• Converting an MRI scan into a personalized 3D printed skull beer tap.

• Building a retro video game machine using a credit card-sized computer called a Raspberry Pi.

• Scanning objects to recreate them in metal using lasers.

These are just a few of the projects I’ve heard Logan Rose talk about recently. Logan, a Laureate Park resident, is an engineer at EOS, a company that builds high-end 3D printers. Logan has experience with manufacturing, machining, additive manufacturing, reverse engineering, and product design.

The high-precision printers EOS makes create parts out of titanium and other metals as well as plastics. The process they use is laser sintering, which turns powdered raw material into a solid by heating it. Applications include aerospace and medical as well as mold making and advanced manufacturing.

I asked Logan to do a quick Q&A session to get his perspective on the current state of things.

Q: What do you think are the most important technologies available to makers today?
A: It has to be rapid prototyping. The ability to have something in your mind appear in your hand quickly is the key to it all.

Q: What do you think the “next big thing” is in the maker space?
A: A couple of decades ago, I would have said desktop 3D printing. That is now commonplace. I think the next big thing will be software-based. The ability for people to easily reverse engineer their own products will be beneficial. Some of the current formats and processes are prohibitively expensive and time consuming. Just speeding up the process of creating new products would be a big benefit.

Q: Do you think anything is currently “overhyped” in the industry?
A: Yes. 3D printing is not necessarily the end-all product. Many people think that 3D printing needs to be used for everything. Additive manufacturing is great for some parts. Other processes are better suited for other parts. The best concepts come from marrying additive and subtractive manufacturing. Both have their pros and cons. Additive can be rapid manufacturing, but it can also be extremely slow when compared to subtractive on simple geometry.

Q: What is the most ambitious project you have wanted to work on but haven’t been able to (yet)?
A: I like home automation. I do a lot of tinkering. The most ambitious project for me is finding enough time to do the projects that I want to do. I travel too much to finish a lot of my own projects.

Logan has expressed an interest in getting more involved with the maker community in our area. He would like locals to be able to approach him for design help. His goal is to bring professional product design or reverse engineering to Lake Nona.
If you would like to get in touch with Logan, you can reach out via makenona.com/contact.