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Burlington County College's new 3D printer makes opportunities [The Philadelphia Inquirer :: ](Philadelphia Inquirer (PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 11--With a whir reminiscent of science-fiction movies, 15 minutes, and a well-designed model in the computer, Burlington County College's newest piece of equipment created a small, plastic machine part Wednesday morning. The school's new 3-D printer, donated by a local defense contractor, will be at the center of a workforce development program the college hopes will train students in the three-dimensional scanning and printing technologies that have gained popularity in recent years. "Today, in industry and manufacturing, to provide proof of concept and test ideas, manufacturers can't invest the time and dollars in terms of, say, machining and tooling to produce a part in metal, or to create a die for injection molding to produce the part in plastic," the college's interim president, David Spang, said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school's Mount Laurel campus. BCC students have begun using the $8,500 machine, donated in August by Cinnaminson-based Parts Life Inc. This spring, a noncredit certificate course called 3D Technologies will teach students how to use a three-dimensional scanner to create computer models of existing physical objects, design new ones on the computer using traditional Computer-Aided Design software, or adopt models others have shared, then modify and print them to create a physical object. The technology is not new -- BCC has been using its old 3D printer since 2007 -- but has become wildly popular in recent years, said physics professor Greg Perugini. In addition to creating prototypes for new objects, the printer can be used in some cases to make a low-cost replacement part, he said, going beyond proof of concept to save companies money for actual machine parts. "It's a no-brainer. But most corporations don't have anyone with that skill set -- yet," Perugini said after the ceremony, comparing it to the early days of personal computing. "People don't know they need that thing, then you build it, and then everybody wants it, right?" Perugini said he hoped to develop a for-credit course within the next year and see the printing technology integrated into other classes. For now, the focus is on workforce development. "It is my hope that this particular gift will be used . . . to be able to teach many people the skills and abilities that they need in order to be able to do what is necessary in the workforce," said Sam Thevanayagam, the chief executive of Parts Life. The new machine has already led to a new opportunity for Jessica Hooker, 22, who is studying computer engineering at BCC and was approached by Perugini to try her hand at 3D scanning and printing this year. Hooker began making objects with the college's previous printer, finding she had a knack for it. So when she the new machine arrived, she was anxious to dive right in. "I expected it to take forever," Hooker said. But the machine arrived soon after it was promised. "I'm like, 'No. Way.' I was here the day it came in, and I was like, 'Let's plug this in. I don't care about taking the stuff off,' " Hooker said. "I'm like, 'I don't care about any of that, let's just go. Let's just go.' " Perugini was talking with a colleague who also works at Parts Life when he was asked whether Hooker would be able to scan a water pump for a virtual model. He answered for her immediately -- "Yeah, of course she can." "So I got thrown into it, and I spent numerous hours scanning this huge water pump," Hooker said, laughing. "It was like 15 pounds, I'm sitting here, lugging this on here, hoping it doesn't fall." The largest object she's worked with, the water pump would take 15 to 20 hours to scan and print now that Hooker is experienced with it, she estimated. It worked out: Monday, Hooker started her first day as an intern at Parts Life. [email protected] 856-779-3220 @elaijuh www.inquirer.com/campusinq ___ (c)2014 The Philadelphia Inquirer Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.philly.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |