Read on to discover the power of a passionate hobby, caring mentors, & a library.
Pictured above is Maison with his finished 3D printed Battery tops.
How it all Began...
Maison Clark (a recent Snake River High School graduate) utilized the Snake River School/Community Library to hold 3D printing classes for his senior project. Recognizing a cool self-learned talent for what it is, librarian Ms. Karrie asked Maison to do a 3D printing demonstration for her popular After School Book Club students which is compiled of 2nd - 6th grade students.
The After School Book Club not only focuses on books and genres, it also introduces students to STEM projects, crafts, games and building things. A 3D printing demonstration was right up Book Club alley!
When a Hobby becomes an "Obsession"
On the day of Maison's fantastic Book Club demonstration, he introduced himself to the Book Clubbers and described his interest in 3D printing as an "obsession." He brought several amazing objects that he had printed to put on display. These objects ranged from a tiny action figure to a life size motorcycle helmet. The kids were in awe and couldn't wait to examine each one up close.
Below: Maison's Book Club presentation of items he designed and printed.
Unexpected Partnership
Needless to say, word spread about this hobby turned obsession and it eventually caught the attention of an Electrical Safety Instructor at INL (Idaho National Laboratory) Jeff Robbins. Jeff had been looking for a way to get some hands-on training in the National Laboratory's Battery Safety Training classes. He decided that life-size 3D printed battery tops, with all the necessary moving parts, was exactly what he had been looking for. He knew it would bring a valuable and realistic training, without the hazard of using real batteries. After reaching out to Maison he was delighted that not only could Maison print the battery tops, but he could design them to meet the required specifications.
The Final Stretch
After months of meetings with the INL instructor at the library for collaboration then designing and printing, Maison was able to hand off the printed battery tops for their newly revised hands-on battery training course. The first class included a DOE (Department of Energy) representative over electrical safety, the AHJ (Authority having Jurisdiction) for electrical safety, other instructors, developers and electrical workers. Each attendee was excited for the possibilities this newly revised course would add to battery safety training at the INL. They all made great suggestions on how to tweak the batteries allowing for more hands-on configurations, overall Masion's ability to design and print the 3-D batteries was a fantastic outcome and a great future resource.
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