Yes, That Is a Jerky Maker in Our 3D Printing Lab

And, no, we’re not using it to turn our Thanksgiving leftovers into turkey jerky. The food dehyrdrator is part of our low-tech solution to a common 3D printing problem – brittle filament.

If you’ve been working with FDM (fused deposition modeling) printers, you’ve probably discovered to your dismay that filament absorbs moisture from the air. If you leave it exposed for too long, the plastic breaks easily – leading to print failures, rough surfaces and even clogged print heads. 

It seems counterintuitive that water can make a material less flexible; especially plastic, which we think of as being moisture-resistant. But most 3D printing filaments are made with some type of polymer. Water molecules break polymer chains, weakening the material’s structure. MatterHackers.com has a good explanation of the science behind this process, called hydrolysis. 

The type of filament we use most at our 3D ThinkLink class sites and in our lab is PLA (Polylactic Acid) a biodegradable polymer made from plants such as corn. It’s safer than another commonly used type of filament, ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), because it doesn’t emit potentially dangerous fumes when it melts in the 3D printer’s hot end. PLA absorbs water faster than ABS. Moisture is an even bigger problem with two other kinds of filament we sometimes use – nylon and 3D Systems’ Infinity water-soluble support material.

Tiny pockets of water will turn to steam when the filament is extruded through the printer’s hot end, leaving pits in what should be smooth surfaces of printed objects. Moisture can also make filament swell up, causing a clog that could ruin your machine’s print head. 

We’ve learned through trial and error that it’s not enough to store filament in an airtight container, although that’s also part of the solution. When you encounter a moisture-related problem, you have to actively dry the filament. That’s where our jerky maker comes in.

3D printing enthusiasts have devised all sorts of methods for drying filament. We’ve found that using a home food dehydrator is a safe, simple, affordable way to make troublesome filament usable again.

We use a Nesco FD-61, which is widely available for well under $100 online and at most big-box stores, but any similar machine will do. Make sure it’s large enough to accommodate the filament spools you use. 

Screen removed from tray to make spacer

We had to cut away the screen portion of a few trays to create spaces between levels deep enough for large spools like this one.

Filament spool ready for drying

Dry the filament at a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 6 hours, then run a test print to make sure you’re satisfied with the quality. 

You can do the same thing if you have a convection oven, which constantly circulates hot air just like the dehydrator. But you have to keep a close watch on the temperature to make sure you don’t melt the plastic. 

Cube 2 filament cartridge opened

If you use filament cartridges such as the ones for the Cube 2 printer, it's best to remove the spool for drying to avoid possible heat damage to the plastic case. Carefully press each tab around the edge of the cartridge and pull apart the two halves of the shell, then take out the cardboard spool and put it in the dehydrator. After drying, reassemble the cartridge, making sure the tiny verification chip in the base of the case remains in place and the filament is threaded correctly through the guides behind the exit hole so that it moves freely. 

Once you’ve removed all that annoying moisture, make sure your filament stays dry by storing it in an airtight container with a desiccant pack. Again, you’ll find many creative filament storage inventions online. We have dozens of cartridges and spools in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab, so we like to use five-gallon plastic buckets with 12-inch screw-top lids. You can find them in the paint section of any major home improvement supply store. They stack easily and have plenty of room for filament cartridges and desiccant.

Storage bucket with screw-top lid and rechargeable desiccant block

Now that our filament is dry and safe in the sealed buckets, maybe we will use the dehydrator to make some jerky after all. Anyone have a good recipe?

3D ThinkLink Helps At-Risk Youth Redefine Failure

Failure is not final. We never fail to emphasize that message in our 3D ThinkLink classes. 

A favorite motivational poster in our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab features a picture of Yoda with this quote: “You want to know the difference between a master and a beginner? The master has failed more times than the beginner has ever tried.”

In fact, that’s not a line from a Star Wars movie, even though it sure sounds like something Yoda might say. 

But what about “Failure is not an option”? Apollo 13 Flight Director Gene Kranz never said that, either. A screenwriter for the Ron Howard movie came up with the line, but Kranz thought it captured the spirit of NASA’s Mission Control Center so well that he used it as the title of his autobiography. 

What Kranz did tell his team as they scrambled to save the astronauts aboard the crippled spacecraft was: “This crew is coming home … And we must make it happen.” And they did – but not without overcoming plenty of obstacles along the way. They didn’t let failures keep them from ultimately achieving success. 

