Guru Spotlight: Jim

The MakerLab Gurus are an integral part of the lab, helping with day to day functions, completing orders, and running workshops. We've decided to showcase some of the personal projects that our Guru's are able to work on in their spare time. In this post, we will be looking at designs printed by our Guru, Jim.  

The Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher, also known as the Needler, is an iconic weapon from the Halo video game series. It’s also an impressive 3D print. 11 Pieces, 14 needles, and 16 connecting pins. It is a scale model, around two feet tall by two feet long. The pieces were primarily held together with connecting pins and super glued to hold. The needles friction fit into the top. This is a great example of what spray paint can do for some cool 3D prints. This model was a thingiverse file by Ethan Newhouse. Printing time was around 40 hours. Another 10 hours for painting and drying and he needed only a few minutes to glue it all together.

The Type-1 Energy Weapon is a fearsome melee weapon wielded by the Elites in the Halo video games series. While generating plasma in the shape of a blade is just a little beyond our technology, it of 19 interlocking pieces and an 8 foot LED strip to make a great wall decoration. Get creative with your 3D prints at the UIUC Makerlab. The pieces all were glued together at their edges. I found this on thingiverse, by adafruit. Printing took around 15 hours, assembling took another 2 or 3, as the flat, thin faces were difficult to glue together.

Falchion is an Iconic hand and a half sword from the Fire Emblem universe. While it hasn’t received any post 3D-printing work beyond putting it together, it showcases a unique type of clear filament and helps to think outside the size of a build plate due to its eight pieces. It’s also a far less dangerous way to hang an interesting sword on your wall. Originally a thingiverse file by OnyxIbex. Printing only took 10-12 hours. Assembling was rather quick. Flat faces of the blade pieces were superglued together.

Guru Spotlight: Billy

The MakerLab Gurus are an integral part of the lab, helping with day to day functions, completing orders, and running workshops. We've decided to showcase some of the personal projects that our Guru's are able to work on in their spare time. In this post, we will be looking at designs printed by our Guru, Billy.  

First of all, for any fans of the Star Wars Universe, I have created a 5-piece replica (with my own iteration on coloring) of Obi-Wan-Kenobi’s lightsaber. Each piece took approximately 2-3 hours, which fluctuated with the level of detail. This is seen in the third and fourth Star Wars movies and was designed by thingiverse member falken76.

If you or anyone you know has an interest in aviation or commercial flight, then this model of the Embrayer ERJ 145. This design took about 5-6 hours and took a little bit of work to remove supports. However, this design by navy876 turned out very well and is a fantastic example of a scaled model that can be used for prototyping and design ideas.

With the new movie Star Trek: Beyond coming out, I HAD to create a model of the series’ flagship. This model of the USS Enterprise is comprised of 13 different pieces that each snap together to create this awesome model. A design by RealAbsurdity on thingiverse, this model is sure to be a phenomenal creation for any Star Trek fans.

Next up is a Halo-inspired piece. This quite small version of a covenant carrier was an interesting spin of video-game themed objects. This design uploaded by Anthalas9 on thingiverse was a game-accurate replica of this object from in-game. Took about 12 hours on a higher detail.

Anyone who has ever played Call of Duty: Zombies would recognize this Ray Gun from the game. One of the weapons of power can now be printed due to the 14-piece design by MrBlizzard. This can be made even better by adding details such as LED’s and switches. After about a day and a half’s worth of printing, this design came out really well and is an iconic item from the game.

