Meet the Maker- Adrian Radocea

The MakerLab was proud to show off some 3D printing at Engineering Open House(EOH) this year! EOH is a two day event every year in the spring semester were every single engineering RSO sets up a table and shows off their skills to high school and middle school students. This year we had multiple groups come in to 3D print objects to use as demonstrations for their tables. One such student was, Adrian Radocea. Adrian is currently earning his PHD here at Illinois. His group needed a demo model to show how they use a specific type of microscope. His design models what the tool looks like and how it is used in the researching lab. His 3D printed model makes it easy to show students what their RSO does on campus. And the best part? Adrian did this all through our online ordering system! He simply uploaded his STL files onto 3D hubs and the next day he had a perfect demo to show off at EOH. Watch the video below to learn more about his #designstory at the MakerLab. https://youtu.be/YCFnxrQKupQ

Meet The Maker- Shivani Patel

People come into the lab to print all sorts of amazing things. And every print has its own story. In Shivani Patel's case, that story involved an octopus and some bowls. Shivani came into the MakerLab for an assignment in her Informatics 490: Makerspace class. For her assignment, Shivani decided to create a unique table piece where the octopus would hold a small bowl on each of its hands, and you would be able to place objects in those bowls. She designed this whole model using Tinkercad! This was only the second time she had 3D printed anything but she loves the experience as she learns something new each time she prints an item. Like Shivani, every person who comes into the lab has a story. The question is: What will your story be?

Check out our other stories! 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! Don't forget to like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or Instagram!

Volunteer Spotlight- Will Jones

The MakerLab volunteers are a really important part of the lab. They help day-to-day welcoming makers, and assist with workshops and fixing printers.  Today, we will introduce you to one of our volunteers, Will Jones!

Will is currently a freshman in the Division of General Studies. He is hoping to transfer into Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering next year. Will first came to the MakerLab to print a mount for his GoPro camera. Once he figured out about the opportunity to volunteer here, he signed right up! Since then Will has been an instrumental part of the MakerLab team. He is currently working on getting a 3D workshop using a program known as Mathematica up and running. Mathematica, much as its name infers, uses math to create 3D objects that can then be printed. Will has also done a lot of printing on his own. Just recently Will submitted two prints for a cosplay contest in 3D printing.

Proof that Tony Stark has a heart

This icon model can be found in the first Iron Man movie. This is the arc reactor worn by Tony Stark (aka Iron Man). In this movie, Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts, gives Tony his arc reactor back as a desktop ornament and engraves the words "proof that Tony Stark has a heart" on it. This two day print can be put together fairly easily without the use of glue. An added benefit of the model Will designed is the space in the center of the arc reactor. This space was created to make room for LED lights to make the model light up!

 The Galaxy on Orion's Belt

Men in Black fans will love this replica of the galaxy that hung from the cat, Orion, in the first Men in Black movie. This replica was printed using soluble support structures. These structures dissolve in water once the print is finished, allowing for a smoother print overall. Will ended up painting the final design gold and silver to match the galaxy found in the movie.

Want to be a volunteer at the MakerLab? Apply to join the Spring 2017 MakerLab team! And don't forget! Like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram to get the latest news.

Volunteer Spotlight- Dash Kosaka

dash

The MakerLab volunteers are a really important part of the lab. They help day to day welcoming makers, and assist with workshops and fixing printers.  Today, we will introduce you to one of our volunteers, Dash Kosaka!

Dash started working in the MakerLab his freshman year after being recommended to try it out. When he started working here, he had never before seen a 3D printer before. And he had no idea how a 3D printer even worked. He is now a sophomore majoring in Computer Engineering and is a huge part of the MakerLab team. Dash loves to work with the printers as opposed to the software or modeling. He deals with any problems that occur with the printer malfunctioning. Currently, he is working with our guru, Billy, to get the food printer up and running. Even though he works mostly behind the scenes to make sure the printers actually work, that does not mean he does not print anything. Here is some stuff Dash has printed during his time at the MakerLab.

Meet The Maker - Reese Richardson

Our #makeroftheweek is Reese!

Reese is currently a freshman here at Illinois studying Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Reese came into the MakerLab to print a micro quadcopter frame. A micro quad copter is a mini helicopter that has four rotor blades instead of the typical one. His plan was to make a small enough quadcopter that he could fly it indoors once winter came. Reese found the design for the quadcopter online to print but hopes to design his own frame the next time he comes into print. Once the design was printed, Reese added batteries and controls to the frame so that his quadcopter can actually fly!

Find out about all our makers at http://makerlab.illinois.edu/category/makers/. If you have made something at the lab, and would like to share with us to feature on the blog, drop us a line at http://makerlab.illinois.edu/contact.

Meet the Maker: I-Ning Chen

Free prints on Wednesdays

Free? Did someone say free? Did you know that on Wednesdays in the MakerLab any prints under 1 hour are completely free?

One maker, I-Ning Chen, did.

I-Ning is a student at Illinois obtaining her Master of Science in Technology Management. She fell in love with 3D printing after attending one of our workshops. Since then, she has tried to stop by the MakerLab every Wednesday to print something new. Why Wednesday? Because on Wednesdays any print under 1 hour is free! And who doesn't like free stuff? This is just some of what I-Ning has printed for free on Wednesdays! Be sure to hover over the images to see what I-Ning has to say about 3D printing.

You can make cool prints like our #makeroftheweek I-Ning Chen, just stop by anytime on Wednesdays between 1-4pm. And remember, prints under 1 hour are free!!!

Find out about all our makers and their creations!

If you have made something at the lab, and would like to share with us to feature on the blog, drop us a line.