Fast-forward to the era of private spaceflight. SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who recently watched one of his Falcon 9 rockets explode on the launch pad, has declared: "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough."

In fact, 15Five CEO David Hassell contends that for today’s entrepreneurs, failure is not an option – it’s required. 

These varied views of failure can be difficult to reconcile for the young people we serve. Most of them have experienced a great deal of failure in school and at home. It’s no wonder that they’ve learned to fear failure and to give up when they make mistakes. 

Our 3D ThinkLink Initiative is designed to help at-risk kids redefine failure. We’ve seen how learning 3D design and printing gives them the opportunity to work through problems by trial and error without worrying about flunking a test or being punished. Nobody’s 3D project turn out right the first time. But the inevitable mistakes are always instructive, and sometimes even beautiful. 

Students in 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab

With the CAD software and user-friendly printers we provide for 3D ThinkLink classes along with hands-on help from highly engaged teachers in the classrooms, our students can easily evaluate failures, improve their designs and print again until they’re satisfied with the results. 

The key is for students to develop the confidence to keep trying in the face of failures, knowing that each mistake can lead to improvement. That’s a profoundly different way of thinking for most at-risk youth.  
   
Bob Lenz, Executive Director of the Buck Institute for Education, explained on the Edutopia blog what he means when he says failure is essential to learning.

I'm not talking about dead-end failure, the kind that results in loss of opportunity, regression, or stagnation. Instead, we see failure as an opportunity for students to receive feedback on their strengths as well as their areas of improvement -- all for the purpose of getting better. When reframed as a good, constructive, and essential part of learning, failure is a master teacher.

How do you make failure students' friend? Set a high standard and don't be afraid to tell students that they haven't met it. But in the next breath, give detailed suggestions on what they can do to improve. And, most important -- though so often given short shrift -- allow students the time, space, and support to make the revisions. In such a culture, failure does not mean, "You lose." It means, "You can do better. We believe in you. Here is some feedback: revise, and try again."

That’s why our 3D ThinkLink curriculum includes lots of design lab sessions. Students need time to go through the process of incremental improvement so they can internalize the larger lesson about failure.

3DThinkLink class at the PHILLIPS School

We know it works because of the results we’ve seen. For instance, here’s what a student from our first class for teens with autism at the PHILLIPS School in Annandale, Virginia, told us: 
  
“What I liked about the 3D program was that it taught me that I could innovate. It’s teaching me ‘don’t give up on your design.’ … Like when you lose your data, you can always get it back – just keep going. I am using this now, every day. It is OK to lose data because you can always do it again. It helped me tolerate the loss – to start again, to start over.”

We hear the same thing from other organizations that offer 3D printing programs for at-risk youth. The McCarthy-Dressman Foundation and ChickTech recently provided workshops in app development and 3D printing at Helensview Alternative High School in Portland, Oregon, to help students gain confidence and learn from failures. Surveys done before and after the classes showed a 22 percent increase in students reporting “I can work through problems.”

The PHILLIPS School’s evaluation report included this teacher’s account of the change he saw one student undergo during our pilot project. 

“During the 3rd session, the student suddenly ran back into the classroom, buried his head on the desk and shut down. He would not talk to me. He has a habit of never revealing or identifying the problem. I talked to the 3D Design Teacher who said the student got frustrated trying to create something. Then, during one of the final 3D classes, I was observing the class and this student had stopped working on the project and was doing other things on the computer. When the 3D Design Teacher went to him, the student showed him the project, identified the problem and together they problem solved. The student was able to finish and print his design – this is a major change. I have seen it in other areas as well. The student does not shut down as often.”

The final quotation on this subject comes from a time long before Elon Musk, Gene Kranz and Yoda. “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure,” said Abraham Lincoln. 

It is life-changing when students learn how to use their failures to pave the way to success.

Understanding Additive Manufacturing Is a Plus for 3D ThinkLink Students

YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink training gives at-risk teens an advantage in the tech-driven job market where demand for 3D design and printing skills is growing fast.

Our students from Maryland’s Freestate, DC’s Capital Guardian and South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academies learned about the additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, and traditional subtractive manufacturing during last month’s Vocational Orientation field trips. 

In this video, Bill Nye the Science Guy explains why additive manufacturing is the way of the future.




3D Systems Director of Corporate Communications Tim Miller told the students who toured the company’s headquarters in Rock Hill, South Carolina, that demand for workers who understand 3D printing is skyrocketing. Job listings for positions requiring 3D printing skills jumped more than 1,800 percent from 2010 to 2014, according to Wanted Analytics. 

