Hi friends,

We teach the fundamentals of 3D printing using Cheese Whiz.

We know how that sounds. There's usually an eye roll in the room when we say it. Then we hand the can over, set the challenge and the eye roll goes away.

Here's how it works. First we cover three things, and that's the entire curriculum.

Perimeters are the outside walls. How many times do you trace the outline before you start filling anything in? Trace once and you get a thin, floppy edge. Trace three times and you get something that holds its shape.

Layer height is how thick each pass is. Thin layers mean smooth and slow. Thick layers mean fast and chunky. Everything in 3D printing is this tradeoff, and you can feel it in your hand with cheese.

Infill is what's inside. Solid all the way through is strong, and it also uses a truly upsetting amount of cheese. Mostly hollow with a little structure inside is usually plenty. Choosing how much is the whole game.

Then we show the player a mystery object and ask them to rebuild it. Layer by layer. No shortcuts, no filling in from the side, just the can and the shape.

What happens next is the good part. Gravity shows up immediately. Try an overhang and it sags. Try to bridge a gap and it droops into the gap. Nobody has to explain why some designs print beautifully and others fail. The cheese explains it in about four seconds.

We've run this with eight-year-olds and eighty-year-olds. Everson community day this fall, SUNY Poly this summer, K-12 students this spring. Same result every time.

They don't walk out knowing about 3D printing. They walk out understanding it.

That's the part we care about. This industry loves being technical, sometimes to the point of shutting people out. Technical language can be a gate as easily as it can be a door. Take the same ideas and put them in a can of cheese and suddenly the whole room is in the conversation, which is where you want everyone if you're trying to explore what's actually possible right now.

So here's a thought experiment for your week: What's one technical thing you consistently fail to explain to your friends, your family, or the people you work with? The thing where you watch their eyes glaze over every time.

Now, what everyday process is secretly the same shape? What could you hand someone that would let them feel it instead of hear about it?

If you come up with one, hit reply and tell us. We would genuinely love to hear it.

Warmly,
Stephanie & Isaac