creativity Archives - Perfect 3D Printing Filament

Janne Kyttanen on Creativity in 3D Printing

Janne Kyttanen is a whirlwind of innovation, ideas and designs. The pioneering 3D printing designer was one of the first to couple design and 3D printing, the first to sell 3D printed design goods and is a leader in creativity in our space. Janne thinks that we need more creativity in 3D printing. Previously we interviewed Janne whose also the nicest VC in the world on investing in 3D printing, we had him on for our 3DPod podcast as well and we have another interview with him here on his own background in 3D printing. Yes, we’re huge fans of Janne and his work here and we thought we’d let him shine a light on creativity as well.

So why is creativity important?

Without creativity, you simply won’t be able to come up with anything new.

Should companies all be creative? Even in space or medical device?

All areas require creativity.

How does creativity help my bottom line?

Many mathematical models can be created for this how it helps your bottom line, but in my articles, I am using a basic correlation between starting a company with “an idea” to what that idea is worth. All those metrics are well known and the reason why I am making the connection between creativity and starting a company, is because a disruptive idea for a startup pretty much boils down to creativity. No disrespect to cafes or bakeries for example, but if your startup idea revolves around starting a basic corner café, I don’t put that in the category of a creative startup, which could generate astronomical value. You have X amount of seats in a café and your café is open for X amount of time per day. The absolute maximum revenue your café is able to generate is already pre-defined. I put that kind of company in the bucket of “innovation”…aka an incremental improvement to what is already known.

Should everyone in the organization be more creative or should we have key creative people?

Everybody should be creative in their roles. Even creative accountants. On top of that, every organization should have a chief creative officer, who is accountable for measurable creative throughput.

I think design thinking is for idiots. I don’t take a two-day first aid course and then apply “medical thinking” to my business nor do I then think I can do what a doctor does. Please don’t tell me you’ve gone over to the design thinking dark side?

I am not talking about design thinking here. Where most companies go wrong is in change management and implementation. You can hire a “design thinking” guru to give a lecture to your staff and after that lecture, everybody will think: that was interesting and they return back to doing what they were going 30 minutes ago. If proper metrics are not put in place, nothing will stick.

Why is it difficult for large companies to innovate?

Innovation is fairly straight forward for companies, but due to a large amount of red tape, even changing small things, gets difficult. I am really referring to creativity here, which is practically impossible for companies if they don’t even have people in the ranks who are accountable for results. Companies think, it all somehow magically happens, but what is more magical is that your star people are using your money and resources in order to work on their own business under your watch, whilst they can do their existing job with their left hand. Recipe for disaster.

Sofa so Good Fully functional lounger coated in high polish copper and chrome by Janne Kyttanen

How can I innovate better?

Read my Forbes article. Download the 6 step printout. Sticker it on your fridge and you are onto a flying start.

Isn’t lack of innovation a lack of budget and responsibility?

It’s a lack of intelligence.

Which teams should innovate?

Whether you are an accountant or lawyer, you can always innovate on how to do your job more effectively.

If everyone starts innovating will we be able to keep to our processes in check?

Voila…and there comes the chief creative officer who is the gatekeeper. If you don’t have it in place, all ideas just circulate in the air and nobody is catching them.

How do we know we’re on the right track with our innovations?

Nobody really knows before you start, but the trick is to implement it in your system and start building metrics behind it.

Won’t innovations lead to lots of silly side projects and trial balloons?

Yes. Such things as the internet, the computer, the relativity theory, the wheel, the satellite or electricity.

Won’t it be expensive to innovate?

It is far more expensive to run out of business.

The post Janne Kyttanen on Creativity in 3D Printing appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Make All the Things Part 2: Ring Creation and Casting a Wax Ring, Part 1

A curious mind and a makerspace results in interesting potential. Previously I had explained my intention to create a ring with the materials in my local MakerSpace of Pumping Station One. The last month was dedicated to a bunch of preparation and learning the process. It has been an immense experience that is still continuing, but I will inform everyone about the first developments of this project and follow ups as needed.

Original Ring Design

Firstly, I was curious and wandering around Pumping Station One and learned about the Small Metals Area. I just saw the material there and realized what I could do almost instantaneously. I am a firm component of being able to create items for oneself. It is a very empowering mindset to realize that we can do things for ourselves. Coming up with an idea and driving it to completion is a great feeling and experience. Honestly, it is one of the best feelings I get within this world. But let’s stop my geeking out, and let’s get into the details.