Tim Miller leads a Vocational Orientation
tour of 3D Systems

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers also reported:
… knowing how to use a 3D printer has become an in-demand job skill. A recent report from data company Wanted Analytics found that in one month 35 percent of engineering job listings from a variety of fields, including biomedical, software, and transportation industries, required applicants familiar with 3D printing and its additive manufacturing processes. The same report found that companies are having a difficult time finding candidates with the right skills.

Fortunately for our students, many of these jobs do not require a 4-year college degree, as noted in the Potomac Laser blog:
Interestingly, the new tools being implemented are often automated and the workers who run them do not need advanced degrees. These operators who have an underlying STEM-based skillset can enter the workforce with a high school diploma or associate’s degree at a pay scale averaging 61 percent higher than workers in non-STEM jobs with similar education. 

Students explore additive and subtractive
manufacturing at The Foundery in Baltimore

As our students discovered during their Vocational Orientation visits to businesses and universities, additive and subtractive manufacturing methods are often used in combination. For instance, 3D printing may be used in developing prototypes of a finished product that will be mass-produced through traditional manufacturing techniques. 

CAD (Computer Aided Design) software is used in both types of manufacturing. Our students learn Moment of Inspiration, a professional-level CAD program, so they understand the concept of giving computer-controlled manufacturing devices the instructions to create objects, whether they’re 3D printers or subtractive CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines. 

In addition to technical skills, the 3D ThinkLink Initiative gives students an advantage by emphasizing the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills. Research by PayScale ranked those at the top of the list of skills hiring managers say are lacking in recent graduates.

Final Report: 3D ThinkLink Pilot Project at PHILLIPS School Was a Success

by Lynda Mann, YouthQuest Foundation Co-Founder and President

Kudos to the PHILLIPS Programs – Annandale School for their daring pilot of The YouthQuest Foundation’s 3D ThinkLink program for students on the autism spectrum as well as students with mental health issues.  

Luke McHugh (left) and Adam Eldert
work on a 3D design

The 3D ThinkLink program’s core outcomes are to teach critical thinking skills, problem solving, and the resiliency to deal with failure. 

Our unique program delivery vehicle, CAD design and 3D scanning and printing, continues to be highly successful with high school dropouts, however this curriculum was untested with other cohorts.

After exploring possibilities with the PHILLIPS Program personnel, we all felt confident the curriculum and the teaching delivery strategies were highly appropriate for their students. But as we all know, the proof is in the pilot.

Henry Spiegelblatt watches one of
his designs being 3D printed

The PHILLIPS Program Final Evaluation Report says the pilot was a success, especially in the areas of student engagement, curriculum implementation and staff support. 
I honestly believe the increased student engagement and the successful curriculum implementation are both a result of the excellent work done by the PHILLIPS Program’s staff, especially the teaching staff – Samuel Son, Jim Field and Marcel Baynes. Their ability to recognize the innate creativity in these special needs youth, and to use the 3D ThinkLink curriculum as a valuable way for the students to express themselves creatively while facilitating growth in critical thinking and problem solving, was brilliant. 

I say this with confidence because we know all curriculum requirements were fully met. But more importantly, the parents and the students both reported not only increased 3D skills and improved problem solving, but also a greater sense of self-esteem and a higher level of confidence.
   

Samuel Son, Marcel Baynes and
Jim Field in teacher training

And how did this happen? I believe it was because the PHILLIPS Program teachers were highly engaged during their teacher training event, seeking deep knowledge and skills before the pilot launched. This high level of engagement led the teachers to create a collaborative learning environment where students felt their creativity was validated. As one student put it, “It means if you think of something really cool in your head, you can just make it.” Another shared, “Like everybody has a piece of creativity in their brain so you have to find a way to get it out (the creativity) and the class helped me to get it out.”
  
We at YouthQuest salute the PHILLIPS Designing Futures Program (3D Design and Print Program), and especially their teachers, for a job well done!

Student Snapshot: Alycia Freeman

This is the latest in an occasional series about outstanding young people who have completed our 3D ThinkLink class.

Alycia Freeman knew she was headed down the wrong path.

YouthQuest President Lynda Mann presents a
$500 scholarship to Alycia Freeman in June

Like so many of the at-risk teens we serve, Alycia was facing a combination problems at home and at school.

Her dad was doing drugs and her parents divorced when she was 13. She moved five times and skipped school often, spending most days caring for her ailing grandmother, who needed knee-replacement surgery.

