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Model Maker

Interviews

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Alan Crawford of North Carolina didn't start out to become a model maker. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do," he says. "I took a lot of computer-aided development and started working in architecture. That led to design work, which led to this," he says.

"It happened [that] I didn't go the traditional school route, but it might have been easier if I had."

Still, Crawford enjoys the work he does. "You have to have the ability to see things in a three-dimensional model," he says. "You have to conceive them in 3D space without ever having seen them."

Crawford says that artistic education is just as important as technological studies. "A lot of work is done on the computer now. We use CAD [computer-aided design] programs to design the models or prototypes, and then use the milling machines to make the models," he says.

"There's also a lot of shop work involved -- cutting, sawing, gluing and machine work. There's a lot of running back and forth between the office, where you design the model, and the shop, where you actually make it."

Crawford does a lot of different types of models, so his days are never the same. "We do a lot of prototyping of automobile parts, building the temporary molds that will be tested before the final mold is built." The testing, he says, ensures there are no flaws in the final mold design.

Still, there are some parts of the job that Crawford finds less than glamorous. "We work with a lot of dangerous chemicals. And there is always an element of danger when you're working with machines, but it's worth it."

In the end, it's the feeling of accomplishment and the ability to actually see a project take shape that makes Crawford happy. "I enjoy the complicated work and satisfaction of taking electronic data and producing a solid object that you can touch and feel. It's a great job, because it's a cross between a technical position and an artistic position."

Elaine Hunt is the director of a rapid prototyping lab in South Carolina. She didn't come to model making through a direct path. "I was a computer analyst and I was getting ready to leave my old job. A colleague told me about a position that was available, and when I heard computers, lasers and new objects, I was interested," she says.

"I never know from day to day what has to be done. There is nothing that's not exciting or that I don't enjoy. There is such a broad spectrum of things to do that it never gets boring."

Working as the director of the rapid prototyping lab has definitely put plenty of exciting projects in front of Hunt. "We've made mock-ups of turbines for [a power company]. We've done new product development for [a car manufacturer]. We've even made a trachea for a two-year-old because the doctors didn't know what else to do to keep the little boy from dying."

Tracheas are not the only way that model making, especially in the rapid prototyping industry, is going to be useful to the medical field, says Hunt.

"There are tremendous opportunities -- the medical field is exploding with applications that rapid prototyping can be used for, but physicians don't have the expertise to take advantage of that, so there will be a big demand for people who can in the future."

Hunt says that huge strides in materials and processes have made model making using rapid prototyping techniques a much better application. "Ten years ago, we called the models 'five-minute parts' because the material was so brittle it was sure to be broken. Now, you get really good models that are far more accurate than they used to be."

Hunt says that model making is an excellent and fun career choice for someone who is innovative and interested in being involved in product development. "There will always be a need, and anyone who is looking to make this a career should look at how you can build your career based on where you want to be and how you want to advance."