The lab was previously located in the basement of the engineering building, but this semester, students are expanding into the new space and working on more printers.
Caroline Van Tiggelen, I2P program coordinator, explained that although the core of the laboratory’s use comes from engineering students, a wide variety of students also come, including both undergraduate and graduate students. Obviously, with more RAM arriving for the lab to use, it was clear that many people were eager to explore this technology.
Maggie Wolanske
“I2P has been a growing program since it started a decade ago, and interest has certainly grown,” Van Tiggelen said. “But not only has the interest grown, but it has become much easier for anyone to use. At the same time, we have used a lot of it in the space and so we needed to expand.”
Students purchase a $23 Semester Lab Pass and receive unlimited access to all equipment and materials. Van Tiggelen said students taking classes connected to I2P will not have to pay this fee.
- Watch two students working in the lab in the video player below:
Students work in the Idea2Product Lab at CSU
Van Tiggelen said they have trained more than 800 students this semester and have 950 printed name cards indicating that a student has completed the training, which is more than in previous years.
“The number of students we trained this semester matches the number of students trained in previous I2P years,” Van Tiggelen said.
Now in the new space, Van Tiggelen said they were able to double the number of printers and purchase other items they needed. It’s also an innovative way to help reduce waste from 3D printing.
Maggie Wolanske
“Well, 3D printing definitely generates waste, I think the statistics are about 30% of the filament you use is actually waste through supporting materials that aren’t useful or field printed. So all of that waste we sort, we granulate, dehydrate, and then we put it through an injection molding machine so we can make them into new products,” Van Tigelen said.
Daniel Berning can be seen working on a design in the lab. He is a senior studying mechanical engineering and said he comes to the lab every semester.
“3D printing is a great way to figure out how something will work,” Berning said. “We’re getting to the point where, at some point, you may see more 3D printed things in your life, but yes, there are a lot of things you can do with 3D printing.”
Maggie Wolanske
While many Rams let their creativity run wild in the lab, Sung Kang came in easily because he was working for ODST from Halo 3. He was inspired to take on this “side project” around Labor Day, but as Halloween approached, he knew he had to finish it on time.
“Essentially, everything that isn’t basically textile, I made here in the lab, the visor, the resin printed, the helmet, the armor, everything, everything from the lab,” Kang said.
While the costume Kang created was for Halloween, he said he would “probably” wear it again “for fun”, but “can’t imagine it being a regular thing.”
However, no matter the season or composition, these students believe that innovation unlocks endless possibilities.
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