Illinois Makerlab Collaborates with Makers for Covid-19

Since this past September, the Illinois Makerlab has been serving as a chapter of Makers for Covid-19, a nonprofit dedicated towards providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to organizations and people in need. Makers for Covid-19 has donated over 80,000 units of PPE across the world, serving over 250 hospitals. They have members in 30 states across the U.S. and 8 countries.

Karina Popovich, the founder of Makers for Covid-19, communicated with us on how to formulate a plan in order to provide PPE to our local community. Our team at the lab, consisting of one guru, Andrea Amador, and volunteers Duncan Cleary, Kristine Xie, and Shirley Shah, have worked hard to try and provide for the Champaign-Urbana community. So far, they have gotten orders from C-U at Home, and hope to get involved with neighboring towns that are in need of PPE as well.

The focus of our chapter here at the Makerlab is to print face shields and ear savers to combat the spread of the Covid-19 virus. We hope to expand our outreach so we can keep providing to places that are in need in the future.

Please let us know if you know of any organizations such as health clinics, homeless shelters, or retirement homes in the Champaign-Urbana area that are in need of personal protective equipment!

Illinois MakerLab Launches 1-to-1 Virtual Tutoring

This summer, the Illinois MakerLab launched a new service where clients would be able to receive one on one tutoring in regard to 3D Printing and Design. Due to the current situation, this service has been fulfilled virtually which allows our Gurus to connect with clients anywhere. Anthony Valiaveedu assisted our first client, Mac, who has shared his testimonial about this new service:

What was your problem before you began receiving 1:1 Tutoring Sessions?

“There wasn’t really a problem, I just wanted to get to know more about 3D printing and design in general.”

What results have you gotten after these sessions?

“I learned much about Fusion, blueprints, printers, etc.”

What exactly did you like most about the tutoring sessions?

“Maybe the homework since I’m always really absorbed in my work.”

If you were to recommend our service to your best friend, what would you say?

“If you ever get into 3D printing or something there’s this guy who works with me on that kind of thing. If you’re interested I could ask him about it.”

What made you choose our service over anything else you could have done such as learning on your own?

“I feel that I would get the most out of learning from some kind of teacher.”

With this new service, you have the opportunity to consult one of our Gurus and discuss your goals of receiving these tutoring sessions. More information can be found here!

If you are interested in 1-to-1 Tutoring Sessions, please reach out to us! We look forward to working with you!

And don’t forget to stay tuned for updates by subscribing to our newsletter, liking us on Facebook, or following us on Snapchat (uimakerlab),  Twitter or Instagram.

Illinois MakerLab Collaborated with Thera-Solutions' Functionalhand

Earlier this Spring, the Illinois MakerLab nominated the Functionalhand by Thera-Solutions as the “Coolest Thing in Illinois” Makers Madness held by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. Thera-Solutions’ mission is to be able to provide materials or strategies that will assist those with disabilities in building their skills.

The Functionalhand is such an innovative tool that assists with grip and increases mobility in doing certain activities. It can be used to either hold items vertically or horizontally, that you could do “anything from painting, writing, brushing teeth, gardening, and holding a water bottle” as stated on their page.

The Illinois MakerLab not only nominated their product and encouraged everyone to vote daily, but also assisted Thera-Solutions in printing more of these at the Lab. The Functionalhand was able to make it to Top 4 in the competition thanks to everyone who voted.

Stay tuned for MakerLab updates by subscribing to our newsletter, liking us on Facebook, or following us on Snapchat(uimakerlab), Twitter or Instagram. Have something you would like help in producing? Contact us and we will help you get started!

Illinois MakerLab Assists in Research Study

Despite the current circumstances, the Illinois MakerLab continues to serve its community and of course, researchers on campus. Sean Preins and his team were struggling to find the perfect sized cuvettes to serve in their study of optical properties of fused silica samples that had been irradiated within the Large Hadron Collider. The Large Hadron Collider allows physicists to test different theories of particle physics. The Illinois MakerLab met their needs by printing custom cuvette holders that were designed by Sean and his team with Autodesk Inventor. These cuvette holders are vital for their study since they submerge their samples held in cuvettes into an index-matching fluid that will give the samples an optically consistent surface as told by Preins.

If you are interested in the Illinois MakerLab assisting you with custom designs, please reach out to us! We look forward to working with you!

And don’t forget to stay tuned for updates by subscribing to our newsletter, liking us on Facebook, or following us on Snapchat (uimakerlab),  Twitter or Instagram.

Illinois MakerLab Holds First Online Summer Camps For Young Students

In the past two weeks, the Illinois MakerLab held its first online summer camps featuring Adventures in 3D Modeling and Design with Tinkercad and SketchUp. Due to the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer camps were adjusted to be taught through Zoom in order to still give students the opportunity to continue their participation in these 3D Modeling and Design camps.

Despite some may finding 3D Modeling as complex, students ages 9 years and up tackled many challenges and successfully built a variety of designs. From building a pencil stand to a rocket, learning the basics and building some complex models has given them the tools to build whatever may come to mind.

Made by Avery B.

Made by Marshall B.

It was important that at the end of the camp, the students would be comfortable showcasing their skills when given the freedom to build a 3D model of their choosing. When the students were asked about the most interesting thing they’ve learned, many pointed out certain tools found in the programs but also creating some fascinating models. 

“Being able to make a chair was the most interesting thing I learned this week.”

— Simon L.

The camp may have ended for these students but after the 4 workshops provided in each session, they are now certified digital makers and will be receiving the prints of their 3D models.

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Stay tuned for MakerLab updates by subscribing to our newsletter, liking us on Facebook, or following us on Snapchat(uimakerlab),  Twitter or Instagram. Want to be featured in a blog post? If you have an interesting story that you would like to tell about making at the lab, share it with us by emailing UIMakerLab@Illinois.edu!

Illinois MakerLab - Empowering Innovations through 3D-Printed Cases

Have you ever wonder what 3D printing can contribute to innovations involving electronics? Illinois MakerLab has the answer.

Recently, Illinois MakerLab was involved in printing cases for a maker Jordan Bodway. Jordan is the project manager for the LittleBeats Device Development Project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The LittleBeats device is a mobile sensing device that collects heart rate, audio, and motion data. The intended users of the device are children and their parents. The device is made out of electronics parts, and here is where 3D printing becomes helpful for the device.

The electronics need to be protected during their use and ensure the device is not breaking due to the electronics breaks during the usage. A 3D printed case can provide the necessary protection to the electronics. Jordan’s project team member mentions, the case protects the electronics and allows interaction with children and their parents without breaking the electronics inside, and it benefits the project by allowing data to be gathered directly from the subjects outside of a lab environment.

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Stay tuned for MakerLab updates by subscribing to our newsletter, liking us on Facebook, or following us on Snapchat(uimakerlab),  Twitter or Instagram. Want to be featured in a blog post? If you have an interesting story that you would like to tell about making at the lab, share it with us by emailing UIMakerLab@Illinois.edu!