Provost Adesida visits the MakerLab

University of Illinois, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Ilesanmi Adesida , visited the MakerLab on March 26. He was very interested in this new space housed in the College of Business , which introduces design thinking and allows students to learn by making. He shared his thoughts on how introducing hands on learning earlier in the engineering curriculum has improved student learning, engagement and retention.

He also shared some details of other initiatives which the university is considering to create more such "design" friendly spaces, which would encourage cross-functional collaborations. We are proud to say that the MakerLab, serves this mission of the university very well, with many majors using the lab in the few weeks that we have been open.

Meet your Maker - MakerLab in the news

The article, "Meet your maker: a new approach to product development," written by Cathy Lockman, is the cover story in the Spring 2013 issue of the College of Business's bi-annual magazine, Perspectives, which "offers articles about the research and programmatic initiatives of the College of Business." The publication is sent out to alumni, professors, recruiters, and business leaders. The article chronicles the conception of the MakerLab along with implications of the "maker" paradigm for retailing and the future of personalized manufacturing.

The communication department, also created an excellent video capturing the creation of a model at the lab. Have a look.

http://youtu.be/zf6RoWM5jsQ

Scan and Print, Now in 3D at the Illinois MakerLab

2D scanning and printing is passe! Come visit the MakerLab on Friday April 5, 2:00 to 4:00 pm, and learn how to scan your stuff and print it, all in 3D. Learn to scan in 3D using a camera or smart phone using Autodesk’s 123D Catch software. If you have an Iphone you can download the 123D Catch app straight to your phone from http://www.123dapp.com/catch and then visit the lab @103 Surveying Bldg. Sign up for the event on our Facebook page.

Things We Make: Makerlab Keychain

Hot off the press! We are printing our own keychains. This keychain, which was adapted from a design by bradk2012, can be found on our Thingiverse webpage. Just go to: www.thingiverse.com/uimakerlab/designs. They make great gifts and we always have a ready supply in our Lab to hand out to visitors. When we run low, we just print more!

Making Resources On and Off Campus

The Illinois MakerLab provides easy access to cutting edge technologies to enable experimentation with design and building or "Making" things. There are several other resources on and off campus which provide tools and space for "Making". We profile some of those initiatives here and look forward to initiating conversations with them, to share ideas about their experiences in encouraging cross-discipplinary initiatives to help students learn by "Making".

1. Visualization Lab@ Beckman Institute - The Visualization Lab is conveniently hosted out of the Beckman Institute right here on campus (405 N. Matthews, Urbana)! For a monthly fee any student can gain access to "2D/3D/4D image analysis and quantification, scientific visualization, ultra-high speed video, macro-photography, macro-video, video production, 3D animation, high-resolution 2D scanning, 3D object scanning, full-color 3D printing, research presentation, publication graphics, and additional capabilities in support of imaging." The Beckman Institute is one of the preeminent engineering research facilities in the country. As such, it represents an incredible opportunity for collaboration with U of I's engineers.
2. 3D Printing Lab at the Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Students (CEMMS) at UIUC - This lab, also located right here on campus (1206 W. Green Street, Urbana), uses a chemical process that is a result of a project headed by Professor Nicholas Fang (details of the process are available on the website). According to the lab's website, "Nano-CEMMS offers a wide variety of materials, workshops, fellowships, scholarships, research opportunities, and group meetings."
3. lIlinois Geometry Lab - This is another fabrication lab on campus, located in Altgeld Hall. The Geometry Lab focuses on serving students of, guess what, geometry. Undergrads, grads, and postdocs collaborate on projects that I'm sure generate some pretty cool 3D shapes: shapes that may even have practical value.
4. CU FabLab - The Champaign-Urbana FabLab provides opportunities for students of all ages and all subjects to interact with technologies that will change the world, including 3D printing. The lab offers the option to purchase supplies or use scrap supplies free of charge.  The FabLab is one of a global-network of FabLabs that seek to promote innovation and collaboration around the world.
5. Critical Making Lab - The Critical Making lab  is run out of the University of Toronto Faculty of Information. The lab's mission is to provide "a shared space for opening up the practice of experimentation with embedded and material digital technology." They plan to do this  "through the sharing of results and an ongoing critical analysis of materials, designs, and outcomes, the lab participants together perform a practice-based engagement with the pragmatic and theoretical issues around information and information technology."
6. dFab at CMU - the Digital Fabrication Lab at Carnegie Mellon University is geared towards architecture, art, and design students. Students working at the lab have taken on several projects, including robotic and digital fabrication. The lab employs a Dimension 768-SST ABS Plastic Printer, allowing students to design and print full color models. By creating a collaborative atmosphere, the lab seeks to generate interdisciplinary synergies.
7. 3D Print Club Mizzou - The club is a student organization at the University of Missouri focusing on expanding student access to 3D printing. The club sees 3D printing as an awesome new technology that's going to shift the paradigm regarding customization. We at the MakerLab wholeheartedly agree and will be founding our own 3D printing RSO later this semester. We are also in touch with this chapter to share ideas on how to promote the "Maker" culture at Illinois.
8. think[box]  - think [box] is an innovation center at the Case Western Reserve University School of Engineering. The center provides learning opportunities for students, faculty, and alumni. think [box] seeks to "change the social culture of Case Western Reserve and Northeast Ohio by encouraging cross-department and cross-institution collaborative endeavors that push creativity and innovation to their limits."
9. ThinkLab -  http://umwthinklab.com/ - The ThinkLab at the University of Mary Washington seeks to provide students with the opportunity to work with emerging technologies, including 3D printing. The feature the projects students have taken on. Along with our very own MakerLab, ThinkLab had the honor of being featured in the 2013 Horizon Higher Education Report, a review of imminent technological trends.

We encourage all our readers to reach out to resources on campus and also invite stakeholders from such spaces on and off campus to connect with us to share ideas.

Our 3D Printers Print their Upgrades!

Our Lab's 3D printers (MakerBot Replicator 2s) are amazing machines and have been used to create lots of cool and useful objects. However, their stock extruders (i.e., the component that feeds the filament through the nozzle) are quite sensitive and require a good deal of care and attention. We are addressing this challenge by upgrading to a newly designed extruder (see: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:53125). However, rather than ordering this upgrade from a store, our printers are actually printing it out. That's right, our printers are making their own parts! This self-replicating aspect was one of the founding principles of the Rep Rap Movement nearly a decade ago, which kicked off the desktop 3D printing movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RepRap_Project). Just like your smartphone uploads firmware upgrades, our 3D printers upload hardware updates!