3D printing and other updates
I haven't blogged in a while, but that doesn't mean I have been idle. Here are a few updates:
A few years back, my wife had started work as a technical para-professional at our kids' elementary school. A para-professional is anyone who has some expertise with a particular subject, but is not a full-time teacher. Her job description included things like help with tech-support, assist in standardized testing setup and handling, as well as help teach kids how to code or use computers and related tech.
She worked as a tech-para a couple of years until the district got rid of all the tech-para positions. So she applied for and got a position as a full tech-support.
Prior to getting a position as tech-support, however, she had applied for an educational grant. She filled out a proposal to purchase a number of items: a "polar-graph" or the next generation of Makelangelo, a Macbook, and a 3D printer and some filament. The first time she'd applied, she was denied the grant. I think the reasons were more that other proposals were more urgent than anything. The second year she applied, she got the grant.
Though she was no longer a para, she was still the lead on the grant, so it was still up to her to learn how to use the equipment and then relay that knowledge to teachers.
The printer she purchased with the grant money was a Printrbot "Simple Metal - black" with heated plate. It comes with some semi-transparent PLA filament, but she also found some fairly inexpensive PLA at Microcenter & got some with the grant money there as well.
Initially she brought home some examples of what she'd been printing, but later brought the printer itself home. It't fairly small. It fits in a milk crate along with some tools and other items. I fell in love with it and wanted one. So we bought one for ourselves.
The "Simple Metal" is no longer something that Printrbot sells on their website. You can still buy them through Amazon & if you want to see a picture, check out this finely crafted, artisanal link.
I'll save many details - as well as some photos and notes for myself - for a different post. I will say that getting a 3D printer has been educational. And a time-sink. The availability of things to print is staggering. There are many sites that provide models for free, but we have so far restricted ourselves to Thingiverse and occasionally Youmagine.
We have also dabbled a bit with 3D design. Designing isn't all that hard either. I've found that the CAD software included with Windows 10 - 3D builder - is actually fairly easy to use. Unfortunately this is not something that can be used by kids in the schools since they frequently work on Chromebooks, so we've also tried Tinkercad.
And that's about it, at least for now. As I stated earlier, I wanted to get some sort of post out, so here it is. More to come as I can...
- I've updated my CNC setup with a Makita router
- I've ground out a few interesting works on the CNC (more later)
- I've created a robot that runs off of an Arduino and a Tamiya "tank" frame
- I've gotten a 3D printer
A few years back, my wife had started work as a technical para-professional at our kids' elementary school. A para-professional is anyone who has some expertise with a particular subject, but is not a full-time teacher. Her job description included things like help with tech-support, assist in standardized testing setup and handling, as well as help teach kids how to code or use computers and related tech.
She worked as a tech-para a couple of years until the district got rid of all the tech-para positions. So she applied for and got a position as a full tech-support.
Prior to getting a position as tech-support, however, she had applied for an educational grant. She filled out a proposal to purchase a number of items: a "polar-graph" or the next generation of Makelangelo, a Macbook, and a 3D printer and some filament. The first time she'd applied, she was denied the grant. I think the reasons were more that other proposals were more urgent than anything. The second year she applied, she got the grant.
Though she was no longer a para, she was still the lead on the grant, so it was still up to her to learn how to use the equipment and then relay that knowledge to teachers.
The printer she purchased with the grant money was a Printrbot "Simple Metal - black" with heated plate. It comes with some semi-transparent PLA filament, but she also found some fairly inexpensive PLA at Microcenter & got some with the grant money there as well.
Initially she brought home some examples of what she'd been printing, but later brought the printer itself home. It't fairly small. It fits in a milk crate along with some tools and other items. I fell in love with it and wanted one. So we bought one for ourselves.
The "Simple Metal" is no longer something that Printrbot sells on their website. You can still buy them through Amazon & if you want to see a picture, check out this finely crafted, artisanal link.
I'll save many details - as well as some photos and notes for myself - for a different post. I will say that getting a 3D printer has been educational. And a time-sink. The availability of things to print is staggering. There are many sites that provide models for free, but we have so far restricted ourselves to Thingiverse and occasionally Youmagine.
We have also dabbled a bit with 3D design. Designing isn't all that hard either. I've found that the CAD software included with Windows 10 - 3D builder - is actually fairly easy to use. Unfortunately this is not something that can be used by kids in the schools since they frequently work on Chromebooks, so we've also tried Tinkercad.
And that's about it, at least for now. As I stated earlier, I wanted to get some sort of post out, so here it is. More to come as I can...
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