ask if we will buy more 3D printers, given they have to wait and take turns using them. Friday before last, Kevin Platz and kids from the Orrville Boys & Girls club and the mayor ofRead More →

Hello everyone, We are pleased to announce the newest addition to the Wayne makerspace, a professional vinyl cutter!  Though a generous grant from AT&T to the Orrville Boys & Girls Club, this machine allows the creation of stick-on graphics, lettering, and decals.  These have adhesive backing for application onto windows, laptops, cars, walls, basically any flat surface.  We also have a heat press for transferring designs onto t-shirts. Many thanks to Kevin Platz (Executive Director of OBAGC) who made this possible.  If anyone would like to see and learn how to use this device, please stop by!  As Sarah Jane notes, it is so easyRead More →

Hello everyone, The engineering students are using the Wayne makerspace practically full-time, thankfully all three printers are basically working well.  Students are designing motor parts for their current projects, some will be hand operated while others will be powered by air pressure.  Their CAD designs are amazing. We are always up for a challenge to create and fix things, too.  One of the tutors in the Learning Center owns a “string trimmer” that is basically a weed eater in a lawn mower form factor.  The company went out of business, so he could not obtain replacement trimmer line.  After bringing a sample to the makerspace,Read More →

Hello everyone, There are so many things going on at the Wayne makerspace that it is difficult to keep track of them.  The lab seems to have a life of its own, given the students who are pursuing all sorts of projects. Aside from the LEGO robots being built by students in the Tools for Engineering class, the R/C Club has made the makerspace their home.  For the past couple of weeks, students are cutting airplane parts from foam board, printing motor mounts, propellers, and firewalls with the 3D printers, designing complex assemblies in CAD, etc.  It’s amazing what 3D printing makes possible with thisRead More →