3D Printers and Printing

Stuart Ferguson is the Head of Technology at The Foundry, a global developer of software for use in the design, visualization, and entertainment industries. Ferguson has been creating 3D graphics for 30 years, and recently began 3D printing with the Afinia H479 3D Printer. A 3D Printing Pioneer “I’ve been creating 3D graphics since shortly after the first Star Wars movie, but when I became interested in 3D printing I had no idea what to do. After reading MAKE Magazine’s 3D printer reviews, it was clear that Afinia was high quality, and would be easy to use, even for someone who isn’t overly technical. I’ve been very happy with it.” [Read more…]

John Richardson and Claire Luikart are the IT Implementation Director and Special Projects Manager (respectively) at St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge, LA. Both influenced the school’s decision on which 3D printers are more beneficial for students’ learning and engagement. Doing Their Research St. Joseph’s Academy shows off their spirit with their school’s 3D printed crest. “We got our first Afinia H479 3D printer in 2011, because it was our students’ top choice. They researched 3D printers, and in the process, improved their technical understanding and communication skills,” explains Richardson. Luikart adds, “We’re glad they recommended it! We’ve been very happy with the Afinia, since the beginning. We’ve also acquired [Read more…]

Jason Rider is the Founder of Thriving Systems Design, LLC and inventor of the C-Bite Stake Coupling and Anchor System. We originally interviewed Rider in March of 2014, shortly after he began using the Afinia 3D Printer. Rider’s product is now being sold nationally, so we decided it was time for an update. Starting Local Rider’s C-bites can be combined in a number of different ways. “I started the C-Bite project in late 2013. I came up with the concept of C-Bite and knew how beneficial it could be. I also knew I would need a 3D printer to really get things going, not only in terms of prototyping, but [Read more…]

You Asked for Bigger Afiniacs have raved about our H-Series printer, calling it a “little workhorse” that “works amazingly well”. The H-Series printer was also named “Easiest to Use,” “Easiest to Set Up,” and “Best Overall Experience” in 2013, “Just Hit Print” in 2014, and “Reliable Performer” in 2015 by MAKE: Magazine. Many Afinia users found the 5x5x5 inch build area to be perfect for their projects, but have requested a bigger platform. We Answered The new Afinia H800 3D Printer build area is five times bigger (10 x 8 x 8 inches), and includes additional enhancements: HEPA filtration system Prints 30% faster than the H480 Smart Support Material Technology [Read more…]

Dan is President and CEO of Mr. Speakers, makers of “The world’s first production 3D printed headphone”. His firm, located in San Diego, CA, is known for beautiful and high-functioning products. Dan is an electrical engineer with an MBA and founded MrSpeakers after he’d been working in, and around, the high-end audio market for over twenty years. He has designed both commercial and custom loudspeaker solutions, including the well-regarded Platinum Audio speakers from the late 1990’s. The Alpha Dog Their Alpha Dog product is a thing to behold: a beautiful headphone with highly finished, 3D printed cups and lamb-leather pads. Jude Mansilla, founder of Head-fi. Says, “The Alpha Dog is [Read more…]

Dot Silverman is an Electronics Designer at Instructables. She has a BA in Physics, with an emphasis in Engineering, and she is passionate about merging creativity and the sciences. — Experience 3D Printing: Art and Engineering 3D-printed mounts used in Silverman’s “Mobile Sun-Seeking Robot” project. “I was first introduced to 3D printing during my sophomore year of college, and started using 3D printers extensively when I joined the Instructables team. I’ve designed everything from ornamental products, like 3D-printed earrings, to more functional items, like 3D-printed components to hold down motors. I’ve found that the Afinia works well for all sorts of projects. Playing Favorites “We have a number of different [Read more…]

Mark Willis is the Tech Ed/Pre Engineering Teacher at Margaret Bell Middle School in Waynesburg, PA. In the Beginning Willis had never attempted 3D printing before getting the Afinia 3D Printer. “When it arrived, I just started printing things, learning from trial and error. Willis’ print demonstrating the Afinia’s 5x5x5 inch build area. The printer was pretty easy to use. Afinia also sent their Vice President, John Westrum, to talk with teachers, walk them through how to use the machine, and demonstrate tricks for printing. It was a great gesture and I found it to be very helpful.“ The manual Afinia provides is also thorough. Between that, and John’s instruction, [Read more…]

Todd Hummer is a Satellite Teacher for Butler Tech, teaching a 7th grade Project Lead the Way STEAMM (science, technology, engineering, art/design, math, and medical) class. Butler Tech is a career-technical school for adults and high school students in Hamilton, Ohio. Partnering with Butler Tech “The partnership that our district has with Butler Tech is very exciting. Butler Tech offers classes to high school students, adults, and businesses wanting to educate their workforce. They also provide satellite programs giving 7th through 12th graders the opportunity to learn about engineering and the biomedical fields. Seventh graders are all encouraged to take the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Design and Modeling class, [Read more…]

The H480 has done it again! We are happy to announce that Make: Magazine has named the Afinia H480 as “Reliable Performer” in their Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2015, and has included the Afinia in the top 10 3D printers (out of the 26 tested). In recent years, we have also been awarded “Best Overall Experience,” “Easiest to Use,” and “Easiest to Set Up.” To test the printers for the Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2015, Make: ran 26 3D printers through their paces to create side-by-side comparisons, and to identify the top performing 3D printers across nine classes, with our Afinia H480 tops in the “Reliable Performer” class. [Read more…]

Young adults and children are our future. As they continue to grow, they change our world with their thoughts and actions. At Afinia, we recognize how their thoughts and actions are influenced by educators and schooling, and therefore, how an education that emphasizes STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) is extremely important. Many of our customers in the field of education have realized the benefits of including 3D printing in their classrooms and makerspaces, and have incorporated this technology into their lessons. Their passion and creativity are inspiring, and we wish to share their stories. We’re proud to announce our second eBook, Afinia 3D Printer-Enhanced Educators: Stories of Success. [Read more…]

