3-D printer

Racing toward �鶹��Ƶ’s first 3D-printed solar car

Mariam Aburdeineh — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 17:50:29 +0000

Racing toward �鶹��Ƶ’s first 3D-printed solar car Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 11/17/2021 - 12:50

Hypernova Solar, �鶹��Ƶ's student-run solar car team, meets at the MIX to discuss progress and moving forward with building a 3D-printed, solar-powered car for competition. The team is building the 3D printer, pictured here, that will be used to build the car. From left to right: �鶹��Ƶ undergraduates Abigail Kennedy, Phoenix Lee, Brandon Escobar, Kareem Elsharkawy, Petr Soucek. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/�鶹��Ƶ.

Most people with access to a 3D printer find themselves creating small objects or gadgets. But one student group working at the MIX at �鶹��Ƶ each Friday is driven by a different dream.

“We build, design, test and plan to compete in solar-powered car competitions,” said Michael Riggi, president of �鶹��Ƶ’s solar car team, Hypernova Solar. “[We believe] our car, when complete, will be the world’s first and only 3D-printed solar car.”

Riggi, a junior studying systems engineering, said the team aspires to compete in the American Solar Challenge, which involves racing a couple thousand miles across the country against other university teams. Their subsequent goal is to race in the World Solar Challenge in Australia.

When Hypernova Solar was founded in 2019 by �鶹��Ƶ alum Alex Hughes (BS Bioengineering, Honors College '21), Riggi said the group laid the logistical groundwork for parts, designs, and fundraising. Today, the group’s 50 members comprise everyone from �鶹��Ƶ freshmen to seniors, and a few students from Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) and local high schools.

Their momentum has been strong.

“We’re in the process of building our own car, Hypernova One, that we plan to complete in about a year,” Riggi said, adding that the car’s steel frame that they weld on �鶹��Ƶ’s Science and Technology Campus is halfway done.

From left to right: Johnnie Hall (ME Lab Shop Technician, Volgenau School) and mechanical engineering major Abigail Kennedy welding the new suspension for Orion in May 2021. Photo by Michael Riggi.

From left to right: Johnnie Hall, Exploratory Honors College student and EIP alum Elyas Shafiq, and Environmental Science major Brandon Escobar welding Hypernova One's frame in October 2021. Photo provided by Hypernova Solar.

Hypernova One will be the team’s proof-of-concept car, he said. Once it’s complete, they’ll review it to see what could be done better, and then build a second car for competition.

The group has also been working on a car that was donated to them in 2020 from the University of California, Berkeley team.

“We’ve completely revamped the suspension, the motors, the aeroshell and repainted it,” Riggi said of the 10-year-old vehicle they renamed Orion. “It gave everyone a good experience on what actually goes into a solar car.”

Michael Riggi, president of Hypernova Solar, with Orion. Photo provided by Hypernova Solar.

They’ve also been benefiting from �鶹��Ƶ’s resources and experts.

“My systems engineering coursework has helped me manage the team, understand business concepts, as well as understand the engineering aspects and challenges presented to us,” Riggi said. “I’ve also taken a MIX workshop on 3D printing and am applying this knowledge to building a 3D belt printer to create the shell of our first car.”

A model of Hypernova One's shell. Image provided by Hypernova Solar.

Why is the team developing their own 3D printer?

“Unlike a 3D printer where you’re printing layer by layer going up, ours is tilted at a 45-degree angle and prints on a conveyor belt, so you can actually print on an unlimited axis,” said Ross Clark, Hypernova Solar’s lead designer and a NVCC student who said he’s transferring to �鶹��Ƶ.

The unique printer helps make the car resilient and safe, he said. Printing vertically would make it more susceptible to breaking along the X-axis.

“The shell is going to be sturdy and meet safety regulations,” Clark said. “We’re also using a special plastic, PETG, which doesn’t break, it flexes more, and is a lot more heat resistant.”

“I’ve been impressed by the team’s passion and drive,” said faculty advisor Colin Reagle. “They are constantly pushing boundaries on what they can do within a university setting.”

“The opportunity to build a unique machine like this is a huge draw to a diverse group of students,” said Reagle, who teaches in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “I can’t wait until you see them rolling around campus in this vehicle inspiring the next surge of students.”

Exploratory student Kareem Elsharkawy drills holes in aluminum at the MIX to help create a 3D belt printer, November 2021. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/�鶹��Ƶ.

