Furuflaten School Project
Posted by: cherie | Comment (0)Tagged in: norway, MeshUp, education, 3D printing
Our team has always been interested in community outreach, transferring technology and giving back and inspiring whenever possible.
This year the local school in Furuflaten asked Uformia if we could introduce the students to the world of 3D design and printing. It was impossible to say no to an opportunity like this. The principal and teacher Herdis Marie Larsen who invited us into her classroom, as well as all the other teachers at this school, were truly interested in thinking outside the box and standard curriculum, and opened the classroom up to allow the students to tap into their creativity, get a deeper understanding of mathematics and glimpse into the future.
Top left to right: Joachim, Sigve, Marie, Herdis (the teacher), Sigrid, Anna, Sunniva, Maia.
Seated left to right: Cecilie, Julie.
The main goal of the project was to show the students how easy it is for anyone today to conceive, design, manufacture and then sell objects they have designed. Each student was able to create their own cup design to be printed in ceramic.
Students were tasked with thinking out their design on paper prior to choosing modeling tools.
Basic orthographic and perspective concepts were taught as well as a general understanding of the cartesian coordinate system. A variety of software tools were used to introduce the concept of 3D design.
Thanks to Frode at Eldevik Industridesign, we had access to a hand scanner and offered the ability for the kids to apply their own face scan to their designs.
Using MeshUp, the faces were combined with the cups then blended to create the awesome results seen below (also available at our Shapeways store):
 Anna |
 Cecilia |
 Joachim |
 Julie |
 Maia |
 Marie |
 Sigrid |
 Sigve |
 Sunniva |
 Herdis, the teacher |
We are working with the ceramic printing experts at Figulo to print the cups.
The students finished their cup designs faster than anticipated, so they also co-designed a robot, which would be printed on our EnvisionTec printer in Furuflaten. Each student designed one element of the robot and we combined him with MeshUp. The students dubbed him Bob the Robot.
Bob takes in a little sunshine in Furuflaten, Norway.
Inspired by the students and their teacher, we put Bob up for sale on Shapeways. The proceeds will go towards buying the school their own 3D printer, an Ultimaker. Next year Uformia would love to go back to the school and repeat the experience, and this time the students can also assembly their own 3D printer and print objects right in the classroom.
Help us and Bob the Robot to put a 3D printer in the hands of young students and inspire the future generation of design and engineering!
Hat tip to Intek Lyngen for their help in organizing this project.
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VRI Troms, Innovation Norway and the Research Council wanted to promote 20 high innovation companies in Northern Norway. Uformia was one of these showcased companies. Below is a rough translation of an excerpt from the article.
Credit to Jørn Indresand for the article and the main photograph.
Deep in the northern Troms, specifically in the small village Furuflaten in Lyngen, Americans Cherie Stamm and Turlif Vilbrandt settled for developing revolutionary software for 3D printing. It is starting to reverberate in an industry with unreal visions for the future.
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"We're just getting started and scratch the surface of what is possible. The world is facing a new manufacturing revolution, which one can replicate and produce almost any objects directly from a computer. Today it is the software, not the printer itself that is the problem. Until now, software has driven hardware developments. In 3D printing is quite the opposite. This will change radically with our technology, says a very enthusiastic Turlif Vilbrandt. - We have already reached a position where we can push manufacturers of 3D printers to develop machines to deliver higher resolution and be able to combine several materials, he adds."
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Why Furuflaten?
"Because we can!"
Both Cherie Stamm and Turlif Vilbrandt have extensive experience in programming and software development from a number of places in the world. Five years ago they came to the idyllic Furuflaten in Lyngen. They are mostly met the same question from everyone they meet. Why stay and develop a software company in Furuflaten?
"The answer is simple: Because we can, says Cherie and smiles broadly."
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Uformia is pleased to announce our involvement with an upcoming company, IN3D, who installed their first 3D printer, the EnvisionTEC Ultra in Furuflaten. We think this might be the most northern commercial grade printer in the world @ 69.44140, 20.15407.
The soon to be launched company is a new collaboration with Frode Eldevik @ Eldevik Industridesign, where Frode covers the hardware side of 3D printing needs, and IN3D provides the 3D printing services to our own industrial area, as well as to the north of Norway, and beyond. IN3D will offer engineering, industrial design and 3D printing services, specifically skilled in using Uformia's software.
Everyone involved would like to thank the following companies for their generous support of this project:
Sametinget, Lyngen Kommune, Intek Lyngen, and many of the local industrial companies in Furuflaten: Ecotech, Haplast, Alu-Plast, Furstål, Akva-Ren, and ArcticPlast.
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One of the first build jobs in action. |
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Our thoughts on the tragedy and hopes for the future
Posted by: cherie | Comment (0)Tagged in: norway
A panorama view of Uformia's home - the Lyngen Alps, Norway.
We at Uformia are terribly saddened by the horrible events of this Friday past and wish to offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Our thoughts and hearts go out to those we lost and those who are left behind.
Uformia is a proudly Norwegian company. Even though some of us were not born there, we actively chose to build our future in Norway and this wonderful country and its people have graciously adopted us and made us feel welcome and part of their community. The openness, trust and welcoming nature of this society are rare commodities and must be treasured and protected, despite those who wish to undermine them and create an atmosphere of anger and mistrust through their own ignorance and fear. We must all work together to ensure that such attempts to diminish the strength and uniqueness of this country are not allowed any success whatsoever and that we maintain an open, benevolent society.
Together with the people of Norway, we at Uformia will strive to protect and propagate the core values that Norway is so well-known for, values that make it such a special place to live and work in. We will do what we can to help ensure that the outcome from the recent attacks makes us stronger as a country, without changing what it means to be Norwegian.
Our thoughts and support go out to the victims, their loved ones and all Norwegians.
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