MacEwan’s Makerspace hosts first 3D printing workshop of winter semester
Monthly 3D printing workshop shows students the process behind using 3D printers at the MacEwan Makerspace.
Two 3D printed fidget clickers, resembling a ice cream cone and a macaron. Photo credit: Darcy Hoogers
MacEwan University’s Makerspace hosted its first 3D printing workshop of the winter semester on Jan. 23 offering students the opportunity to learn how to 3D print designs in a relaxed environment.
“We do [the workshops] once a month,” said Jenna Dewar, makerspace programmer and workshop facilitator. “It’s like a thing that people can start at any level.”
The Makerspace currently has seven 3D printers available to students. January’s workshop provided an overview of how 3D printers work, along with instructions for submitting 3D printing orders to the Makerspace.
“The great thing is now we’re at a time period where you can just print and play,” says Dewar. “You can just find a file, set it up to print, and that’s it.”
Joielyn Sales and Kyla Santiago, two students who participated in January’s workshop, shared ideas about what they hope to print.
“I really like the clickers,” says Santiago as she and Sales showed two dessert-shaped 3D printed fidget clickers.
We bought [these clickers] in a maker market. So, we’ve been really curious about 3D printing a macaron,” says Sales.
While January’s workshop focused on submitting premade designs, February’s workshop will include a tutorial on designing 3D objects to print.
Students interested in learning more outside the workshops can also receive help from the Makerspace tech tutors team, who assist students in bringing their creations to life.
However, the workshop structure is appealing to students.
“Having the option of participating in a workshop … make[s] it a lot easier to learn, instead of asking constant questions,” says Sales.
