Lucas Fleury is a first-year URI student majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Originally from Warwick, RI. He discovered the MakerSpace in the first week of school and has been consistently coming in every day; at least once, if not multiple times.
He had very little prior knowledge or experience with the Makerspaces or the technology therein, but he has quickly & diligently been exploring the new tech at his disposal and learning how to use it to create a multitude of items at an almost unbelievable pace.
He started with the embroidery machine, learning how to use the equipment and the complex associated software to create custom Pokemon patches. Over many attempts and failures, he perfected his thread colors and the patterns in the software(Hatch Embroidery) to create professional quality patches.
He then moved on to learning about 3D printing, where he is currently working on creating a full scale Poke Ball that actually opens using a spring actuated button. He found the file for the Poke Ball on Thingiverse, and has since printed all 6 parts in the correct color of filament using our four Dremel FDM 3D printers. While his first prototype of the ball is still a little rough. He will be attempting a better quality version once our newly ordered Prusa FDM 3D printers arrive.
Lucas is a perfect example of what a student Maker should be & he deserves to be highlighted for his work and the effort and time it took for him to learn how to use the tools to produce them. He is continuing to learn new software and tools, including the vinyl cutter to make t-shirts and stickers.
I believe that by the end of the year, he will know how to use every tool and type of software available to him at MakerspaceURI.
Lucas has also just started learning how to use the Laser Cutter and cut the pieces for a leather wallet on his first day using it. He very quickly picked up the basics of using Adobe Illustrator to format the files correctly for the laser cutter to differentiate between Etching and Cutting. In addition, he is already familiar with the operations of the physical equipment(turning on the laser cutter & air filter, priming the laser with the key & autofocusing laser lens.
He already has some experience with leather working, so he is now going to hand stitch the leather pieces of the wallet that he cut out and create the finished product.
Lucas Fleury, a first-year Biomedical Engineering student at URI, rapidly embraced the MakerSpace, mastering embroidery, 3D printing, and laser cutting. His Pokemon patches, 3D-printed Poke Ball, and leather wallet showcase his impressive learning and creativity.