Schools
WHS Student Enters 3D Printed Guitar into International Contest
Aura Sofia Cardona placed second in regional competition at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute
After taking the Windsor High School STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Guitar class last year, senior Aura Sofia Cardona (Sofia) is challenging herself in her independent study by entering into the International Stratasys Extreme-Redesign Challenge 2018. She competed in the regional competition on Thursday, May 3, 2018 at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, and placed second for her 3D printed electric guitar that she designed and constructed.
Sofia and her teacher, Dustin Ricci, brainstormed how to design a guitar that could be 3D printed. 3D printing a working guitar body is a challenge for several reasons; it is an engineering project as well as a reverse engineering project. Reverse engineering the guitar required Sofia to take hundreds of measurements of the guitar body, the neck pocket and neck mounting holes, the pick-up pockets and mounting holes, the bridge and bridge mounting holes just to name a few. The measurements were then used to create a solid CAD model of a guitar body. From there, Sofia designed the aesthetics and functionality of the guitar. She removed material to make the honeycomb design and removed material for the arm and belly cut so the guitar will be comfortable to play.
The completed guitar will be on display after the WHS Fashion Show at the Art show in the WHS Library Media Center on May 30, 2018 beginning at 6:00 p.m.
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About Windsor Public Schools:
Windsor Public Schools serves nearly 4,000 students in the community of Windsor, Connecticut, a town located in north central Connecticut between Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts. Windsor Public Schools is comprised of six schools: Oliver Ellsworth School, Poquonock School, Clover Street School, John F. Kennedy School, Sage Park Middle School, and Windsor High School. The mission of Windsor Public Schools is to develop the genius in every child and create lifelong learners. For more information about the Windsor Board of Education and any of its schools, please visit www.windsorct.org.
