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Just like on television: 3D printer saves the day for hospital Somerset Community College and Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital work together to solve problem using new 3d technology Click on headline for complete story with photo and short video on SCC's 3D printer at work. By Allison Horseman Somerset, KY (January 14, 2014) - When Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital employees found themselves faced with a dilemma, they turned to Somerset Community College's Computer Aided Design (CAD) 3D printing department for a solution. Tari Seefeldt knew of SCC's 3D printer Eric Wooldridge, licensed engineer and SCC associate professor of CAD/pre-engineering, said the IT department at the hospital was facing new regulations for prescription printing. The technology they had didn't quite fit right, causing the printers to jam. Tari Seefeldt, clinical applications director at LCRH, knew that SCC had 3D printing technology and thought it might be worth checking into before ordering new parts. "She came to me on a Monday morning and we had a prototype printed up that afternoon," said Wooldridge. "The printers simply needed a small one-inch in diameter spacer to hold the paper roll in place and we were able to print them all in the lab." Piece saved hospital money Wooldridge said the piece of equipment saved the hospital money while also giving students real-world experience in problem-solving and printing. The CAD department currently has three 3D printers and two more are on the way. The printers are fairly new to SCC, although Wooldridge said the technology has been around for a long time, just not in a user-friendly or cost-efficient manner. "Roger Angevine (dean of applied technology at SCC) sent me a link about the technology in the summer of 2012 and we modified our Perkins Funding application to include printers," said Wooldridge. "The moment I saw it, I knew it was going to be a powerful technology." Wooldridge said the technology has been around for about 15 to 20 years but previously has been very expensive, costing upwards of $10,000 plus materials. Technology is now quite economical "Now, the technology costs, on average, between $600 and $2,000 and is much more simple to use, uses common materials and is developed from open-source, competitive knowledge," said Wooldridge. The technology also has gained more recognition through popular television shows such as Castle, Big Bang Theory, Elementary and Gray's Anatomy, where the characters used a 3D printer to print an innovative solution to a transplant problem. Skills with 3-D printing will help tech grads get jobs Emily Brannick, a current CAD student from Somerset, said she feels that knowing the technology will give her a leg up on competition as she looks for a job after she graduates in 2016. "I hope to work for an architect or contractor as a designer," Brannick said. "Everything is switching to 3D technology and getting the chance to work with it on a daily basis here will help me be competitive." Wooldridge said one of the biggest advantages for students at SCC is the ability to use it on an as-needed basis. "If you had the old technology, it was so expensive to use that students rarely got to touch it," he said. "Now, we use it freely in the classroom." Coming to SCC: printing with ceramics, metals, composite woods Wooldridge currently uses mostly plastics to print with; however, the next step is printing with ceramics, metals and composite wood. "People are printing everything from lights to jewelry, artwork, circuits and even some flexible material," he said. Wooldridge said the real-world applications for 3D printing are endless. For example, farmers could use the technology to print a piece for a tractor that has been discontinued or is hard to find. "This is a big industry," Wooldridge said, citing the fact that the European Space Agency is developing the technology to build bases on planets in a matter of days, and that NASA is developing a printer to print pizza for astronauts in space. "The possibilities are endless with this technology if you know how to use it or simply have access to someone who can," Wooldridge said. A short video of SCC's 3D printer at work Somerset Community College is a comprehensive two-year institution of higher education. SCC has campuses in Somerset and London, and centers in Clinton, McCreary, Casey, and Russell counties. Website: Somerset.kctcs.edu. - Cindy Clouse & Allison Horseman This story was posted on 2014-01-15 07:57:20
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