It seems like the Making Movement is all but losing momentum, thanks in part to Millennials like us. According to The Maker Mindset by Dale Dougherty, making is seen as something personal and intimately intrinsic in nature. I would have to agree on this point very much. Week 2 was spent learning Cura, downloading models, and making our first prints. I was really excited that we were able to learn to use the printers so quick; after all, that is what we took this course for, right?

We started class off that day by breaking up into the teams, which we would be in for the rest of the semester, so we could get acquainted. Our first assignment was to look over “Making Websites” such as Thingiverse, YouMagine, and Instructables just to name a few. Our task was to decide what the websites function was, and what field or interest group it best served.

The most difficult part of class that day for me was ironically what was probably supposed to be the easiest: the task of finding something to print. Now, you have to know a little something about me first, in order to appreciate my dilemma fully. I’m a very indecisive person and I am a very thick headed individual. While it took people at most ten minutes, took me easily a half hour. However, I finally settled on something to print. It was a Hollow Celtic Skull.

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This week was my first official encounter with the world of 3D printing, and I have to say that it has been a pretty awesome experience so far! However, my first genuine experience with the 3Dp process was back at the end of August, just as the fall semester was beginning. Just some quick background on me for those of you who don’t know, I’m an athlete on the Illinois Wheelchair Track and Road-racing Team. Arielle Rausin, who was a student in Digital Making 2015, is also on the team and found a way to print our racing gloves. Rolling into DRES that day and seeing our gloves being created in a fraction of the time, drove me to pursue this class. Flash forward a few months, and here we are.

We started class of with a guest lecture from John Hornick on how 3Dp will rock the world. I had to say, I was a bit skeptical of that claim, but as he went on it was clear where John was coming from. These were the main points that I took away from the presentation.

• High Cost Benefit Ratio – 3Dp has the ability to create something in a fraction of the time with a fraction of the cost. Going back to the racing glove example cost can be brought down from roughly $350 to $30, with labor times greatly reduced.
• Accessibility – With the cost of actual hardware constantly getting cheaper and quality getting better, it is now a feasible dream that almost every household will have access to a printer, whether it’s at school, work, or home.
• Rise of the Makers – This is really a result of the two above points, but with cost and accessibility moving the way they are, so many people can just let their imaginations run wild again. It is possible to create (almost) anything you can think of – you just need the drive, idea, and resources.

Can any of my fellow 2016 makers add a comment on something they thought was important from John’s lecture? I think it would be interesting to see what you all have gotten out of it.

I truly believe that 3Dp will kickstart a new generation of movers and shakers, one that will only become more robust and refined as time goes on with new advances. I can honestly see amazing things coming out of this new revolution in the industries of healthcare, sport, and even security.