Author Archives: Qu Andrew

Week 2 | Andrew Qu

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In this week’s class session we discussed various business models that have arisen the ‘maker’ mentality. A company that is playing a significant part in this blossoming industry is Shapeways. Shapeways crowdsources ideas for 3d models and puts them into production based on support from the community. Here we can already see the emergence of quality controls and model/print standards being put into place in an otherwise highly deregulated environment. After learning about other 3DP resources that the public can access online, we were free to browse the hundreds and thousands of ready-to-print models available through the internet. Thingiverse was a popular destination and there were a variety of compelling objects.

Modular Phone Holder – http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:938573

Something like this can easily impact my daily life as in California, it’s illegal to hold a smartphone in one hand while driving a vehicle. However, with this apparatus (partially scaled to fit my unique phone case), I will be able to operate basic music and GPS functionality without worrying about a ticket.

Customizable Cable Holder http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:145187

These small cable holders will handily keep my desktop cables in order, particularly after I remove my laptop from its place on my desktop, freeing up all sorts of cables and leaving in a messy heap. They would need to be customized for my desk and individual cable size variations but otherwise the design is sound.

Vase – http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:18672

Just in time for Valentine’s day! I would think that a little more weight at the bottom of the model would help with stability, but this design is quite straightforward and doesn’t require much explanation. Flowers, I would use it for flowers.

Watch – http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1249221

I’ve always been fascinated with the mechanics of a watch, or time-keeping devices in general. A project like this would vastly help my learning and further my appreciation for the work that goes into watch and clock design and construction. Customization may come in the form of scalability and materials used, but otherwise the intricate mechanics are best left untouched.

In class, I printed a miniature keychain modeled after a skeleton mob found in the video game Minecraft. Hoping to learn more about the maker mindset and its impact on the industry this coming class session!

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Week 1 | Andrew Qu

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While I’ve had a decent amount of exposure to 3D printing as a concept in print media and in theoretical discussion, I haven’t had the opportunity to experience it in person. This week, guest speaker John Hornick continued the conceptual discussion on “making” and 3D printing while also expanding my horizons on the perspective change that would be required to bring the technology into industries such as fashion and distributed manufacturing. As such, my experiences thus far still remain in a  hypothetical world. This makes it difficult for me to grasp an idea that I can truly pursue.

However, bits and pieces of reading and lecture have been milling around in my mind and I seem to have more interest in:

  • Wearables and fashion – how 3Dp can impact garment and footwear construction and design
  • Daily Use Doodads – contraptions of any size that make life easier
  • Internet of Things…Things – Connectivity-enabled physical objects embedded in a data-rich environment

With these broad topics in mind, I hope to develop the proper ‘maker’ mindset in future classes and bring something that was once just an idea to life!