UIOWA Engineering Student Makes Solar Cook Stove

Posted on by Iowa City 3D
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGoEMKnGNtY]

Video first uploaded to YouTube on 9 Feb 2015.

Below are a few excerpts from the IowaNow article, “The Student Experience: Allison Kindig.” (9 Feb 2015)

* * *

Allison Kindig did her homework before coming to the University of Iowa. Four years later, her preparation is still paying dividends.

The Cedar Rapids native and industrial engineering major recalls looking for a school that would offer her the opportunity to study a variety of subjects ranging from engineering to international business—and more.

During her first semester, she met with H.S. (Uday) Udaykumar, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering in the UI College of Engineering, enrolled in his class, and traveled to northwestern India. Once there, she and her classmates built a small solar cooker and demonstrated it to local villagers.

“Allison has been leading our efforts to develop low-cost, high efficiency solar cook stoves, particularly stored-energy solar cook stoves for the developing world,” Udaykumar says. “She has spent time in India and in Cameroon working on the project; in Cameroon she went on a Stanley Fellowship on her own initiative and trekked 30 miles into the bush to carry and demonstrate solar cookers in remote villages.

Kindig notes that the project requires teamwork, and no individual or profession acting alone can be effective.

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Metal Plated 3D Printing from Shapeways

Posted on by Iowa City 3D

On 6 February 2015, Shapeways announced metal plated 3D printing services.

“Precious Plated Metal is a great choice for all of your jewelry. The 18k Gold Plated will replace our existing Gold Plated Brass. If you were currently selling this material in your shop, we’ve gone ahead and updated the offering and carried over your markup on Shapeways. Be sure to enable your models in the new Rhodium, Rose & 14k Gold Premium Plated, too- they’re all the same price!”

“Products made in Precious Plated Metal are made the same way our Polished Brass is with a few bonus steps. Wax casts of your model are 3D printed, plaster is poured around the wax cast, and then the brass is poured in the cast. The brass cools and takes form before we carefully remove the cast. We then layer it with palladium, increasing strength and durability, before finishing your products with 0.5 microns of the precious alloy of your choice. The electroplating on our new upgraded offering is more durable and we are excited to delight even more designers and shoppers with these materials.”

Click here to read the full story.

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Precious Plated Metal 3D Printing from Shapeways: A Closer Look

Posted on by Iowa City 3D
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-6YsLG8MwQ]

Originally Published on 6 Feb 2015 to YouTube by Savannah Peterson, Global Community Manager at Shapeways.

Synopsis. “Shapeways has introduced 14k & 18k gold, Rose Gold, and Rhodium Plated. They’re beautiful and I had to show off our launch models in this video!”

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UI Partners Offers Web and Tech Consulting for Iowa Small Businesses

Posted on by Iowa City 3D

Summary

UI Partners is a program through the University of Iowa that offers website and technology consulting to Iowa businesses. This page offers some general information about the program. To learn more, visit the UI Partners website or contact UI Partners to get started.

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Overview

UI Partners was created by the University of Iowa specifically to help small Iowa companies innovate and grow. UI Partners works directly with businesses to solve their information technology (IT) challenges, using practical insights and ideas drawn from University faculty, staff, and students.

UI Partners consults with small businesses throughout Iowa on their IT needs, such as creating websites, managing databases, e-commerce or general tech support, as well as general business planning. This translates into projects that student interns or apprentices could work on, allowing UI students to build their resumes while also connecting with innovative Iowa businesses.

UI Partners is working to create a statewide network of integrated engagement centers to assist small businesses.

To support Iowa’s entrepreneurs, targeted technology training is available through the University of Iowa’s Dev/Iowa programs.

IT Assessment

UI Partners provides FREE Technology Needs Assessments for small businesses. Their staff and students work together to find business and technical solutions that help small businesses remain competitive and work more efficiently.

Business Strategy

UI Partners can provide leading edge informatics expertise and business training to organizations, startups, and established businesses. The group uses advanced entrepreneurship and business training to help find innovative solutions for your business.

Technology & Business Survey

The UI Partners Business Survey helps gather the essential information about a business to provide the best services possible.

Student Experience

UI Partners has a student employment program to assist college students in obtaining real world technology experience. Students get to work with multiple businesses to assist with IT and business strategy projects. Learn more or Apply Now.

Technical Training

UI Partners offers resources and training to help new and established business thrive with the technology solution that’s developed for their needs.

Innovate & Grow

UI Partners was created by The University of Iowa specifically to help small Iowa companies innovate and grow. They work directly with businesses to solve their information technology (IT) challenges, using practical insights and ideas drawn from University faculty, staff, and students. They are working to create a statewide network of integrated engagement centers to assist small businesses.