“I then started to follow in my father’s footsteps,” Alycia recalled.

After a year of spiraling downward, she decided she had to change her life.

“I knew I had to be successful. I didn’t want to be a product of my environment,” she said.

Alycia enrolled in South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy at the beginning of this year, determined to earn her GED. Instructors recognized her potential and selected her for the 3D ThinkLink training we provide at SCYCA.

Being in our 3D class helped her get re-engaged in education, Alycia wrote in a scholarship-winning essay about her experience. It also inspired her to study surgical technology at Savannah Technical College after completing the ChalleNGe program.

Alycia’s class visited 3D Systems headquarters in Rock Hill, South Carolina, during Vocational Orientation Day in April. She said it was eye-opening to discover how the 3D technology she learned about in class is used in the health care field.

“Being that I took care of my grandmother, I want to help others live a better life in every way possible,” Alycia explained. “3D printing encouraged me to become a surgical nurse. … I’m now motivated and determined to go to school and get into the medical field and actually complete it!”

Teacher Training Focuses on Enhancing 3D ThinkLink Curriculum

It’s back-to-school time and students aren’t the only ones doing the learning. Teachers from Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy and the PHILLIPS School in Annandale, Virginia, are training in our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab this week.

Jim Field works with an M3D printer

They’re working with our Director of Instruction, Tom Meeks, to improve the 3D ThinkLink curriculum and learn to use some new 3D printing equipment and materials.

Freestate’s Rikiesha Metzger and Jim Field from PHILLIPS are providing valuable insights about how their students have responded to various elements of the curriculum.

Tom Meeks with Rikiesha Metzger

For example, they observed that hands-on activities are crucial for keeping students engaged in learning the basics of Moment of Inspiration 3D design software. Some kids become impatient and tune out when it takes too long to start printing things. As a result, we are reorganizing the lesson plans so that students will be able to print during their very first class session. 

  

In order to improve tracking of students’ progress, Tom and the teachers are adding “assessment projects” to the curriculum. Students will complete a project every week or so to show they’ve mastered key 3D design skills and to exercise the critical thinking and problem solving skills our program emphasizes.  

Rikiesha Metzger, Jim Field and Tom Meeks discuss assessment projects

During three years of teaching at-risk youth about 3D, we’ve learned that these students are especially eager to make things that are personalized, useful and have sentimental value for their family and friends. The assessment projects we’re developing reflect that.

We’re excited to have some new tools that make it possible to create items that can’t be produced with our Cube 2 printers, which use only hard plastic PLA or ABS filament.

The teachers are learning to use the Micro 3D printer, a small, versatile machine made by M3D. It can handle a wide variety of filaments including rubbery and translucent plastics and even materials that change color when exposed to certain temperatures.

These tools will open up all sorts of creative possibilities for our teachers and students as we begin a new 3D ThinkLink class cycle.

Seeing Math and Art in New Ways Through 3D Printing

Teachers often tell us that being in our 3D ThinkLink class helps students do better in math. At the same time, many students say learning about 3D design and printing brings out their artistic creativity.

That’s part of the magic of 3D printing as a teaching tool. It combines mathematics and art in ways that appeal to all sorts of students, especially those who are visual or tactile learners. It’s easier for them to understand an abstract concept when they have the ability to transform it into a physical object they can hold and examine from every angle. And in the process, they sometimes discover there’s beauty in the numbers and formulas.

This idea predates 3D printing by at least a century, as WIRED magazine reported in an article about 19^th-century mathematician Felix Klein. He pioneered the idea of turning equations into three-dimensional models.

“… workers in Klein’s laboratory painstakingly drew the horizontal sections solving a planar version of the equation. Each cross-section was cast separately, in a plaster made from powdered chalk, bone glue, double varnish, essence of lavender and essence of clove. Then the layers were carefully stacked, glued together, and sanded smooth.”

The process is strikingly similar to what’s done by today’s powder-bed 3D printers like the Z450 in our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab. They build objects using layers of engineered gypsum powder and liquid binder. 

“The models were part of a program to make algebra palpable. It’s one thing to check that the derivatives of a function are zero and another to feel the plaster taper to a sharp point. … By making models you can hold in your hands, Klein hoped to keep mathematics anchored to the physical world. ‘Collections of mathematical models and courses in drawing are calculated to disarm, in part at least, the hostility directed against the excessive abstractness of the university instruction,’ Klein said at the 1893 Evanston colloquium. An image or an object does more than ease fear of the unseen, it makes the equation real.”