I wanted a lion ring. I then put in substantial effort towards this goal. To create this ring I utilized carver’s wax initially for the body of the piece. Then I found a 3D printed lionhead online that I thought was stylish. This then was used for the front facing design of the model. I attached this onto the ring body with sticky wax in a uniform manner. This then created my prototypical design for a ring. The majority of the work done in this stage was dedicated to sanding, as well as molding the ring, to the specific weight I wanted to use. This work took a couple of days of crafting, but now that I understand the process more, it will take even less time than the next time I want to do this.

Kiln

The next part of this project was filled with lots of hot wax and continuous failure. Sprues of hot wax are needed in terms of attaching a model. This model is plastic and wax, which means that it will be burned within a kiln for metal creation purposes. Chemistry is a fun thing, but I digress.

The sprues must be attached in almost a tree-like structure in order for an item to be cast from plastic or wax into a metal such as silver. This tree structure is placed in a container. In order to cast this, we utilize silicon powder. The silicon powder is weighed in terms of a conversion sheet that a jeweler would use. Then it is mixed with water in order to create a gel. This gel is placed into the aforementioned container and it is left there until it hardens. Once it hardens the container is prepped for placement within the kiln. Mind you, a kiln temperature is around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. So it is indeed a dangerous process if one is not careful.

Ring After

Once the container is taken out of the kiln, it is now important to understand the conversion of plastic or wax into metal. The tree like structure built is now flipped upside down. A metal of a choice is also melted at a very high temperature. Again, high temperatures are dangerous. Fortunately, I had the help of people at Pumping Station One. This metal is then poured into the container that was taken out of the kiln. The molten metal travels down the tree-like system and it effectively burns the plastic and wax. The silicon powder essentially holds the piece in place and creates a barrier so that the material does not dissipate and lose form. When the molten metal cools down, the container then may be taken to a water bath for cooling. This then concludes the first part of the process. What is needed after this is post-processing, and I will tackle that in a new article.

The post Make All the Things Part 2: Ring Creation and Casting a Wax Ring, Part 1 appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Interview with Mark Wrigley of Elektric-Works

Mark Wrigley

Inspired by the Apollo moon landings, Mark Wrigley embarked on a career in physics in the early 1970s. Initially specialising in optics and infra-red pyrometery his social skills soon took his career into program management, sales, marketing and product management. He is a great communicator and can transcend boundaries with his ability to explain technically complex issues to a wide audience. Operating at the forefront of disruptive technological change, he participated in the explosive growth of the mobile digital communication industry. In 2011 he set up his own company; Elektric-Works which explores the way disruptive technology and making can empower individuals and startups.

Give us some background and how it has influenced your career.

Firstly, I like social mobility. When I was a child my grandfather was a coal miner. He had the ethos of education being the gateway to a better life. It led me to working in physics. With 3D printing I want to show people that technology is a great thing. I find disruption amazing as well. When I was doing my physics degree, digital was not heard of at the time. Throughout my career I have seen stuff that changes the game completely. It is amazing to see how these technological advances make changes to the industry.

What benefits do you see in terms of being creative in the artistic sense and tech sense?

When people say art it is a form of communication. It may be that you are communicating emotions. Art is a sophisticated way of communicating. If you leave some of us physicists to only communicate it may become too boring. I always gravitate to ultra realism.

Mark Making

Talk about some of your outreach work you do?

I started doing it 7 years ago. I do stuff with the institute of Physics. We generally are at science fairs with various experiences. We try to make things oriented toward teenagers. We want to make engaging experiences. This is how we are able to incorporate maker events. People sit down and build projects and it is engaging. This gives people a tangible thought process on this type of work. We have an ethos of addressing people that are disadvantaged. About 3 years ago I became the chair of the Yorkshire branch. I was a trustee before this time.

What are your thoughts on the Maker Movement?

It is interesting. The term maker gets used for a lot of things. I came across it 4 years ago. To me I think of laser cutting, 3D printing, raspberry pi’s, and various things. There are two ways it has developed. Anyone who can make something thought of themselves as a maker. This refers to any type of artform. I have mixed feelings as it brings people in to a technical maker movement ideal as well. The word is getting diluted. My partner is part of a committee that set up a makerspace in her hometown. I have to say that some maker events are just something to do with your kids. I think that dilutes things. I would rather be in a place where makers inspire people.