Overall, Hypernova Solar is about more than just building cars.

“The most rewarding part is seeing progress on the car and watching team members develop new skills,” Riggi said. “Our goal is to develop the skills of the students, make them more well-prepared for the workforce, and also just make friends.”

In addition to the thrill of problem solving, and the joy of mentoring new members, Clark and Riggi said another benefit is the group’s inclusivity.

“We have a spot for everyone—even if you’re not an engineering major,” Riggi said. “Some members aren’t huge car people, but want to develop personal skills, or do business and fundraising.”

“That’s why I love this project so much,” he said, “you can tailor it to what you want to get out of it.”

Hypernova Solar, �鶹��Ƶ's student-run solar car team, meets at the MIX in November 2021. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/�鶹��Ƶ.

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Graduation Profile: Could 3D printing change a life? This �鶹��Ƶ senior is confident it can.

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 14 May 2020 00:05:00 +0000

Graduation Profile: Could 3D printing change a life? This �鶹��Ƶ senior is confident it can. Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 05/13/2020 - 20:05

When Denys Kuratchenko began working at Northern Virginia Community College’s 3D printing lab in 2017, he didn’t anticipate that his projects would change lives. But the expression on a young girl’s face made him realize he could.

The lab’s director, Lawrence Nightingale, tasked Kuratchenko with creating a braille learning aid for a visually impaired child at a local middle school, Kuratchenko said. So, he 3D-printed a topographical map of Virginia.

“For her to be able to feel the ridges [and] explore the mountains with her fingertips, it meant just as much as for any of us to take a road trip and visually see [the state],” said Kuratchenko, a May 2020 graduate. “Seeing all that excitement on her face, that experience she had with something as simple as this, it was a really touching moment.”

“That’s when I realized I want to use 3D printing to help people with disabilities,” Kuratchenko said.

Since transferring to �鶹��Ƶ in 2018, the senior information systems and operations management major has worked at the MIX at Innovation as a maker assistant. Students, faculty and staff come in to use the equipment, including several 3D printers, and Kuratchenko assesses their needs to determine how they can best use the technology to achieve their goals.

“Having access to all of these technologies is absolutely incredible,” Kuratchenko said.

When he’s not helping the �鶹��Ƶ community on their projects, Kuratchenko said he works on his own.

Recently Kuratchenko 3D printed a prosthetic hand to help people in need through the E-nabling the Future organization. The creation took about 40 hours of printer operation and 10 hours of assembly, he said. Though the hand is completed, he is still open to finding a recipient for it. Each request for a prosthetic limb has already been fulfilled on E-nabling the Future, he said.

Denys Kuratchenko runs a 24/7 "print farm" from his apartment to 3D print face shields for the medical community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo provided.

He has also been 3D printing face shields for the medical community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kuratchenko, who is from Ukraine and has lived in Virginia for the past five years, said he knew he wanted to attend �鶹��Ƶ starting in high school. The university’s strong reputation and programs tailored to his interests were selling points.

“[�鶹��Ƶ was] the only university I set my mind to,” Kuratchenko said. “I really love bringing people and technology together, so I’m really happy with �鶹��Ƶ for offering this unique degree.”

In and out of the MIX, Kuratchenko said his experience at �鶹��Ƶ has been impactful.

“[�鶹��Ƶ School of Business professors are] teaching you not only by the book, but they also have experience and put effort to teach you by the field—how things work in real life—and I really appreciate them,” Kuratchenko said.

He is also grateful for the community he’s found.

Associate Director for Entrepreneurship Programs Karen Livingston and MIX Maker Manager Amanda Jarvis “have a great vision for this place and they keep pushing it forward,” Kuratchenko said. “I’m thankful to all my coworkers that make this such a good place to work and make me want to come back to work after every weekend.”

Kuratchenko, who wants to work in industrial additive manufacturing, is well on his way to great things, his mentors said.

“I think that Denys will wind up applying his enthusiasm and energy to the next phase of consumer technology,” Nightingale said. “Students like Denys, who have a good balance of technical knowledge and originality of thought, are the ones that will be making significant things happen in the future.”

Denys Kuratchenko. Photo by Lathan Goumas.

* Denys Kuratchenko is looking for a recipient for the prosthetic hand he 3D printed. If you know someone in need who may benefit from it, please email dkuratch@masonlive.gmu.edu.

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