As WIRED notes, artists and architects were sometimes inspired by the models they saw on display in university math departments. Today, “mathematical artists” such as Paul Nylander and Henry Segerman are producing wondrous creations, thanks to 3D printing.

Others are using additive manufacturing technology to visualize the invisible. They’re turning audio waveforms into 3D-printed art. For example, here’s a keychain charm in the shape of the soundwave of a person saying “I love you.”

One thing we know about our 3D ThinkLink students is that they love to make things that are personalized and unique. While some of the "math art" calculations may be too advanced for our students, making things like rings and bracelets in the shapes of their own voiceprints is well within their abilities.

And those who want to think way outside the box can try to wrap their minds around projects like these 3D-printed optical illusions.

The 3D ThinkLink Initiative: We Can’t Do It Alone

It takes a team to make our 3D ThinkLink Initiative work. Fortunately, we have great partners in this project to build better lives for at-risk youth.

As we move from summertime to a new season of 3D design and printing classes for our students, we’re reminded of how many people and organizations are contributing to the success of our mission.

Topping our MVP (Most Valuable Partners) list is AOC Solutions, which is headed by YouthQuest Co-Founder and Vice President Allen Cage. He explained his dedication helping to at-risk youth recently in a post on the AOC blog:

“I’ve always believed it’s important to give back, especially to young people,” said Allen O. Cage Jr. “During my 24 years of active duty in the Army and over 20 years in business at AOC, I’ve traveled a lot and seen kids who are dealing with some tough situations. A little help can make a big difference. So I think it’s very important to raise funds and give back to these kids.”

Allen’s commitment is contagious. Many AOC employees donate their time and talents to YouthQuest, including Valerie Hightower, recipient of our 2016 Volunteer of the Year Award.

We also honored Duncan-Parnell as our 2016 Community Partner. Like previous award winners Prototype Productions, Inc. and 3D Systems, Duncan-Parnell hosts Vocational Orientation events for our students twice a year, along with providing technical support for our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab.

Longtime supporters like Charlie White at BLA Financial contribute in a variety of ways. Every year, Charlie donates a day of sailing the Chesapeake Bay aboard his 46-foot sloop as one of the items in our golf tournament’s silent auction. This year, Charlie was among the first to purchase a $500 Tech Pack that will empower one of our top students to serve as a mentor. He’s also promoting our Youth Mentor Program on BLA’s website. 

This is an exciting time of year. We’re coming off last month’s golf tournament, our signature annual fundraising event. In a couple of weeks, we’ll host a teacher training session and a new cycle of 3D ThinkLink classes will begin soon at the DC, Maryland and South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academies.

In the months ahead, we’ll expand our partnership with the PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families and Horizons Hampton Roads.

None of this would be possible without the generous support of our many partners. If you would like to join the team, please contact Operations Manager Juan Louro at juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633. You can also click here to make a donation. 

Introducing the 3D ThinkLink Youth Mentor Program

Our 3D ThinkLink training includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and labs, a four-hour community service project and a day of Vocational Orientation. Students selected for advanced training spend a week in our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab to deepen their understanding of 3D design and printing, and to further develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills.

But then what happens?

We want our students to retain the benefits of their 3D ThinkLink experience after they’ve completed their training. In fact, we want them to spread those benefits to others.

3DThinkLink students introduce youngsters to 3D printing
at the 2014 USA Science & Engineering Festival

That’s why we’ve launched a program to exponentially increase our foundation’s ability to reach at-risk youth.

The goal of our Youth Mentor Program is for the life lessons we instill in our students to be passed along from person to person, spreading through under-served communities.

We’re going to give our most motivated and capable advanced students the tools they need to continue learning about 3D and to share their knowledge with their family, friends and neighbors. 

Each student in our Youth Mentor Program will receive a Tech Pack, which includes a 3D printer, design software, laptop computer and training.

Your donation of $500 will buy a Tech Pack for a deserving student. To contribute to this important new program, please contact YouthQuest Operations Manager Juan Louro at juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

We know that mentoring is especially beneficial for at-risk teens.

By turning our students into mentors as they make the transition to adulthood, we will build up their self-esteem and empower them to inspire younger kids and even older people.

They will drive positive change from within their communities by giving back and being role models, as well as resources for 3D design and printing.

Student Snapshot: Tyeshia Blackmond

This is the latest in an occasional series about outstanding young people who have completed our 3D ThinkLink class.

