It sounds like something from a 1950s edition of Popular Science about futuristic predictions, but it is now possible for the average person to print…
It sounds like something from a 1950s edition of Popular Science about futuristic predictions, but it is now possible for the average person to print three dimensional objects out of plastic, and one local company is creating the fibrous material used in the process.
According to Fila-Mint owner Brian Hanzel, of Chester Township, 3D printing can create anything from rubber duckies to prosthetic hands that can be programmed to work almost as well as the real thing.
His company, located in a shop in an industrial building at 11711 Chillicothe Road, manufactures the plastic filaments that are used in the 3D printing process.
“We melt raw plastic pellets into high tolerance plastic string that is used inside the printers to make the objects,” Hanzel explained.
The West Geauga High School graduate, whose father once served as the Chester Township fire chief, said he became interested in plastic extrusion and its practically limitless uses when he studied the process at Lakeland Community College.
He said his girlfriend and business partner, Amy Harper, began to share his fascination when she saw the variety of items that he could make, from crafts to toys to three dimensional models of a home’s floor plan, complete with moveable furniture.
In most cases, the items take many hours to print, one tiny plastic layer at a time.
“We can even print things we use in the business and our own parts to our machines,” he said. “We can do artsy stuff and prototyping. The more uses we see, the more uses we see.”
The technology can also be used to make realistic-looking, highly functional prosthetic hands, he said.
“You can make pretty much anything,” Hanzel said. “It’s being called a ‘maker’ movement, with people able to tinker and do their own crafts. It’s the spirit of making stuff on your own, which was becoming lost.
“It’s pride in your own creativity, problem solving and learning,” he added. “When you go to the store and buy something, you don’t learn anything, but if you need something and find a way to make it, you get satisfaction from your accomplishment.”
Hanzel will be explaining the 3D printing process at 6 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Chesterland Innovation Center and will display many of the items he has printed, including a model of the Chester Township gazebo, artistic vases, toys, and, yes, rubber duckies.
“I want to make people aware of what the printers can do,” he said. “People sometimes have misconceptions about the capability of the machines.”
Other local businesses will be highlighted at the event, which will be held in the West Geauga Plaza next to Zeppe’s Pizzeria.
“The innovation center is all about local business start-ups,” he said. “It’s good for networking and has good educational seminars. They’re trying to help small businesses and local companies grow.”
Hanzel will also have items on display at the Chesterland Chamber of Commerce’s ChesterFest Aug. 22.
