Several students who attend Utica Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology (UCMST) or Utica Center for Science and Industry (UCSI) met on their own time with teachers Michael Attan and Geoffrey Clark to build four new 3D printers for their classroom use.
The cutting edge devices were assembled from kits obtained through a partnership with Michigan Technological University and Square One Network. Open source plans for the replicating rapid prototype printers known as “RepRaps” can also be found online.
One advantage of the 3D process is that students can easily program a printer to replicate its spare parts – saving money and time if a component breaks on one of the devices. Online access also encourages users to share their design modifications and ideas for practical uses for 3D printing.
The material used to make the 3D printed products is Polylactic Acid or PLA, a resin made from corn and other renewable sources. Comparative costs to make one component range from .50 cents for a part made from PLA to upwards of $1,500 for a comparable part traditionally made from metal.
Aside from the already prevalent use of highly sophisticated 3D printing in the engineering and manufacturing industries, the UCS students have no shortage of ideas for how the technology can help humankind, especially in the medical and dental health fields.
For example, UCSI senior Kaylee Kromrei, who also attends Henry Ford II High School, envisions its use in dentistry.
She said, ”To have a bridge or a crown made now, you have to take a mold, send it out and wait weeks while the tooth is made for you. It’s time consuming and costly. 3D printing will enable dentists to create permanent replacement teeth right in the office.”
“It’s only going to get better,” added Kromrei who plans to become a physician assistant. “That’s why I’m excited to be involved in this at the early stages.”
UCMST and Eisenhower High School senior Mike Sutton, whose career ambitions include pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, visualizes how the technology will “reinvent prosthetics.”
“War veterans who are amputees can have their good leg or arm scanned for a perfect matching copy that can be engineered from the inside out. The applications in medicine and surgery are infinite,” Sutton explained.
The students also pointed out that a 3D printer can produce precision tolerances that in some cases cannot be matched by hand.
Mike Attan and Geoff Clark commented that as the cost of these manufacturing devices goes down, they envision a day when people have 3D printers in their home, just as most people have 2D printers now.
“When something breaks at your house, imagine being able to just download the blueprints and print off a new working part. This could be a game changer in many different fields,” said Attan.
