Hi everyone! I know we all introduced ourselves in class, but since it’s hard to remember, I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I’m a senior majoring in Marketing and ISIT. I’m very happy I was able to secure a place in this course, as the world of 3D printing (and overall Digital Making) has always intrigued me. Being able to learn to use these machines to produce not only existing designs but also my own creations is very exciting to me, and I cannot wait to get started!
Though I’ve been interested in this world for a long time, I’ve only scratched the surface in terms of information I’ve sought out for myself. That being said, I loved the chance to listen to Ms. Rausen and Mr. Hornick. Both had such unique and fascinating experiences with digital making and offered fantastic insight and stories for the class as a whole. Mr. Hornick’s examples of things that have been digitally printed fascinated me, such as the jet engine and human ears or other organs. I didn’t think about the fact that this could be a game changer in terms of rarely needed (or less in-demand) products. When Mr. Hornick explained that it makes less sense to have a whole factory (which is time and capital intensive to build and maintain) for things that do not need to be mass produced. I also didn’t think about how much the way Digital Making is putting more and more power in consumers hands. With access to a digital printer, for example, I can make my own passive speaker cheaper and more customized (which I actually plan to do) than one I was considering ordering on Amazon.
On that topic, I thought I’d include a few of the passive speakers (basically just an amplifier for the speaker your phone already has) that I am interested in making.
The speaker above is interesting to me because of the two-part design, and also just because it’s an amusing design. I might like to change how large the funnel is. Although this design is probably louder than if it were smaller, the smaller design would be more convenient for storage sake.
This design is more convenient in that it is small enough to put in a bag or to store at home, and it is less complex to make than the other example. I would make it my own color, but other than that, it definitely serves it’s purpose well.
Thingiverse has impressed me in the variety of products I can feasibly make for myself. More examples are below.
This is a hair stopper that goes over a drain. I would not change this at all, except perhaps the color, because it serves its purpose perfectly. As a female with long hair, too much hair in the drain is a definite issue.
This is a phone holder, that I would find useful when watching videos. I would love to add a smiley face to the head.
Finally, this is a beautifully designed cup, that I included because, while it definitely is useful, it’s also very aesthetically impressive. I would use this cup all the time, and would possibly like to print other animals of my own design.