RR Roundup: MIT, Braille Phones, Scott Crump, and Barbie

In the course of my diligent efforts to keep you good people up to date on the state of additive manufacturing (AM), I come across many interesting news items. I’ll gather them up every so often and present them in a Rapid Ready Roundup (like this one). You can find the last Roundup here.

Let’s start off today’s Roundup with a little education. MIT is offering a new short course on AM titled "Additive Manufacturing: From 3D Printing to the Factory Floor." The course will run from July 21-25 and is set to be taught by John Hart, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mitsui Career Development Chair at MIT. The short course aims to educate professionals on the fundamentals of AM.

From the course summary:

Participants will learn the principles of AM of polymers, metals, and ceramics and how process capabilities (rate, cost, quality) are determined by the material characteristics, process parameters, and machine designs. Application areas including aerospace components, electronics, medical devices, architectural designs, and consumer products will be discussed. Lab sessions will provide hands-on experience with a variety of state-of-the-art desktop 3D printers.

Moving on, a London-based company named OwnPhone is getting into the business of building cellphones for the blind using 3D printing. Each OwnPhone model is a simplified cellphone with four buttons, and was originally designed as a simple means of keeping in contact for children and seniors.

The company has modified the design allowing for braille buttons to be added to the phone, offering a new means of communication for blind users. Each OwnPhone is made to user specifications and the case is built using AM. While the phones are currently only available for sale from the company’s website, OwnPhone is working to find retail space for their product.

Next up, we have some hall of fame news. Scott Crump, Stratasys founder and chairman, was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame (MIHF). Crump is the inventor of Stratasys’ Fused Deposition Modeling process (aka material extrusion), without which companies such as MakerBot wouldn’t exist.

“It is fitting that such an innovative and highly successful inventor was nominated and selected to be inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame,” said Raymond Walz, secretary and Custodian of Records for the MIHF. “We are honored to welcome Mr. Crump.”

Finally, have you ever wanted to buy a Barbie doll for your child but weren’t thrilled with the gender stereotypes presented by the standard offerings? If so, a successfully funded Kickstarter project from designer Jim Rodda has your back. In place of scanty clothing or bikinis, Rodda has designed sets of armor that can be 3D printed and snapped onto Barbie.

Rodda is offering two different sets of armor. The first is a full plate set (think King Arthur), and the other is an “Athena Makeover Kit” that gives Barbie a little Greek flair. You can find Rodda’s work on Kickstarter and at his webpage. Below you’ll find Rhodda’s Kickstarter video.

Sources: Stratasys, Kickstarter, MIT, Telegraph