Durango Discovery Museum Prized New Exhibit
Durango Discovery Museum Prize
Durango Discovery Museum Prized New Exhibit
The Durango Discovery Museum will soon receive a one-of-a -kind in the area special gift. The Museum staff is excited about the educational possibilities their new 3-Dimensional printer will provide to the community. Three D printing technology is used by many industries and soon Durango residents and visitors will be able to watch a printer in action at the Museum.
Stone Age Engineering is gifting a “Thing-o-matic” 3-Dimensional printer, manufactured by Makerbot to the Museum. Sarah Margolis, Education Manager at the Discovery Museum explains, “Since Thing-o-matic is a mouthful to say all the time, we have affectionately nicknamed the printer TOM.”
TOM will be housed in the Mensch Sparkshop which is a special zone targeted to slightly older kids. “The Sparkshop, is a hub for kids to get exposed to advanced technologies.” Currently in the Sparkshop are exhibits displaying programmable lego robots and cubulets or modular robots.
Stone Age’s Human Resources director, Betsy Fitzpatrick explains that they use 3-D software all the time to design their tools, so donating one to the community felt like the perfect win-win situation. The components of their charitable giving program include: contributing to local non-profits, having the donation relate to their business and fostering the next generation of engineers. A donation to the Discovery Museum fulfilled all requirements. “The Museum is all about this stuff.”
Through their giving program, Stone Age supports the STEM disciplines, which are: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Fitspatrick explains, “As a country, we need to promote the next generation of scientists and engineers. Donating this tech-toy is in line with our business and encourages skill sets to keep inventors on the cutting edge of technology.”
Purchasing TOM as a kit that required assembly made the unit more affordable for Stone Age and contributed to the education of the two volunteers constructing the unit. Over the past few weeks, Durango resident Ryan Finnegan and Mancos High School sophomore, Easton LaChappelle have excitedly watched the machine take form.
The Thing-0-Matic, creates small objects out of plastic. A designer writes a program using 3-D software that is sent to the printer that creates the item. “Right before your very eyes a 3-D item is created,” exclaims Fitzpatrick. The 18 inch by 12 inch unit uses ABS plastic to make small objects. The printer lays down a very thin layer of plastic with each pass and builds upon itself as the compiling layers create an exact 3-D replica of the item that was programmed into it.
Margolis describes how 3-D printing technology allows inventors to design and make an object that can be used in a unique, specific invention. In fact, the very first task for the printer will be to make the final part needed for a robotic arm being built by LaChapelle.
LaChappelle and Finnegan are part of a growing national movement called DIY – Do It Yourself or the Maker Movement. La Chappelle is featured in a recent Popular Mechanics magazine article on the robotic arm he has designed. To learn more, check out the links below:
Check out Easton La Chappelle in Popular Mechanics:
http://www.popularmechanics.co.za/article/easton-chappelles-wireless-animatronic-hand-2011-09-14
Submitted by Malia Durbano
http://writingmatterscolorado.com
