By Margaret Slattery
(March 14, 2024) “It filled up so fast, I didn’t think it was going to work. I wasn’t expecting such high quality, but this is one of the best chess pieces I’ve seen!” That’s Bentley Lewis, an 8th grader talking about his first casting experience. But it likely won’t be his last.
He and 40 other middle and high schoolers from Jefferson County, Tennessee, are the first to go through the METAL 3-hour workshop led by IACMI, where you get to dig in sand, whack a hammer, and pour liquid metal. Plus, everyone’s cast is unique — from animals to letters to chess pieces. Bentley is already thinking about how he could add casting to his 3D printing business. Yep, he runs his own business and he’s only 13.
From 3D Printing to Casting
“Bentley is a new age entrepreneur for real,” says Mira Denton, his computer science teacher at White Pine School. They’re from a town of about 2,500 folks, fairly typical of rural America.
It all started when the school received four 3D printers about two years ago. Bentley was fascinated with what he could make and decided to build a business printing custom designs. Friends and family are his first customers, but he’s thinking big. He’s already got an old bank space scoped out for his first location and a plan to secure a $250,000 grant to invest in his first set of five printers. All these possibilities developed when he fell under the mentorship of Dale Adams, the mechanical pathways teacher for two middle schools in Jefferson County.
In describing Bentley, Dale shares, “Nothing is ever going to stop him. He is the most inspired young adult I’ve met in my life. I teach, I’ve coached for years, I’ve worked in churches, and I’ve never met anyone as inspired as Bentley. He’s very creative. His mind never stops working.”
That’s evident today as Bentley learns about an industry he’d never considered: casting and forging. These workshops are the first of many hands-on opportunities through the national workforce initiative METAL (Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning). Supported by the Department of Defense and managed by IACMI – The Composites Institute, METAL aims to inspire and educate more young minds like Bentley—to help them see they could combine multiple interests like casting and 3D printing.
Advantages of 3D Printing with Casting
That’s something near and dear to Sam Pankratz’s heart, a grad student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, working under Dr. Uday Vaidya who’s developing multiple curriculums for METAL.
Sam says, “3D printing is very accessible, but a lot haven’t accessed it yet! It’s important we show people the process, how easy it is to do and where it fits in.”
Sam teaches students and teachers about the multiple ways 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is impacting the future of casting. For instance, companies are printing patterns that can be used again and again to cast parts, or they can print one-time-use tools that will vaporize when hot metal is poured onto them, a technique called lost foam casting.
“A lot of the advantages of additive are seen in the complexity of the part you’re trying to make,” shares Sam. “We can print so many things for advanced manufacturing. It’s not just about creating decorative things on your desktop.”
Seeing a Successful Career Path
As Bentley and Sam interact, it’s clear this workshop goes beyond teaching them a skill. It’s connecting young students with others like Sam so that they can see the possibilities for a successful career path. For Sam, that’s hopefully a job building airplanes.
“I love the intersection of advanced materials and pushing the edge of manufacturing,” says Sam. “I want to design these parts, help determine how we manufacture them and at the end of the day, see them fly.”
“The networking is definitely worthwhile,” affirms Bentley’s teacher Mira. “Bentley’s never been to a city beyond Knoxville. Our world is so much bigger and has problems students like him can solve. Bentley has a unique perspective and mindset, but we have to give him access first. We’re thankful you all are helping us give access to these kids.”
Future Plans – See Them Fly
Once the tin has cooled, and Bentley can remove his chess piece from the sand mold, he looks genuinely surprised and pleased.
“It has turned out shockingly better than I thought,” says Bentley. “I love playing chess. Having my own custom chess piece is cool. I’m thinking if I can make this, I could make all the chess pieces. Maybe I can 3D print the board and cast the pieces and sell that!”
Bentley isn’t set on what he’ll do when he grows up. He’s thinking of becoming an engineer, but right now he’s busy being an entrepreneur. Expanding the possibilities is what today was all about. The what ifs, the maybes and some days start somewhere. At IACMI we strive to spark the imagination and give them the tools to see them fly.