What’s Next for the Ideal Chair? -Gabriela Ramos

Comfort4U has been recently experiencing a lot of frustration and stress. We ordered the materials to build our prototype around two weeks ago, and we have yet to receive the main components of our design. We have changed our design a total of three times, and our first order was made for our second design, and the one material from that order form that we decided to change was the one material that actually came in. Blue Vinyl. So now with one week left till presentations, Comfort4U is left with blue vinyl, popsicle sticks, and pipe cleaners. Our original plan was to 3D print our chair and cover from Google Sketch, however, due to our engineering sources we were told that 3D printing would occupy a lot of time.

What do we do?

Well after discussing things with out sponsor Ms. Jo, after little convincing we decided to proceed with 3D printing. Our design is relatively simple to print, all we need to do is save the chair as different components to print them separately. Ms. Miesner advised that due to the way our cover is designed that we do it that way in order to prevent our chair from falling apart when it was actually being printed.  Since I have been a biomedical student since my freshman year, I was fascinated with the way 3D printing work. I have never before seen it work or understood how it was used.

I looked up “How 3D Printing Actually Works,” and a blog popped up. It said that the 3D printer is able to print objects by adding layer after layer to build up the design your developing. For the Comfor4U, our next step is to print that design using a plastic material. It depends on the type of printer on how it is able to manipulate the plastic to create our final product. It got me thinking on all the things you are able to build by using a 3D printer, or how many ideas start from using 3D printers. Its the beginning of an innovation movement. There are so many possibilities for inventions and ideas to be created and then spread through the internet. Much like what Comfort4U is doing by blogging. Everyone has an idea and 3D printing makes those ideas a reality.