3D Printing at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

The Museum Of Science + Industry has been an institution of curiosity and learning in the heart of Chicago since 1933. They recently hosted their first Spring Make Festival - dubbed “A Spring Break For Your Creativity” - from March 9th to April 8th. Activities ranged from a scrappy quick-build robot competition called Hebocon to a full-blown Mini Maker Faire.

I was lucky enough to be able to visit the festival in its final weeks. My favorite hands-on activity, of course, involved a wall of 30 Flashforge Finder 3D printers and a whole lot of fun. The Make Shop exhibit was the most well-run maker experience I’ve ever seen - basically transforming a black-box space in the museum into a fabrication workshop set up to accommodate over 600 visitors per day.  

Here’s how it worked: visitors were assigned into groups with a time to meet in the lobby for a 45-minute experience in making a personalized “wearable” - a name badge. First stop the was the 3D printing station. Computers were set up for guests to write their name on the screen with their finger using a program called 3D Paint. Next, their name was transformed into 3D printer code using Flashprint Software.  Each file was saved on a USB thumb drive with a number corresponding to a printer. 

Then it was off to the massive rack of 3D printers to find our number. The USB drive got placed into the printer, and we got to watch our creations get 3D printed in only six minutes. Kids and adults alike were mesmerized by the process of depositing plastic layer by layer to make something they had created themselves just moments before! Once the print was done, we grabbed the handy spatulas hanging next to the printers to remove our creations and headed off to the next station.

Second stop was vinyl cutters. Families from all over the world chose an image from a few different options like a rocket ship, beaker, heart, bird, and others. We dragged our shapes into the designated spot on the computer screen and watched as our images were sent to the vinyl cutter on the table, and produced right on the spot. We peeled off our images and stuck them on our badges.

The third step was to create a circuit using an LED light and a battery to place behind our 3D printed panel. Once all the pieces were assembled, the final touch was to add a string and wear our creations proudly throughout the rest of the day at the museum.  

This well-run factory-as-exhibit was the brainchild of The Wanger Family Fab Lab team working with other museum departments, led by Fab Lab manager, Dan Meyer.

“We are all Makers, but we might not be sure of that,” explains Meyer. “Make Shop allows you to unlock your inner maker in 45 minutes, and by the end, you realize you are a Maker. Leaving the Make Shop everyone is proud to show off their custom one of kind LED badge that they 3D printed, vinyl cut and built a multi-color light circuit for!”

Museum exhibits typically take up to two years to develop, but the Make Shop team brought this one to life in only five months.

“Making is really taking off, and we wanted to show it was possible to do making on a large scale,” says Meyer. “We also wanted to show that digital fabrication is the future and that it is fun and easy to do.”

The inner workings of the exhibit are stunning. Dan Meyer and Carla Thacker manage and direct a team of over 30 staff who do everything from educating the guests about how a 3D printer works using a mini Etch-A-Sketch, to constantly maintaining the machines and materials. The revolving staff schedule is a masterpiece to behold, and even includes “blank” 15-minute sessions during the day to catch up if groups are running behind, and for routine maintenance. All of these details make for a flawless visitor experience.

The exhibit itself is an example of design thinking, iteration, and celebration of failure, as long as you learn something. It was originally set up with the vinyl cutting activity first, but after a few practice runs, they moved 3D printing front and center for better workflow. They even have a little display of prints gone awry to remind themselves that sometimes new creations and technologies need a few tries to get just right.

“Failure loops are the road to success,” says Meyer. “Each failure teaches us something new and how to improve on the next loop. Loops of failures are called iteration. Iteration is how we create improvements in our world - from a better drinking cup to putting humans on Mars.”

Though the Make Shop exhibit has now ended, be sure to check out the Fab Lab at the museum to create and 3D print your own creature to take home. I can’t wait to see where making pops up next!