3D Printer for Home, Education and Rapid Prototyping

Need to Fidget? Grab a Squidget.

Jerry Snee, “Chief Squidgeter,” and Sean Snee, COO and Senior Vice-President for all engineering, are working together with the Squidget team to create a safe and noiseless alternative to the most disruptive and potentially self-harming fidgeting habits. It is a much sought after and preferred choice to other fidgeting toys currently on the market and deemed disruptive by teachers. [Read more…]

3D Printing Accessible Educational Materials

Scott Hamilton is a professor of archaeology at Lakehead University, a small university in northern Ontario. He also runs a small consulting operation (Hamilton Archaeological Consulting), and has recently incorporated 3D printing into his repertoire.

Focusing on Community

Although Hamilton works at the university, a large part of his research (both academic and consulting) involves community-based work. “I frequently work with aboriginal communities to identify what their research priorities are and figure out how to address those priorities,” he shares. [Read more…]

Improving Her Passion with 3D Printing

Rosalee Ramer started driving monster trucks professionally at age 14. Now, at age 19, she is pursuing her Mechanical Engineering degree at Georgia Tech, and hopes to use it to improve her monster truck’s capabilities.

Rosalee Ramer is a lot of things: a daughter, friend, college student, and role model, who holds the title as the youngest professional female monster truck driver in the world. [Read more…]

The Importance of an Enclosed 3D Printer & HEPA Filtration

Afinia 3D Printers are great for for educators, engineers, and hobbyists alike, and for good reason. They are affordable, easy to use, and create quality prints. Now, a recent study published by The Built Environment Research Group reinforces why the H400 and H800+ should be of high interest to makers of all kinds. Especially those who use, or plan to use, their 3D printers in enclosed spaces like classrooms, offices, or at home. [Read more…]

Modification Fabrication Saves Time with 3D Printing

Sam Jarrett is the President of Modification Fabrication, a compression molding business using DAP (diallyl phthalate) in Harrisonville, Missouri, that has been around for over 40 years.

Industry-Changing Technology

“The first time I saw a 3D printer, I knew it was going to change manufacturing forever,” says Jarrett. “I knew I wanted to add one to the company, but a 3D printer is not a small purchase, so I spent about a year and a half researching different 3D printers.” [Read more…]

Nepal Robotics Project Aims to Locate Disaster Victims

Mike Kronmiller is the creator and owner of Nepal Robotics Project. The international collaborative robotics project aims to develop drones that are capable of locating disaster victims, supporting disaster avoidance, and inspecting vulnerable bridges and aerial lines and cables in Nepal, and worldwide. In 2015 and 2016, his drones were tested at Mount Everest, flying from 1,000 feet above Base Camp to over 19.000 feet above sea level. In 2017, he will test the new system, there, with plans to exceed 23.000 feet in sustained, autonomous flight, carrying an array of sensors.

Solving Problems with Technology

The Nepal Robotics Project stemmed from seemingly simple beginnings. “I started the organization about three years ago. Originally, it was for my high school senior year STEM course,” explains Kronmiller. “We were instructed to solve a problem in the world using technology. I wanted to solve search and recovery issues in avalanche environments with robots.”

As Kronmiller’s project grows, he’s narrowed “robots” down specifically to drones, and has surpassed the level of involvement that many would expect for a senior project assignment. [Read more…]

Inspiring Creativity and Promoting Understanding at FPS

Doug Doescher is the 8th grade Industrial Technology teacher at Fremont Public Schools in Nebraska. He encourages students to use technology to find everyday things needing improvement, and to engineer a solution.

3D Printing is a Hit at Fremont Public Schools

In December 2016, Fremont Public Schools purchased six Afinia 3D printers for their school, using funds from a local grant. It didn’t take long before students took notice of the printers’ capabilities, and their popularity spiked. “We constantly have kids coming to our free class periods wanting to design one of their ideas,” says Doescher. [Read more…]

Integrating 3D Printing in the Imaginarium

Chris Schiemann, Library Media Specialist at Patrick Marsh Middle School, assists teachers with integrating technology into the classroom and running the school’s makerspace, the “Imaginarium.”

Selecting Technology for the Imaginarium

As part of his role at Patrick Marsh Middle School, Schiemann helps select the equipment that students access in the classroom and in the school’s makerspace, the “Imaginarium.” Through research, conferences, and experience, he and another tech-savvy teacher have been adding more technology for students to use. [Read more…]

Turbo Boof Gets Turbo Boost with 3D Printing

Eric Flynn is the president of Turbo Boof, a company he started as a creative outlet for the graduate work he was doing in engineering school, and the coursework he was teaching in college.

Creativity and Car Parts

Flynn started Turbo Boof seven years ago. The company is comprised of a team of young engineers that focus their creative energy on designing high-end aftermarket car parts. “I’ve always been fascinated with advanced manufacturing and cars,” says Flynn, “and the ability to apply design, engineering, and manufacturing into an automotive application quickly became my passion.” [Read more…]

Printing with Ninjatek Cheetah Flexible Filament

Sometimes, your 3D printing project requires more flexibility than you get when using ABS and PLA filaments. For those projects, we suggest using Ninjatek Cheetah Flexible Filament. It’s available in several colors and works great with the Afinia H-Series 3D printers.

Here is an example of an R/C car tire, printed in the color “water.” The tire was printed in shell mode on the Afinia H480, and is soft and flexible in order to handle the bumps it encounters during off-road R/C action! [Read more…]