Expectations
As an Information System/Information Technology, there are a bunch of electives we can choose from. After living with Gian Luis in Barcelona, he highly recommended this class with Vishal. I actually first applied to be in this class in the Fall of 2015, but the class ended up getting cancelled. When I heard about this class starting up again, I immediately applied. Looking back at the semester, I came a long way. The biggest surprise in this class was how many skills we were going to gain other than just the basics of 3D printing. Coming into this class, I thought we would only learn about 3D printing and computer aid design software. This all begin in week 3, when we started learning about design thinking. I would have never guessed we would do something like that in a 3D printing class. In addition, I would have never guessed we would have multiple workshops in the fab lab either. I’m extremely grateful for that, as I now know how to solder, laser engrave/cut, and program an Arduino.
Class Experience
Overall, I absolutely loved this class. Like stated in one of my earlier post, I wish the BADM department would invest in more technical classes for IS/IT majors. I’m positive many would agree with me but I would much rather take a technical class versus a class that has nothing to do with technology but still counts towards my degree.
Before taking this class, I really wanted to purchase a 3D printer, but I was intimidated by how complex it seemed. With the help of this class, I quickly realized that 3D printing is not that hard. Using Fusion 360 was frustrating at times, but definitely doable. We learned the entire process of 3D printing. From creating an object in Fusion 360/TinkerCAD, to slicing the object up in Cura. Luckily for me, using Fusion 360 wasn’t terrible. I did have experience with a difference CAD software, which is why my experience with Fusion 360 was overall a positive one.
For me, the coolest thing we learned how to do was use the Laser Engraving/Cutting machine over at the FabLab. I enjoyed my experience there so much that I actually ended up taking a project for my business fraternity of laser engraving paddles for when the pledges got initiated. Needless to say, everyone in the chapter loved it. I do have to thank the entire staff over at the FabLab. They are extremely patient with everyone and are always ready to help with any problem. Moreover, we also learned how to solder, learned the basics about circuits and wiring, and Arduinos. For our semester long project, we actually used an Arduino as our microcontroller controlling a servo motor via Bluetooth connectivity.
In addition to all the technical skills I learned throughout the semester, another thing I learned was the power of the internet. What I mean by this is how much open source there is out there. We got lucky with our project. The code to controlling a servo motor via Bluetooth was already out there. Then, we found an app that worked perfectly with our Arduino. The only thing we had to do is connect the phone to the Bluetooth and the app did the rest of the work (this is in terms of controlling the servo motor). It’s crazy how much information there is out there. Sometimes we don’t have to create stuff from scratch. One could simply do some research and just work with what’s already out there.
Conclusion
I’m extremely happy I took this class. I do wish there was a class one could take following this one to continuing perfecting those technically skills. After taking an AutoCAD class in high school, I forgot all of my inventor skills about a year later. I don’t want that to happen with everything I have learned this year. Vishal, I highly recommend creating a different class the revolves around 3D printing and the FabLab. I will most definitely recommend this class to all of my friends. Doesn’t matter what major they are, I think everyone has a lot to benefit by taking this class. Thank you all for such an amazing semester!