Geek Speak with Drew from NWA 3D

A Crazy R o b o t i c Hot glue gun?

n this installment of Geek Speak, we hear from Drew Wallis, the Director of Education at NWA3D. He enjoys teaching and empowering students with the skills to properly use what he calls a “crazy robotic hot glue gun.” Grab something to take notes with as Wallis sheds a little light and insight on what other people simply know as 3D printers. I

Some readers may be familiar with the more common name, 3D printers, but I prefer the wilder term crazy robotic hot glue gun. I call them crazy because they enthusiastically make anything you can design—or they sometimes fail at printing in the most epic manner. I call them robots because they are a programmable machine that completes a task. And finally, I call 3D printers hot glue guns because they melt solid material into a liquid with a hot nozzle, and that liquid resolidifies into a solid shape of your choice, similar to how a hot glue gun works!

Now for some tech talk: There are many different types of 3D printers, and those printers comprise the industry known as additive manufacturing. This digital manufacturing process takes a digital file created on a computer and manufactures that part on a machine. In additive manufacturing, the digital file is created in the real world by stacking thin layers of a certain material over and over into the shape of the digital file. The most common type of 3D printers, and the ones we sell at NWA 3D, use material extrusion. This is the process of melting down a material, called filament, and extruding it out of a nozzle. Filament is the variation of thermoplastic material requiring different temperatures to melt and mold into the designs. Once the material has been melted, the extruding process begins. Extruding is the act of dispensing the material onto the build plate through a small nozzle commonly referred to as a "hot end.” The build plate is the surface where the printer deposits the materials to form the new part.

Additive manufacturing is used today to make all kinds of products and machines. From airplane parts to knee replacements to movie props, 3D printing is one more tool in the toolbox for a company to use to create something unique. What we love the most are things that can only be created using the process of additive manufacturing—like a customized prosthetic limb for an individual.

Many EAST programs have benefitted from how amazing a tool 3D printing can be. A reliable 3D printer empowers students to think creatively and learn how to solve problems; ironically so does an unreliable one. The student-driven nature of EAST makes it a fantastic place to learn the skills needed to work on 3D printing projects that make a difference in the world. That’s why we love and support EAST!