On a recent weekday afternoon, Olivia Belfonti ’27, Michael Fitzmaurice ’27 and Adam Otsuka ’27, gather around a pultrusion machine in Union’s 3D lab on the ground floor of the Wold Center.
The machine is capable of recycling discarded plastic water bottles collected on campus into 3D printing filament.
Olivia Belfonti ’27, Michael Fitzmaurice ’27 and Adam Otsuka ’27, examine a machine that converts discarded plastic water bottles into 3D printing filament in Union’s 3D lab as Cole Belmont, Union’s Makerspace director, looks on.
“We can turn these bottles into something people can use instead of going to waste,” said Otsuka, an electrical engineering major from New York City. “We can take that filament and make toys, keychains and other things with the 3D printer.”
Otsuka, Belfonti, a biomedical engineering major from Southington, Conn., and Fitzmaurice, an electrical engineering major from Putnam Valley, N.Y., will assemble with other creators, innovators and DIY enthusiasts as Union hosts the third Electric City Maker Faire Saturday, Oct. 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. at College Park Hall.
The event is free and open to the public.
Making encourages inventors, designers and tinkerers to use higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills for individual and collaborative project-based learning. This is typically done in shared spaces such as Union's Maker Web using new technologies such as 3D printers, laser cutters and desktop machine tools.
The family-friendly event includes food trucks, a DJ, games and prizes.
A number of departments from Union will participate, including Visual Arts, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. Attendees can throw axes and understand the science of aerodynamics, engage with high-tech robotics and learn digital fabrication technologies like 3D printing, laser cutting and injection molding with Union’s Maker Web.
Those interested in participating as a maker can fill out a form.
To learn more about the event, including how to register for free tickets, visit the website.
“We are very excited to host the third Electric City Maker Faire,” said Cole Belmont, Union’s Makerspace director. “This event features exhibitors, demonstrations and activities that celebrate and showcase making activities, invention and creativity in Schenectady and around the Capital District.”
The first Maker event was held in 2019 and attracted more than 35 exhibitors and 400 guests. The biennial event was not held the following two years because of the global pandemic. The 2022 event attracted nearly 350 attendees and 37 exhibitors.
Sponsors of the Electric City Maker Faire include Union’s Templeton Institute, GlobalFoundries and National Grid.