Fabrication

A 3D print request came to Tom Rolander in the Miller Library Fabrication Lab by Oceans PhD Candidate Caroline Rice of the Weigel Lab for a 3D printed device to collect kelp spores on microscope slides underwater in Monterey Bay.  The requirements were to hold several microscope slides in a frame which would have two sets of attachment points.  An upper set would be connected to a float, and a lower set would attach to the sea floor or the kelp forest.  The initial version was designed in a CAD system, 3D printed and then field tested.  As a result of the field test, single upper and lower attach points were replaced by a pair of attach points.  Also, a container was designed and 3D printed to hold the Kelp Spore Collector during transit from the underwater collection site to protect the microscope slides.During the second successful testing in Monterey Bay, the resident harbor seals were very curious about the Kelp Spore Collector.