Workshops and Events

To support Iowa’s entrepreneurs, targeted technology training is available through the University of Iowa’s Dev/Iowa programs. Training opportunities include guest speakers, weekend workshops, one week programs and the intensive Dev/Iowa Bootcamp. Below is a video from the Dev/Iowa Bootcamp 2014.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amD2rraQwLg]

Engagement Centers

UI Partners currently has three Engagement Centers located in Iowa City, Council Bluffs, and Sioux City. They plan to open more UI Partners locations across the state of Iowa.

Direction & Leadership

UI Partners is a division of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

Click here to visit the UI Partners website.

2015 Iowa City 3D Technologies Symposium

Posted on by Iowa City 3D

Register on Facebook

Event Synopsis

The 2015 Iowa City 3D Technologies Symposium was an afternoon conference consisting of presentations by University of Iowa and Iowa City community members working with 3D technologies. The event ran from 1:30 to 4:00 PM on February 3, 2015. View the program schedule below for more details.

Event Videos

Video recordings of the event presentations will be posted here when they become available. Visit our contact page to connect with us and be notified when the videos become available.

Event Location

This year’s event was held in room 2520D of the University Capitol Center. Room 2520D is located on the 2nd floor of the Old Capitol Mall just north of the food court atrium overlook.

A SCIT Sponsored Event

This is part of an ongoing series of events sponsored by the SCIT community at the University of Iowa. The UI Support Community for Instructional Technology (SCIT) seeks to provide a venue for ongoing engagement, communication and collaboration.  Learn More…

Symposium Synopsis

The 2015 Iowa City 3D Technologies Symposium is an afternoon conference consisting of presentations by University of Iowa and Iowa City community members working with 3D technologies. The event runs from 1:30 to 4:00 PM on February 3, 2015.

Program Schedule

1:00 PM – 1:30 PM, Event Setup

  • Early arrivals can enjoy an informal meet and greet.
  • Refreshments and light snacks will be provided.

1:30 PM – 2:00 PM, 3D Printing Services at Studio Arts

  • Chuck Romans is a 3D Design Graduate in the School of Art & Art History at the University of Iowa. He will be presenting on the 3D Printing Services at Studio Arts, and also sharing about his experiences as a grad student.
  • “As a student in the 3D Design Program, I will talk about how I used 3D printing to create the products I have designed in the program, along with my business start-up (3DMad Digital Design) to design and create items for clients.”

2:00 PM – 2:30 PM, 3D Printing + Product Design at Studio Arts

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM, High Resolution 3D Scanning

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM, Autodesk MeshMixer

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM, Iowa City S.T.E.A.M. Room Fab Lab

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Autodesk Meshmixer

Posted on by Iowa City 3D
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m9SG9C_lUo]

The latest update for Meshmixer boasts an all-in-one 3D printing suite with new features!

Now you have all of the mixing, sculpting, healing, stamping, painting tools of Meshmixer you always had with a streamlined path direct to your 3D printer.

You can choose your printer and other settings for 3D printing your creation. You will also have access to all of the mixing and sculpting tools as well to effortlessly make adjustments within Meshmixer.

The powerful and easy features of Meshmixer make it a great companion application for anyone who is 3D printing, whether you are just beginning or a seasoned Maker.

More videos from Autodesk 123D.

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CREAFORM Handyscan3D EXAscan

Posted on by Iowa City 3D

The HandySCAN 3D™ handheld scanners of new generation have been optimized to meet the needs of product development and engineering professionals on the lookout for the most effective and reliable way to acquire 3D measurements of physical objects.

Creaform’s flagship metrology-grade scanners underwent a complete re-engineering, building on its core assets. They are now more portable and they are faster at delivering accurate and high resolution 3D scans while remaining overly simple to use. Yet, it is their true portability that has changed the rules and set a whole new trend in the 3D scanning market.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx8FSnVfQTM]

New Features

  • 25 times faster than the previous generation
  • 40% more accurate
  • Improved ergonomy:
    • 35% lighter
    • 50% smaller
    • Greater freedom of movement
    • Multi-function buttons for easier interaction with the software

TRUaccuracy: Accurate measurements in real life operating conditions

  • Metrology-grade measurements: accuracy of up to 0.030 mm (0.0012 in.), resolution of up to 0.050 mm (0.002 in.), high repeatability and traceable certificate.
  • Accuracy in real-life conditions: regardless of environment conditions, part set-up or user.
  • No rigid setup required: optical reflectors are used to create a reference system that is “locked” to the part itself, so users can move the object any way they want during scanning sessions (dynamic referencing). Changes in surrounding environment have no impact on data acquisition quality or accuracy.
  • Self-positioning: the HandySCAN 3D scanner is a data acquisition system and its own positioning system. This means that no external tracking or positioning devices is required. It uses triangulation to determine its relative position to the part in real time.
  • Reliable: consistent and repeatable results across all work conditions or environments.
  • On-demand user calibration: the scanner can be calibrated as often as necessary (day-to-day basis or before each new scanning session). Calibration takes about 2 minutes and guarantees optimal operation.

