Houghton, Michigan – November 12, 2015 – “It’s an octopus,” explains Open Source Hardware Enterprise team member Ian Peoples, holding up a previously finished model as the 3-D nozzle continues to lay down heated plastic filament in precise, fractional increments. Fellow team member Lucas Wilder proffers a blue bust of Yoda, further evidence of how 3-D printerstock, fed wirelike from spools, builds layer upon layer to create three-dimensional objects.
The Open Source Hardware Enterprise team members are using filament made from relatively uncommon poly-lactic acid (PLA) plastic. A one-kilogram reel runs about $30. But now, thanks to a $25,000 Ford College Community Challenge (Ford C3) grant there may soon be cheaper, more readily available printer filament on campus and in the community. Wilder, Peoples and fellow team members Andrew Schaub and Peter Gorecki are using the grant to incorporate local recycling initiatives into the mix.
Or to put it in Yodaspeak: “Turn water bottles into 3-D printer filament, the grant will.”
Ford C3 grants from the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, center on projects that bring to life the theme “Building Sustainable Communities.” In its eighth year, the US program is awarding $250,000 for student-led projects that address urgent community needs in ways that are practical and possible to continue and build upon in years to come.
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