3D PRINTING

As a technician in a university-level Industrial Design program, and later as an instructor in rapid prototyping courses, I devoted a great deal of time to teaching the nuances of 3D printing.

Contrary to common perception, it’s not as simple as whipping up a CAD file, pressing PRINT, and watching a fully functional product materialize.

Yet…

(See my vision for 3D concrete printing.)

I have experience working with a number of sizes and types of 3D printers, including SLA, SLS, FDM, and powder printers. In general, I have not been in charge of operating the machines; rather, most of my experience lies in preparing geometry and files for printing.

As a computer lab technician at the University of Alberta, I was the liaison between the institution’s 3D printing service and students in the Industrial Design program. I led tours to the facility, developed 3D printing curriculum, held in-class demos, worked one-on-one with students, and ultimately repaired and prepared literally thousands of CAD files on their way to the Z-Corp printers.

I continued to grow alongside the burgeoning 3D printing field as a sessional instructor at the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD). Teaching within the department of Jewelry and Metals, students there needed to gain solid CAD and 3D printing experience to land careers in a field where 3D printing is becoming more and more prevalent and companies are looking for new hires with technology skills.

I developed concise tutorials:

Below are some examples of student work from my course
JWLM216 – 3D Modeling for Rapid Prototyping at ACAD.

More examples can be found here.