TRUportability: 3D scanning where you need to go

  • Stand-alone device: there is no need for an external positioning system, arms, tripod or fixture.
  • On-the-go scanning: you can take it from place to place or use it in-house or on site.
  • Lightweight: weights under 1 kg.
  • Small: Fits into a case the size of a carry-on.
  • Easy access to confined spaces: thanks to its small size and flexible stand-off distance.

Speed: Fastest path from physical objects to your design or inspection workflow

  • Fastest 3D scanner on the market: 25 times faster than the previous generation.
  • Highest measurement rate among all laser scanners: 480,000 measures/s.
  • Automatic mesh output: ready-to-use files, right as you complete acquisition.
  • Quick workflow integration: usable scan files can be imported into RE/CAD software without post-processing.

TRUsimplicity: Very simple 3D scanning process

  • User-friendly: very short learning curve, regardless of the user’s experience level.
  • Quick set-up: up and running in less than 2 minutes.
  • Direct mesh output: no complicated alignment or point cloud processing.
  • Real-time visualization: look at the computer screen to see what you are doing and what is left to be done.
  • Versatile: virtually limitless 3D scanning – no matter the part size, complexity, material or color.

Mindful Media: Easton LaChappelle’s Great Project – Brain Controlled Prosthetics

Posted on by Iowa City 3D

Easton LaChappelle has developed a million-dollar brain-controlled artificial limb. Now he’s giving away the technology as an open source project.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofcdWe1vvMU]

“There’s been a fundamental shift in how we see technology. Science and engineering are no longer just industries. Technology is something we’re passionate about, whether we’re arguing over the iPhone or eagerly anticipating the next technology that will change everything. Just like every song has a story, the technology we most care about has a deeply personal journey behind it, from Steve Jobs’ decades-long obsession with changing how we use computers to Sergey Brin and Larry Page turning a fascination with the mathematics that underlie how we use the Internet into Google. Just like we care as much about the singer as we do the song, we care about the engineer behind the world-changing idea.” [More…]

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3D Modeling for 3D Printing Tutorial

Posted on by Iowa City 3D

In the following six videos, Shapeways Designer Evangelist Lauren guides you through a simple project to turn a line sketch on paper into a 3D-printable file. This lesson uses Tinkercad, a browser-based modeling tool, and Photoshop CC.

More tutorials are online at
http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix_CP3V7lZU]

This tutorial covers:
– Brief introduction to the history and applications of 3D printing
– Overview of how 3D printing works
– Review of design file types and formats

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-V6ZenHP0Q]

This tutorial covers:
– Draw or sketch your design with pen and paper
– Photograph your design and import to Photoshop
– Digitize your design in Photoshop by creating an outline

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF4-Pk7bNuQ]

This tutorial covers how to:
– Extrude a 3D model from a 2D file
– Prepare your model using basic 3D modeling tools
– Export your 3D model from Photoshop for use in Tinkercad

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSDhACnji5k]

This tutorial covers:
– Navigate and getting oriented in Tinkercad
– Basics of controlling and modifying 3D objects
– Rotate 3D models in your workplane

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOr6ozodtlM]

This tutorial covers:
– Import your 3D model as an STL file
– Scale and adjust your design
– Combine two shapes to create an articulated/interlocking design
– Design with the 3D printing material in mind (SLS nylon)
– Download 3D model for 3D printing

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjcpgY3MYm4]

This tutorial covers:
– The basics of how 3D printing service such as Shapeways works
– Review design guidelines of h3 & Flexible Plastic
– Upload & order your design

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Tested In-Depth: Desktop 3D Scanning and 3D Printing

Posted on by Iowa City 3D
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZXlwxAe9co]

“We’ve been experimenting with home 3D printers for a while, but we now finally have a desktop 3D scanner at the office too! We test the new Matter and Form 3D scanner that digitizes any small object, generating a 3D model and file that we can then send over to our 3D printer. It’s like photocopying a real-world object!”

Originally published to YouTube by Tested on 25 September 2014.