Pikon Device made by Mark

How important is passion to the work you do?

I was 25 years and I read the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The book talks a lot about gumption. It even talks about a gumption trap. It is important to be filled with quality. This stayed with me a lot. I see it a lot in society that people are not excited about things. I feel privileged as I have done my grind doing the 9-5pm work to be financially stable. There is a fear factor people have and it stops them from pushing for their dreams.

Moon Photo Taken by Mark

What are some things that you want all makers to know?

It is important to embrace disruption. Whatever is new can be used in a bad way, but it also can be used in beneficial manners. Because I am a physicist, I work on learning life and the universe. It is important to understand existence. There is an ethos that embodies exploration.

How did your science career fuel your sense of exploration?

I think it went the other way. When I got into physics I had large questions about consciousness. When I got into my career I got more into the application of my degree into specific things. This is what allowed me to appreciate disruption. I got into instrumentation at the time PCM and Digital became a thing. In the back of my mind, I am always impressed and in awe of scientific discoveries being made. I have started with large goals and then I have come down to certain specifics. If I look at my career in reverse, there is no way I could have predicted certain things like mobile communication. I just have a curiosity. I think the human species has multiplied due to this curiosity. This applies to science and new technology.

Make All The Things Part 1: Having Fun and Being Creative at the Makerspace

what is a makerspace - maker education

What is a Maker Space?

I would highly suggest everyone to join a local makerspace, hackerspace or fab lab within your area. There will be various tools that allow one to be inquisitive and inventive there. 3D printers, CNC machines, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, electronics, wood work areas, and sometimes welding are all at one’s fingertips. When one leverages 3D printing in particular with other tools, the ideas begin to come out quickly.

It is highly advised to follow the project based learning method. Project-Based Learning is an instructional methodology that encourages individuals to learn and apply knowledge and skills through an engaging experience. Project based learning presents opportunities for deeper learning in-context and for the development of important skills. When a project is done, we are able to readily pick up skills and prerequisite information. Typically, projects allow us to expand our minds and learn new skills. In a makerspace, a project is readily turned into a physical product that is tangible for the end user. Before joining a makerspace I had various skills in basic 3D printing. When I am in one of these environments though, the brain allows one to get creative and start experimenting with different areas and tools within the space. It then expands our minds to make interesting items and projects outside of our usual areas of expertise. This in turn makes us more capable at a variety of things. It also empowers one to realize that they can learn anything new so long as they put in some effort.

Gucci LionHead Ring

For the longest time, I had been researching online different rings with lion head designs. I was frustrated because the typical price for a ring such as this would be around $100 – $300 dollars. When I was around my local makerspace, I quickly was introduced to different machines and tools that would allow me to make such a ring. I even am able to leverage 3D printing to do this as well.

Fabrication Lab

The type of people one meets at a makerspace or fabrication lab help to liven up the day. You will meet some of the most interesting and creative people in these spaces. They are typically hard-working people and motivated people. An environment can definitely affect someone. Being in this environment one is inspired to experiment and mess around. When I walk into a makerspace I feel that a bit of sensory overload is occurring. It stimulates one’s mind to realize how much possibility is around. You have to imagine walking into an industrial space such as an old factory. Then when you enter the factory, a variety of tools and areas are within your grasp. It just takes a curious mind to see all of these options. Think of everything you own as a consumer. Now you have the realization that you can make it all. It is an intriguing and eye-opening experience.

The just do it mentality is well and alive within a makerspace as well as a fabrication lab. You just are advised to get going. When one is able to start and make, it allows them to forget perfection. Perfection is the opposite of what these spaces entail. Experimentation allows one to fail and learn as they go. It makes the process easier as we progress. Rapid iteration and prototyping allows for someone to forget the need to be perfect and it makes things plausible and not seem so difficult. The ability to be present and experiment really expands one’s views on the world as well as their own efficacy in it. After only a couple of ideas and initiative, I have a full fledged plan to make a personalized ring with different machines and 3D printing technology.

For a follow-up, I will be documenting the process required to make jewelry while leveraging 3D printing and classical jewelry methods.