Kinetic Vision takeover inside UC Ground Floor Makerspace

The five-day adventure of the Kinetic Vision Co-op Makerspace Bootcamp took command of the UC Ground Floor Makerspace, immersing participants in a whirlwind of innovation toward several goals — to cultivate a deeper understanding of design for manufacturing through cutting-edge digital fabrication techniques like laser cutting, 3D printing, and computer numerical control (CNC) machining; experience in a new computer-aided design language; safety training; experience with equipment; and camaraderie.

Surrounded by advanced technical tools, the brilliant minds of engineering and industrial design co-op students seamlessly blended into the hands-on training sessions. Navigating state-of-the-art digital fabrication prototyping equipment unside the Makerspace, they felt right at home embracing the intricate dance of innovation.

“These students were already hand selected by Kinetic Vision because they were at the top of their skill levels, so we simply gave them the opportunity to work on a project collaboratively over the course of that week,” says Benjamin Jones, director of the Makerspace. “We gave them hands-on training in the makerspace, which is largely translatable to what they will do at Kinetic Vision, but more importantly, we gave them that week to jump start their relationships and become colleagues.”

Justin Rost, account manager for Kinetic Vision, recognized the pivital significance of student bond-building endeavors. “It was icing on the cake for the students to be able to collaborate with their peers, discuss their strengths and weaknesses together and discover what departments they would be joining.”

Throughout the bootcamp, learning outcomes encompassed a fundamental understanding of design for manufacturing across several digital fabrication modalities. For example, while utilizing the Autodesk Fusion 360 program, students gained valuable experience in parametric design for manufacturing that included laser cutting, 3D printing and CNC mill and router machine operation. But the journey didn’t stop there.

The students embarked on a deep dive into the theory and safe handling of digital fabrication tools, spotlighting the enchanting world of CO2 laser engraving systems. As the week unfolded, the participants triumphantly conquered the realms of desktop and industrial FDM (fusion deposition modeling).

“Partnering with the 1819 Innovation Hub for this bootcamp allowed students to not only design parts for CNC machining, but machine those parts themselves to learn first-hand the impact their design choices have on the manufacturing strategy and difficulty of the design,” says Rost.

While the students had access to the technical guidance to ensure what they were doing made sense and was practical and would work, Jones says the problem-solving part was all them.