MakerLab Gurus Danny & Ryan recently created a 3D printed chess set. The entire set, including all of the pieces and the game board, were digitally designed and 3D printed in our Lab. Stop by on a Tuesday or Thursday and challenge one of our Guru's to a game of chess!
Over the past few weeks, our new lab location in the Business Instructional Facility has made good progress. The drywall and electrical work has been completed. In addition, both the front and side doors have been installed. The contractors are currently finishing up the ventilation work in the ceiling and then will install our new flooring. We are still on target for a September 1 move-in date. Until then, our current location in Room 103 of the Surveying Building is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 5. So, stop by and make something!
This Thursday (July 25), our staff will be in Chicago to discuss "How 3D Printing will Change Business." The event will begin at 5:30pm and will be held at the Illini Center (across from the Wills Tower). As a special feature, executives from Grainger will present a keynote address on this topic. If you are interested in attending this event, please contact Aric Rindfleisch (aric@illinois.edu). Space is limited. Thus, early reservations are strongly encouraged.
The MakerLab (Aric, Danny, Ryan, and Vishal) attended the Chicago 3D Printing Conference & Expo at McCormick Place last week. Thanks to Hod Lipson, we were given the opportunity to speak at the Expo on Thursday, July 11 and share our story. We spoke about our Lab and the cool things that have been made there so far, such as Jeff's lightbulbs and Ben's wifi display. In addition to sharing our story, we had the opportunity to learn about recent advances in 3D printing from experts such as Bre Pettis (CEO, MakerBot, recently acquired by Stratysys), Scott Crump (Chairman and Founder, Stratasys), and Abe Reichental (CEO, 3D Systems). Here are some of the interesting things we learned:
--MakerBot's Digitizer 3D scanner is making nice progress and should be available by the end of 2013.
--3D Systems is beta testing a 3D printer that prints food from cartridges inspired by the Keurig coffee system. During the conference, they also announced a partnership with Deloitte to accelerate adoption of 3D printing.
--Stratasys has 3D printers that print over 100 different types of materials.
--Microsoft is placing a heavy emphasis on 3D printing and trying to make it as easy as 2D printing.
--Xerox (PARC Division) is working on technology for printing electronic circuits and new types of batteries.
--General Electric has over 300 3D printers. They are also encouraging open innovation with 3D design contests. The technology has significant implications for Aerospace.
--Disney has started a new initiative that allows children to print Barbie doll accessories at home.
View more photos from the Expo here.
Join the Maker movement at Illinois. Subscribe to our blog RSS feed to be the first to hear about events, new tutorials, and other exciting news from the MakerLab and Like our Facebook page.
The MakerLab will be closed this Thursday (July 11). Our staff will be in Chicago that day to participate in the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo. This conference is being organized by Hod Lipson and is expected to draw over 1,000 attendees. We are grateful to Hod for not only inviting us to this conference but also giving us a chance to present. Our session, titled "Learning by Making" will be held at 2pm on Thursday. We will discuss how we are using the MakerLab to enrich student learning by providing a platform for active, hands-on educational experiences. If you are at the conference, please say hi. Our staff can be easily identified by their blue "IMake" T-shirts.
We will resume our normal Tuesday and Thursday hours next week.
Construction of our new lab space in the Business Instructional Facility is progressing nicely. The drywalling has been completed and the electrical work is nearly done. The photo below was taken from the east wall of the Lab and shows the infrastructure work currently being done to install our new 70 inch flatscreen monitor. We are still on schedule for our targeted move in date of September 1. In the meantime, the MakerLab is open for business on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 5 in Room 103 of the Surveying Building. Please stop by.
Learn. Make. Share.