“Back home, not too many people believed in me and I often heard what I could not or would not do, but this program has given me more power to prove them wrong,” Tyeshia Blackmond wrote in an essay about her 3D ThinkLink experience.

The youngest of nine children in her family, Tyeshia had quit going to school a couple of years ago and was “hanging out with the wrong crowd.” She enrolled in Washington DC’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy last year in hopes of turning her life around.

Tyeshia said she’s grateful for the opportunity to participate in our 3D program at CGYCA.

“I am aware that everyone does not get a chance to be exposed to this type of technology,” she explained in her essay. “I know of people back home that do not have an idea of what 3D printing pertains to and can do.”

Being in 3D ThinkLink class brought out her creativity and built up her confidence.

“I would have never known I could be so passionate and it has been very empowering to develop such skills,” she said.

Tyeshia, who’s aiming for a career in social work or counseling, was chosen as one of two student speakers at CGYCA’s graduation ceremony in June, 2015. She went on to work as a summer intern at the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. 

Exploring New Materials and Printers in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab

One of our favorite parts of summer is having students come to the 3DThinkLinkCreativity Lab. We invite outstanding graduates of our introductory 3D ThinkLink classes to attend advanced training sessions in the lab at our headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia.

NeLazjay Brown and Kelvin Stoddard from Washington, DC’s Capital Guardian YouthChalleNGe Academy and Henry Spiegelblatt from the PHILLIPS School in Annandale, Virginia, spent two days in the lab last week exploring 3D printing methods and materials that go far beyond what they experienced in their schools.

On Wednesday, Director of Instruction Tom Meeks introduced the students to the new M3D printer and the many types of filament it can use. The Cube machines they had in their classrooms print only with hard PLA or ABS plastic, but the M3D can handle flexible filament that feels like soft rubber and comes in many eye-catching translucent colors.

Henry Spiegelblatt, NeLazJay Brown and Kelvin Stoddard test materials

Tom also showed the kids Chameleon filament, which changes color when the temperature rises or falls. They did experiments with hot and cold water to record temperature points that produced color changes for various types of thermochromic filaments.

Because our 3D ThinkLink project is as much about thinking as it is about 3D printing, the students spent the rest of the day coming up with ideas for things they could make with the new materials they’d learned about – then designing and printing their creations.

Kelvin Stoddard removes powder from
a model car printed on the Z450

We also demonstrated our Z450 printer, a full-color inkjet and powder bed machine, to teach the kids about a 3D printing method that’s quite different from the FDM (fused-deposition modeling) they used at school. Instead of extruding layers of melted plastic filament like the Cube or M3D, the Z450 builds layers of ink and liquid binder on super-fine gypsum powder. 

IMade3D CEO Ladi Goc explains the JellyBox 3D printer to the lab class 

Thursday’s lab session was devoted to the JellyBox, a unique 3D printer kit from IMade3D. It’s designed to be assembled, operated and taken apart over and over again so students can understand how 3D printers work. Besides being a great teaching tool, the JellyBox produces beautiful, high-quality prints in a variety of materials.

IMade3D CEO Ladi Goc and outreach director Bruce Troutman spent the day with the kids in the lab, but didn’t give them any written instructions. Instead, the students examined a fully assembled JellyBox, asked questions and figured out what to do through trial and error. This helped strengthen their problem-solving skills, a key element of 3D ThinkLink training.

Our lab students assemble JellyBox 3D printers  

NeLazjay, who has strong mechanical abilities, especially enjoyed the hands-on learning activity. In about three hours, the kids finished building their JellyBox and started doing test prints. Ladi and Bruce said they’d never seen a group complete the project so quickly.

Tom and the students at
YouthQuest's VIP Reception

The big payoff came on Thursday night, when the students attended our annual VIP Reception to meet some of our leading supporters and show off their 3D printing skills. Our guests at the event hosted by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Tysons Corner were fascinated to see the JellyBox and M3D printers in action and impressed by what the kids had accomplished.

Last week’s experience was a confidence-builder for Henry, Kelvin and NeLazjay. We hope it inspires them to go further with 3D printing and to build on the thinking skills they’re developing.

We also want to thank technology teacher Jim Field from the PHILLIPS School and CGYCA staffers Tonya Lewis and Ricardo Abbott for being with us during the lab sessions. They seemed to enjoy the activities as much as the kids!

Henry Spiegelblatt, NeLazJay Brown and Kelvin Stoddard receive certificates from YouthQuest President Lynda Mann and Director of Instruction Tom Meeks