What do space exploration, STEM, Penn State University, and SAF™ technology have in common?
On February 25th, students ranging from 6th-12th grade met on the Penn State University campus to participate in ENVISION: STEM Career Day Supporting Young Women. The ENVISION event aimed to motivate girls interested in STEM fields by providing lectures from Penn State engineers, mathematicians, scientists, and technology experts. In addition to these professional talks, students were also invited to participate in hands-on science experiments. This is where the H350™ 3D printer and SAF technology came into play.
ENVISION turned to TriMech, a technology and business solutions partner for designers, engineers, and manufacturers, to 3D print parts for the event. TriMech hosted one of the workshops called “Girls! Design the World (and Space)” in which participants put together Mars rovers.
With multiple 3D printers at their disposal, TriMech chose the H350 powered by SAF technology for the job. This decision was made based on SAF technology’s short turnaround time, ability to nest multiple parts in a single build, and relatively cheap printing cost. The build consisted of a high mix of parts for the rover, including wheels, brackets, and the body of the rover as shown here.
Easily nested in GrabCAD, these parts could be printed in a single build within a matter of hours, resulting in 36 ready-to-assemble rover models built overnight.
With the Mars rover parts ready in time for the event, TriMech was thrilled to host three sessions throughout the day. Heather Dawe-Rose, Implementation Professional for TriMech Solutions, led each group, divided by the different age ranges. In total, there were 61 students who participated, and each received their own Mars rover assembly kit.
