Come Early for our Special "Makers Show & Tell" Meetup

Chris Yonge, CEO MakersFactory Introducing 'MakersFactory' Show and Tell at 6:00 PM

MakersFactory LLC is a new Santa Cruz resource for those converting bits to atoms and ideas to production. Members and students will have access to 3D printers, laser cutters, digitizers, and a custom robotics/fabrication workplace, in the center of town. MakersFactory is an intergenerational and transdisciplinary center for learning, co-creating and teaching 3D modeling, design, animation, electronics, Arduino programming, and open source technology.

Topic: Origin Laser Tools – a Santa Cruz, CA, high-tech startup

Tim Livin, CEO, Origin Laser Tools and Tiina Seppalainen, VP, Operations, both Founders of OLT

Tim Litvin and Tiina Seppäläinen will describe their journey to create Origin Laser Tools (OLT), a start-up they founded last year in Santa Cruz, to manufacture timeless laser tools for professional builders. OLT’s products embody American craftsmanship and technological wizardry coupled with enduring eco-design. Over 90% of the components are manufactured locally in Santa Cruz. Mechanical parts are CNC-milled by a local machine shop, and a local circuit board manufacturer fabricates and assembles the custom electronics - even the hand-checkered wooden grips are the product of a local craftsman.

Tim, the CEO and Lead Engineer, has spent 20 years designing and developing new optical devices for the R&D, industrial and consumer sectors, and is named on ten patents. He was the lead designer of the rugged LeveLite LaserPro® series. Tiina, the VP of Operations, has over twenty years of experience in building teams and successfully leading multi-million dollar projects to improve organizations’ performance and operational excellence.

Topic–Fabrication Design in Education and Business

Ralph C. Royer, Founder of RCR Fabrication & Design Inc.

How does a design project – a custom designed staircase or piece of furniture, for example – move from being an idea into reality? Ralph Royer, of RCR Fabrication in Santa Cruz, explains the existing process and how it can be improved. He also talks about the use of open source and free software, which reduce the cost and learning required to define a shape so that it can be machined or fabricated.

RCR has extensive experience in building custom architectural and engineering components. RCR's shop in Santa Cruz includes CNC machines, manual lathes, manual milling, NC press break, and cold working of various metals, stone and cast work. They also have one of the only water jet cutting systems in the area. Ralph Royer has taught welding for fourteen years at Cabrillo College and is a member of the State Contractors Test review board.

Topic–Using all forms of Digital Prototyping, including 3D printing

David Moriconi, President & CEO, IDE Inc.

IDE we uses all forms of (digital) prototyping (3D printing, Selective Laser Sintering, Silicone Tooling and Urethane Casting, and CNC milling) to iterate design concepts and full production intent prototypes.

IDE is a privately held California Corporation founded in 1985 by David Moriconi and the late Peter Sehnal. Mr. Moriconi has served as IDE’s President and CEO since its founding. Mr. Moriconi and his design team have developed over 300 successful products marketed world-wide. Mr. Moriconi has 29 U.S. patents and his work has received numerous national and international product design awards. His work, methodologies and views have been included in such publications as Design News, Machine Design, Plastics Design Forum, PC Magazine, New Business Opportunities, IDSA’s Design Perspectives and IDSA’s Innovation.

Topic -- Mechatronics, an interdisciplinary project based education

Gabriel Hugh Elkaim, Associate Professor, Computer Engineering, UC Santa Cruz

Mechatronics, a contraction of Mechanical and Electronics, is the interdisciplinary study that covers the intersection between mechanical, electrical, and software engineering. In designing systems that have interacting mechanical, electrical, and software components, care must be take to ensure that all of the parts come together and "play well" with each other. Often the art of design is to get a thousand small details right simultaneously. How do you teach this to engineering students?

Gabriel Hugh Elkaim is Associate Professor of Computer Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. He received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University in 1990, and his Master's and PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1995 and 2002, respectively. He designed, developed, and implemented a robotic wing-sailed catamaran for his PhD thesis, winning the William Ballhaus prize for best Aero/Astro PhD thesis in 2002. He joined the faculty at UCSC in 2003, and has been central to the effort to bring about the Robotics Engineering Degree

Speakers Panel Concludes Meeting.