Jackson's robotics team uses 3-D printer to create custom parts

It's not every day you get to see your high-school physics teacher create a prosthetic hand out of virtually nothing.

In November, the Jackson robotics team received a 3-D printer through a national grant, one of the few teams to have access to such technology in the area.

Teacher and robotics club mentor Blake Miller said he hopes this latest addition to the team will help his robotics club stay "ahead of the curve."

Miller has been with the club since it began five years ago.

Since then, it's continued to grow. This year, Jackson had two robotics teams competing, with between five and 10 students on each team.

A 3-D printed prosthetic hand rests on a table Tuesday at Jackson High School. The hand was the first big project printed with the robotics club's new EKOCYCLE 3D printer. (Glenn Landberg)

The robotics club received the printer in November, and they're still trying to figure out some of the bugs, but Miller is excited about future possibilities.

Jackson received the printer through a grant from Coca-Cola. The soda producer has a "deal" with FIRST, Miller said, allowing it to give away multiple printers.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, was founded in 1989 and is a not-for-profit public charity "designing accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills," according to usfirst.org.

Miller said the grant process moved relatively quickly. In late October, the group applied for the printer, and since receiving it, they've started planning what to do with it.

Miller completed the first large project, a prosthetic hand suitable for a 7-year-old.

A spool of plastic waits to be fed into a 3D printer at Jackson High School. (Glenn Landberg)

"Honestly, it was just me unboxing it to try it out," he said. "I didn't design it -- the design exists online -- but it was just incredible. It really shows the major implications of what we can make with one of these (printers). It's never going to replace a professional, but it was a powerful example."

The hand took about 30 hours to print and was completed in segments.

Miller said a few fingers had to be redone, but overall, he was impressed with the final product.

"I'm hoping this will help expand the club," Miller said. "Instead of using the printer for just one competition, we will be able to do things year around. It'll give a lot of exposure to the new technologies available to (students)."

According to the U.S. Department of Energy's website, energy.gov, 3-D printers work by pulling plastic through a tube, melting it and depositing it onto a plate to cool.

Objects are created one layer at a time, based on blueprints that can be generated with modeling software.

When Miller first asked students what they would like to use the printer to make, he said it was simple things -- a missing chess piece or the plastic back of a remote control -- but as time progressed, students began expanding their ideas.

Their latest project is creating brackets to hold parts onto their robots.

Miller said he hopes as they've realized what the printer is capable of, students will continue to use the new technology.

"For kids to just see how far this can go -- it's pretty exciting," he said. "If you can design it, it can build it."

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