Ever wonder what technology advancements are upon us? Many of the companies feel that if they have the technology that it is their responsibility to spread their wealthy of information on to the public and the next generation. While there are critics out there that say by just learning how to “point and click” that we are doing the next generation a disfavor b y not teaching them hand eye coordination, and marketing skills, the next form of marketing will be “point and click” based. By using 3D printing, quad copter and airplane type UAV’s the next generation of technology is already upon us. We just have to learn how to use it. For example, the company MakerBot is trying to gain funding from the government as well as private sources in order to put 3D printers in every US Public School. Having this technology available would teach (quote) “our young people the tools to be the makers of things, and not just the consumers of things”. By having these in schools new classes would be made where children would learn 3D graphic based design, be able to print their work, and then leave the classroom with something that is “cool” and usable. Even though critics are already out against the movement, saying that “point and click” teaching really isn’t teaching, and that the skills students would be learning wouldn’t be applicable to the real world, is just where the controversy begins and the critics realize they are wrong. 3D printers work is a similar way to regular printer, but instead of giving the pop out effect like in the movies, the printers print a wide array of tangible, usable objects. Cups to houses, if you give the printer time, and you have the right programming, the possibilities you can create are virtually endless. According to How Stuff Works, virtually anyone can use a 3D printer by following 8 steps: ◾ Step 1: CAD --Produce a 3-D model usingcomputer aided (CAD) software. The software may provide some hint as to the structural integrity you can expect in the finished product, too, using scientific data about certain materials to create virtual simulations of how the object will behave under certain conditions. ◾ Step 2: Conversion to STL --Convert the CAD drawing to the STL format. STL, which is an acronym for standard tessellation language, is a file format developed for 3D Systems in 1987 for use by its apparatus SLA) machines [source:rapidtoday]. Most 3-D printers can use STL files in addition to some proprietary file types such as ZPR by Z Corporation and ObjDF by Objet Geometries. ◾ Step 3: Transfer to AM Machine and STL File Manipulation -- Auser copies the STL file to the computer that controls the 3-D printer. There, the user can designate the size and orientation for printing. This is similar to the way you would set up a 2-D printout to print 2-sided or in landscape versus. portrait orientation. ◾ Step 4: Machine Setup --Each machine has its own requirements for how to prepare for a new print job. This includes refilling the polymers, binders and other consumables the printer will use. It also covers adding a tray to serve as a foundation or adding the material to build temporary water-soluble supports. ◾ Step 5: Build --Let the machine do its thing; the build process is mostly automatic. Each layer is usually about 0.1 mm thick, though it can be much thinner or thicker [source: Wohlers]. Depending on the objects size, the machine and the materials used, this process could take hours or even days to complete. Be sure to check on the machine periodically to make sure there are no errors. ◾ Step 6: Removal --Remove the printed object (or multiple objects in some cases) from the machine. Be sure to take any safety precautions to avoid injury such as wearing gloves to protect yourself from hot surfaces or toxic chemicals. ◾ Step 7: Postprocessing --Many 3-D printers will require some amount of post-processing for the printed object. This could include brushing off any remaining powder or bathing the printed object to remove water-soluble supports. The new print may be weak during this step since some materials require time to cure, so caution might be necessary to ensure that it doesnt break or fall apart. ◾ Step 8: Application --Make use of the newly printed object or objects.” Besides printing and school wide level use, the next generation of espionage is available as well, coming to form as Quad Copter UAVs. A Quad Copter is just what is sounds like… A helicopter but with for motors stationed around the central command cabin, but the UAV part is where things get surprising… It stands for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle... These relatively small copters are better to scout out and go into places that need something much smaller and easily maneuverable. It could be used in combat situations where the troops need to clear a building without sending anyone in. In a school setting it could have some crazy but somewhat efficient use... need something from the printer in N building quickly? Send the Quad Copter! Want to spy on that elite administrator meeting from the air duct? Send the Quad Copter! There is another kind of UAV’s that have more airplane like features but are slimmer, lighter, and cost millions more. These Airplane Type UAV’s are mostly exclusive to the military, and are called drones these UAV’s allow for a larger area to be surveyed quickly, map geological and architectural features, and some are equipped with heat sensors. Like the Quad Copter they are unmanned, and go by the military jargon, “drones” and “The Predator”. Both the Quad Copters and Airplane Type UAV’s are piloted from remote locations that resemble a high tech flight simulator. However, the pilot that is flying the UAV’s, feel like they are actually piloting the plane in the sky at these location. But in reality they are about 100 feet below sea level on the desert valley floor at Nellis or Holloman Air Force Base. In an extreme case, there could be an intruder on campus, and a drone that is equipped with a heat sensor can track the intruders movement since all of the classrooms have “safe spots” where students are confined. Since the intruder emits a heat signal, and is probably the only one lurking stealthily about the school, a drone could be used to track his movements and aid in his capture. However, the most practical and beneficial device that the school could use would be the 3D printer. Nauset already has some CAD software, and definitely has the space for one of the printers. The interest in the program would flourish as I’m sure most of the teens today would rather make cups and plates on a computer and print them out instead of taking clay and doing it the “old fashioned way”.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 19:06:59 +0000
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