Dr. Chris Williams is exhibiting at KTU on April 18th!

Exhibit title- How might astronauts make replacement parts for their spacecraft while in space?

Abstract- Our display would be centered on rapid prototyping technology (RP). RP (also known as a 3D Printing) is a technology in which objects are created by “printing” material in a 3D fashion to form objects that have been previously drawn on the computer. The technology is primarily used to help engineers quickly create prototypes of new products that they are designing. Astronauts might one day use this technology to create replacement parts for their spacecraft while on long-term space missions (thus tying into the day’s lecture).

Our display will be centered on a specific small-scale RP technology called a "Fabber." The device that we will have on display is similar to the one shown here. You can see it in action here. Our goal is to educate participants about the concepts of RP through this small-scale device.

While not necessarily a "hands-on" activity, our booth would feature the machine "printing" participants' initials (or the VT logo) from either cheese whiz or cake frosting onto a cracker for their consumption. We will also provide examples of parts made by our large-scale research machines as well as videos of those machines in action.
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Dr. Williams is an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech with a joint appointment in the Mechanical Engineering (www.me.vt.edu) and Engineering Education (www.enge.vt.edu) departments. His joint appointment reflects his diverse research interests which include layered manufacturing, design education, and product design. The construction of the Fab@Home machine has been funded by a grant sponsored by the VT Arts Initiative. Through this project the team is exploring the integration of the Fab@Home system in schools to provide a context for teaching students basic math, science, and engineering principles. To learn more about this project and some of Dr. Williams's other research projects, please visit: http://www.me.vt.edu/dreams/