Category: Learn

Posted on

New Ways to Laser Engrave!

 

The laser engraver in the ARC Design Hub can be a learning process to new interns. During the first couple weeks at the design hub we train and teach our interns how to use and/ or the purposes the laser can do for us. We are still new to laser but we always will find new tactics on how we should operate the laser. Either finding the right settings or experimenting on pieces of scrap materials to see how it will turn out. 

What does the laser engraver used for in the ARC Design Hub? What can we make with the laser we have?

Here in the Design Hub we currently are using two laser engravers in the back of room 311. The laser Engraver is used for ton of projects for our clients and personal uses. Designers here at the Design Hub create wonderful projects to help support the hub with their creativity. Just like the Retopo Map blog we did awhile ago, they used the laser for that project. Interns are able to used the laser for personal projects to create unique types of physical merchandise.

What types of merchandise or products can you use to make stuff here in the Hub?

The types you can make in the laser engraver is the following: Sketch book covers, key chains, ornaments, etc.

Let your creativity wonder around the ideas of creating wonderful types of pieces out of any materials like wood and plastic.

Although, It can also be used for educational purposes like making flash cards out of plastic or making pieces for a game board for and educational game.

How does the laser function and how can you get a decent design without it melting or making the design look weird?

Muhannad Abbas, who is very well experienced and excellent with the laser made these templates out of wood and plastic.

The templates shows how the laser reacts to the type of material it touches depending on the shading of the grey is being used. 

 

Too much power on the laser with a really dark color may burn the wood or melt the plastic. With the used of this template the designers are able to understand how the laser works and how much they need to make their projects a success. 

How can people outside of the Design Hub apply or request stuff to get printed?

On the ARC Design Hub Website we have a work request area. This area your able to request projects that our interns can print out for you. Their are examples and a request form to get started!

 

Posted on

Conversion of PLY file to STL

Katrina is an anthropology professor here at ARC. Is doing all 3D printing.

A femur bone, Known from our website if you saw the header.

So we the design hub have built a 3D printer for Prof. Katrina . She is responsible for the Anthropology of printing bones and studying the bones from dig sites.

https://www.britannica.com/animal/tarsier/media/583719/219537

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, ” Tarsier is a primate found in various of islands in Southeast Asia. They look like a lemur and a monkey combined. ” Picture from the site is displayed on the left.

In the Design Hub we have amazing 3D modeling students that can help fix any model that the clients need fixing.

Unlike Engineers who work with numbers, the artists can visualize and make decisions on what something looks like. they are able to look at many references in need if they do struggle in dire situations.

Anthropologists give really good data, which they are able to access a certain software.  This certain type of software is called “Mesh Lab” . Which allows us to access the data we need. Prof. Matt Stoehr and some modeling students were able to arrange the data for the 3D printer. Which she can go ahead and print  what ever she needs.

If there was any mess ups in the scanning process, the artists are able to clean up any screw ups that were left behind.

When Traiser was scanned it came out all pixelated squares. Which was the interesting part of it. But our artists were able to smooth and make the scan look what it should look like.

ARC Intern Chris Porter, A 3D modeler and animation student had worked with her on stuff like this right now.

Femur

Engineers built a long beds so that she was able to print larger scaled bones such as the femurs.

From there she will be able to print any bone, or even huge human femurs. It can even print the entire skeleton!

 

Posted on

Beautiful U.N.I.T.E. Masterpiece!

A beautiful masterpiece!

Allen Peterson and U.N.I.T.E. was involve with a certain project. In this particular project, He used the plasma cutter to cut out aluminum shapes to create a unique design made by the Landscape Architecture Class.  The Aluminum shapes is a “mock up” of a plan that the Landscape Architecture Class constructed for a future project. 

Photo & Edit by Angelique Doty

The little metal sculpture will someday be built like posts or fenced around a building. The square bottom part will acted as a fence and the top parts with magnificent design, like birds and trees. It will act to give it a  unique design to help make the area it was located in very attractive!

 

This beautiful piece was created approx. 3 hours in only one day! 

Design Hub’s participation to this project supports the architecture students creativity. The Architecture class needed a miniature variant of the final project to be able to test out the original idea. In a way, They can predict upcoming obstacles or arrangements that may arise in the future.

 

Photo & Edit by Angelique Doty

From a photograph, Allen was able to set it up on a plasma cutter.

Future developments from this project is a metal trophy of a break-dancer for the winner of the Break Dancer Competition for U.N.I.T.E.

Further development from American River College tree logo on April 24 that Allen made.

 

Photo & Edit by Angelique Doty

This project has traveled to a few locations-

Design Hub to the welding location , then back to Design Hub and then off to be displayed at the Architecture Class.  

Posted on

Design Hub Gives a Demonstration for Encina High School

Jason demonstrating the gesture feature for the DJI Spark drone Photo by Photography Intern Kyle Chan

Design Hub interns Sean and Jason gave a demonstration to three groups of students from Encina High School. They explained the advantages and opportunities that are available to them here at ARC as well as the Design Hub.

Sean spoke to the Design Hub’s ability to offer students the opportunity to not only learn how to fly drones, but to create them through 3D printing. He advocated that the students would also be able to bring their own ideas and passions and turn them into reality here at ARC.

Photo by Intern Kyle Chan

Jason gave a talk about the business aspect of obtaining a drone pilot license and how to start up a business flying drones. The two of them then gave a demo to the students, showing them how to fly the 3-D printed drones, the DJI spark, and a mini drone that allowed the students to have a first-person goggle view.