About me
Hello! My name is Dan Collins, and I am a freshman at Wheaton College. I am passionate about learning a variety of subjects, especially those relating to engineering and design. I live in Massachusetts, United States.
Here are a few projects I have worked on before Fab Academy
This is a 3d-printed deck box inspired by Sci-fi and stained glass frames. Printed with no infill or supports.
This is a shirt design made using a vinyl cutter and 2 colors of heat-press vinyl. It shows a design I made in illustrator of a black footed ferret.
This is a robot I made in colaboration With Zach Campbell and Abdulaziz Abdulaziz. It rolls around inside a 3d printed sphere. It can be controled with a remote control or set to amble around randomly. I did most of the design work.
This is the art that the ball robot was created to create. It rolls around inside an enclosure and paints itself while painting it's surroundings.
This is annother deck box I made with fusion 360. It has a mechanical locking mechanism that keeps the lid in place until you press down on the knobs on the sides.
This is the first physical production of it, though I may make more now that I've tweaked some of the tolerances.
Here is it open. The mechanism for unlocking it also ejects the lid
What led me to take Fab Academy
My first experience with digital fabrication was making a computer cart/desk for a high school class. I designed it in Tinkercad, used a laser cutter to cut out the walls, and a router to carve the shape of the counter. Since then I have learned a lot about design software and fabrication technologies. Most of my hobbies and interests involve making something one way or another, so when I first heard of Fab Academy I knew it was something I wanted to do.
Experience
My programming experience includes Python, JavaScript, and C++. Digital art programs I've used include Blender, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Tinkercad, and Fusion 360. I have used 3d printers, laser cutters, cnc mills, and a vinyl cutter. I have done arduino programming and soldering. I have some experience drawing, painting, woodworking, and carving. The majority of my experience with design comes from playing with Lego and creative video games.
Student Agreement