Ron Smith is the Engineering and Metal Fabrication teacher at Nestucca High School in Cloverdale, OR. Complex Concepts & Making the Connection Ron Smith doesn’t shy away from teaching his students complex concepts. In his classes, he covers topics ranging from vectors and trigonometry, to statics, forces, and velocity. “Some kids in math classes think, ‘where will I ever use this?’ In my class, students apply the knowledge hands-on. They get a good grasp of the real-world applications for the concepts, and learn what engineers do on the job. They love seeing this real-world engineering, and it gets them fired up for going beyond graduating high school. Something More After [Read more…]

Lis Bokt is the Executive Director of The Geek Group, a 43,000 square foot makerspace in Grand Rapids, MI, where individuals can work on projects, regardless of scope. Geeks of the World: Unite! Since we last spoke with Bokt in April, The Geek Group has grown from about 25,500 members to nearly 30,000. “Our members span the globe. We have a lot of members in the UK and Australia, and even have members in Bulgaria, Scandinavia, and Brazil,” says Bokt. Even though using the facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan is not an option for these international members, they are able to take advantage of other opportunities. “Distant members get access [Read more…]

Some people say that the future is in 3D printing. We believe this is partly true. The whole truth is that the real future is in people – especially people using 3D printing – like Joey Hudy, a young inventor, maker, and Afiniac. We had the honor of speaking with him recently, and left the conversation even more impressed than we imagined we would be. The Smartest Doofus Around Hudy is the youngest intern to have worked at Intel. Hudy is the youngest intern at Intel and has been named one of the 10 smartest kids the in the world, but he doesn’t let it go to his head. “When [Read more…]

Gene Sherman, Founder/CEO of Vocademy, a makerspace open to all ages, seven days a week. Their focus is to close the skills-gap by teaching the most state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques and providing the community with access to over a quarter-million dollars worth of equipment. Inspiration “The Vocademy was a long time coming. I thought about it for at least a decade. It’s 15,000 sq ft, which is much larger than the typical makerspace. To me, it still isn’t big enough. I’d like the next one to be at least 25,000 sq ft.” “The biggest factor that inspired me to create the Vocademy was the demise of hands-on skills in this country. [Read more…]

Corinne Okada Takara is a Bay Area artist and arts educator who creates technology-integrated art projects. Takara creates public collaborative works of art and hosts workshops at museums, libraries, classrooms and colleges. Her most recent collaborative art project, “A Serving of Shapes,” incorporated 3D-printed art. Art and Education “As an artist and educator, 3D printing sparks my interest on multiple levels. I knew I wanted to explore the exciting possibilities with 3D printing and wouldn’t move my work forward without a 3D printer; I realized this especially after attending a 3D printing expo last fall. I was already working in SketchUp, but the thought of printing my designs was exciting, [Read more…]

David Brannen is the Woodshop and Manufacturing teacher at Grants Pass High School, in Grants Pass, Oregon. Brannen has 11 years of teaching experience and over 25 years of experience in furniture and cabinetry creation. Diving Into 3D A vase printed by one of Brannen’s students. “I had absolutely no experience with 3D printers before getting one in my classroom. Honestly, I didn’t even know what it was or what it did when I found out I was receiving one through the Perkins Grant Program. I went to a mandatory workshop thinking it would just be a neat toy. By the end of the day, I was going crazy and [Read more…]

Greg Herker is the Fab Lab Program Coordinator for Gateway Technical College. He designs and coordinates the programs and is in charge of Fab Lab operations. Herker describes the Fab Lab as “A movement. A place where ideas and innovations happen.” The Lab is open to students, businesses, and the entire community. Fab Lab: The Movement “Our Fab Lab was started over a year ago. Fab Labs started in a class out of MIT by Dr. Neil Gershenfeld, the class “How to Build Almost Anything” and quickly found, that through digital fabrication, there would be a revolution allowing individuals to make all kinds of items for personal use. This sparked [Read more…]

Dr. Keith Williams is a visiting professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Virginia and a program manager for a research division of Leidos, based at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. Leidos is a company that assists the US in combating threats to national security. Dr. Williams tweets about his UVa Introduction to Engineering class using the Twitter handle @engr1620. The Technological Cloud If you stumble upon Dr. Williams’ blog, it appears that he is opposed to using technology in the classroom, terming it a “technological cloud” hanging over education. But dig deeper and it becomes clear that his complaint is [Read more…]

Dr. Thornburg is the founder and Director of Global Operations for the Thornburg Center and an award-winning Futurist, author, and consultant. He recently authored “The Invent to Learn Guide to 3D Printing in the Classroom: Recipes for Success” with Norma Thornburg and Sara Armstrong. Learning In Style Studies have shown that students have different learning styles. Some may learn visually, some aurally, and some kinetically. Dr. Thornburg realizes that students all learn differently, also recognizing that “students learn best when they are constructors of their own knowledge.” For this reason, Dr. Thornburg has focused on creating materials that assist educators in encouraging their students to construct knowledge and “become comfortable [Read more…]

Charles is a metal designer and 3D printing enthusiast living in Las Vegas, NV. Although he is a SolidWorks wizard and has produced some amazing prints, he says, “I am honored to be known only as a friend helping Tom and Keith”, two YouTube personalities in the metalworking field. We were very excited to talk with Charles, and patience was a virtue in the process. He stays so busy printing on his 3D printer (for both himself and others) that it is hard to find the time to connect. Charles chuckles and admits, “I was hoping to contact you sooner, but I spent the day designing & printing items for [Read more…]