In my grant proposal I budgeted $500 for a 3-D printer - I knew that would allow me to get an entry level printer since many sell in the $400 range now (I was looking at a model like this one). Since receiving the grant I did a lot of research about which printer to get. The more I learned the more I wondered if the school had funds to add to our initial investment, thus supporting us getting an even better printer. Ms. Bitner and Ms. Handwork both said they’d use a printer in their respective robotics and drafting classes, so I knew a demand for a 3-D printer existed in our school. Yesterday Randy from Wave of the Future 3D came out to Warman to give us a 3-D printing demo and answer all of our questions. Cool side note: his company is known for 3-D printing the largest object in the world out of recycled pop bottles (a camper trailer). The machines he sells are clearly advanced. They have a warm bed, which means the print sticks to it, they have a large printing area, and they print a wide variety of filament. My research centred around plastic filament (PLA) but Randy explained how the industry is now making filaments that include: wood fibre filament (porus), nylon (bendable), silver-nitrate infused filament (it stops bacteria growing), steel, etc. The PLA he stocks is made out of cornstarch and sugar, which Randy informed us composts in 42 days. I love that he recycles old projects so that it doesn’t hurt the environment. The machines run on minimal power and consumes about the same energy as a small lightbulb. The possibilities are endless. The demo was great, and I feel so good about buying local from Randy as it’s nice to know that when we have questions (or run into technical difficulties) there’s a real person who can help us troubleshoot and who is willing to come and service the machine.
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AuthorSarah Gerrard teaches Visual Arts 9-12 at Warman High School. She recently received a grant from the Prairie Spirit Schools Foundation to infuse her courses with STEAM. Archives
January 2019
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