3D Printing: An Engineer's Pawn
This honors experience was a self-design experience incorporating 3D design, additive manufacturing, and my value of education. Throughout the span of this project I designed six SolidWorks part files, 3D printed a full chess set from the files, shared my project with an elementary school, and reflected upon the project’s meaning and impact. This experience gave me the chance to appreciate all the opportunities I have had throughout my education thus far, and the opportunities I continue to be granted as a student at The University of Cincinnati. I have learned that I am lucky to be in a position where I can access many tools, such as engineering technology and faculty, to achieve my goals, and I have also realized that it is important to me to be able to help others access what is available to them. The students I shared my project with had just gotten their first 3D printer for their school but were not able to use it yet due to a lack of understanding and knowledge of the process. I hope that by sharing my project with those students, I could encourage them to learn about 3D printing, explore the opportunities it can grant them, and use their creativity to achieve new things. From this project I have developed a greater appreciation for my education and am inspired to utilize future opportunities and experiences to the best of my ability to encourage my growth as both a learner and achiever.
Pictured above are two screenshots from my design process. Pictured left is the part file for the pawn design. Pictured right is the part file for the queen design. The pawn was the first piece designed, while the queen was one of the last. I chose to include these two pictures because I feel they exemplify the progress I made in expanding my skill set with 3D design, as the queen is more detailed and intricately designed than the pawn.