A field trip to the Tech Shop is a dream come true for many technology-curious students! Last month Mr. Brimhall, from the Heritage Academy Laveen campus, sponsored a field trip to Tech Shop in Chandler. Tech shop is Arizona’s largest Maker Space where people go to make personal projects or personally crafted items for small businesses. They have machines and tools of every time whether it’s 3d-Printing, Laser cutting, woodworking, metalworking and textiles all the way down to blacksmithing.
Here’s the trip report from Mr. Brimhall:
The trip started with a lecture on the machining process, engineering mindset and the various types of CNC machines available at the shop
.
Afterwards we let the students choose their own design to be cut out on a CNC Vinyl Cutter machine. These designs would
then be heat-pressed onto shirts for them to keep.
Most of the time was spent designing, cutting and preparing the shirts.
Once everyone was done using a CNC machine themselves and seeing a project through start to finish, lunch
was provided by the shop. Although the work on the shirts continued during lunch as well.
The greatest part for me was to see the students realize the possibilities they had once they knew a process that
they could repeat to make something they could use every day. The spirit of the shop is to make useful things yourself
or customize something you already own. Realizing that the millions of objects we interact with every day
each had a process of research, designing, testing in a reiterative process before it was sold to the public.
I’d like to think that the scholars that attended would like to learn more, if the variety of designs is anything to judge by,
this trip was filled with creative minds.
– Mr Brimhall
We’re all hoping there is another trip to the Tech Shop next month, and that all campuses can bring a group!
Interested in learning more about TechShop? Watch here