This final design is a different, and very large replica of a Halo universe weapon. Dubbed the “covenant carbine” this was a phenomenal design by Daniel Schunemann on MyMiniFactory. It consists of 22 pieces and took roughly a week of dedicated printing to crank this masterpiece out. Each piece was designed to fit together and with a bit of work, this model came together and looks just like the in-game version! (I think)

10 Reasons to have a birthday party at the MakerLab

1. It's educational - Learn about 3D printing and 3D Scanning
2. Each participant gets to take home their own 3D printed object
3. Great for all ages and skill levels
4. Workshop is lead by our experienced lab guru's
5. Breakout time saved for cake and ice cream (not provided)
6. Birthday boy/girl gets a 3d printed bust to take home
7.  Learn how to design and print from TinkerCad
8.  Interact and play with all 3D printed objects around the lab
9.  Receive a free MakerLab keychain
10. Have the best birthday party ever!Please note:
    • Participants must be aged 7 years or older in order to participate in a MakerLab birthday party
    • We need at least one adult to stay with the group during the party.
    • We can accommodate up to 15 individuals for a birthday party. Parents can participate too as workshop members.
    • We provide time for food and presents while in the lab.

Happy belated birthday to Andrew!!! Andrew and his friends celebrated with us in the MakerLab ! Check out the fun photos below. Find out more or drop us a line to reserve a spot on weekends.

High School Seniors Learn 3D Printing

Yesterday, the Illinois MakerLab in conjunction with the college of Business, hosted two groups of rising high school seniors and gave them an introduction into the world of 3D printing. The programs were two hour-and-a half sessions that included information on the types of 3D printers, 3D Printing Applications and Software, and Real-World uses for 3D printed objects. Each student who attended the program received an Illinois Keychain that they made themselves. Here are some pictures from the events.

Kids learning design thinking with 3d printing.

One of many workshops offered by the Illinois MakerLab over this summer was Project City X, an international education workshop taught by Ron Duncan from University of Illinois Extension, who manages the southern Illinois operations of the Illinois Marketplace and Maker Literacy project (https://immlp.illinois.edu/). The workshop was geared toward students ages 8 to 13 and taught problem solving using the design thinking process and created solutions using 3D printing.  

The workshop was based around the story of a group of travelers from Earth in the not-so-distant future who have been sent to a remote planet to build a settlement called City X.  However, soon the travelers encounter challenges and social problems that affect not only themselves but everyone in City X. That’s where the students attending the workshop came in, solving the problems in groups of two or three through a five-step design process.

The first of these steps was Empathy. The students discussed how the travelers must be feeling based on their individual problems, which gave them a better understanding of the challenge at hand. The next was defining the difference between social and personal issues including which major world issue aligned with their challenge. The third was Ideation or brainstorming with only two constraints. The students’ inventions could not have been something that already exists and the ideas must have come from the students themselves.

After the students had their ideas they created prototypes using markers and paper, and then discussed them with peers and teaches in order to help them improve and revise their creations.

The final step allowed the students to use a simple 3D modeling software called Tinkercad to create 3D models of their inventions. They could then print their designs using one of the many 3D printers in the lab.

At the end of the workshop each group presented their creations to the staff and their parents, explaining the problem, a bit about their design process, and finally the solution. Upon their departure the students were rewarded with a certificate of completion from the Illinois Makerlab,  in recognition of their newfound skills in designing with 3D modeling and printing.

Catch #PokePrint on campus and print more at the Lab

Join us in the hunt for #3dprinted pokemon on campus. We will be placing some #pokeprint across campus and you keep what you find. Do share pictures of your find with us @UIMakerLab(Instagram/Twitter) and/or on FB(Illinois MakerLab) . We are launching the campaign at #IllinoisSMC on friday July 22nd for participants of the conference, with #pokeprint hidden at pokestops around the Union for a lunching time treasure hunt. We will continue with placing more around campus over the next week till July 30th, when we close for summer. Like us/Follow us on  FB, Instagram, Twitter to get updates/hints.

Come by the lab next week during open hours to print your own pokemon or even team keychains. We have some ready to pick up as well. If you are a local business wanting to leverage the #pokemonGO craze, drop us a line and we can print the pokemon in bulk to give to your customers. This would be a great way to run small contests, treasure hunts, or drive traffic during the lean periods.