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!

 

Engineering Club SWAG

Jair and three other Design Hub interns worked together on a laser engraving project.

This project was ordered from the Engineering Club and Randy Schuster, who is the advisor for the Engineering Club.

 

Using the Design Hub’s laser engraver they were able to accomplish this project. 

The Keychains were engraved with the logo, also known as SWAG. It was engraved in plywood, and hooked with a metal chains that is attached through the little hole on the side of the keychain.

 

 

These keychains were going to be given away for free for the Engineering Club students.

 

 

 

In the future, bobbleheads will be made to donate.

The interns are working on the bobblehead project at the same time as the keychain project, and it will involve scanning and 3D printing of participants’ heads.  Scanning will take a couple of hours, whereas the 3D printing is estimated to take one to two days.

Rocket Car Competition

On Saturday, October 13,2018, The design hub collaborated with the several students from San Juan High School. Bryan and Stephen and their instructor James participated in this Rocketcar event.

It was located in the football fields behind the pool and gymnasium area.

 

The participants from San Juan High school collaborated with the individuals from the Design Hub including Randy Schuster, Gavin, Kai, Kevin, and Jason. Also Participating in the competition are three ARC Design Hub interns: Justin, Marlo, and Muhammed. They worked on 3D printed designs and Melissa did the soldering.

Since one of our interns Jason who is skilled as a drone pilot, Helped filmed the event aerial style. Jason’s Company , J&S Drone Solutions, was also involved in the event, he flew his own drone!

 

The physics Department ordered this project from Randy, Due to the concern about the the limited aerial flying. Since the airspace around ARC is located so closely to a hospital. Instead, of hosting a drone flying competition. They decided to host a rocketcar competition. Where the main action would be taking place on the ground and not the air. Sean Franklin developed the first  rocketcar over the summer. Competition was hosted to unite the high school and college communities.

The participants received 3D printed trophies to honor their victories!  

Here are the results:

1st  – Steven … Representing San Juan High School … 50 mph
2nd – Bryan … Representing San Juan High School … 48 mph
3rd – Kai … Representing the Design Hub … 20 mph
HM – Gavin … Representing the Design Hub … Well over 50 mph but too low to register on our timer

Fidget Spinner Gear Box

Ivan, intern from the Design Hub, has made the next gen fidget spinner.

 The fidget spinner made from a transmission gear box that can be reduced 1 to 10. Which means the ratio of the numbers of turns that the fidget spinner moves.

This individual project was originally intended on being model for a transmission gear box. But not for heavy industrial motors such as those found in cars or any other kind of automobiles. The actual one will be for smaller, motors that would accept it better. Since the model was finished, Its original use of the project as a model had been completed.

So now its new purpose is a handy dandy fidget spinner! Discovered by ARC Design Hub Head Randy Schuster.

Ivan’s current plan is to build 10 fidget spinners out of this little plastic model.  The final product of this model will move and twist at a super slow speed, Its a creative way to put this idea together.

Modeled and designed using the program, AutoCad. Its also Ivan’s deliverable from Randy.

The stack of ten fidget spinners will not be sold as a whole. However, each individual fidget spinner will be going on sale soon in the ARC Bookstore.

The price of the fidget spinner is going to be approximate $4 per spinner.

Since the model is made out of plastic its not going to be used as real motors.

The real one is made from a sturdy material such as metal and steel. It took Ivan 3 days, Approx. 6 hours to design the model himself. It took one week of 3D printing to make it come to life!

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!