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Zachary Cameron

I am a senior studying at the Pennsylvania State University in the Mechanical Engineering Department. I have been fortunate enough to have spent the past 4 years in State College, Pennsylvania at the University Park campus. In my time here I have been involved with the Penn State Outing Club, and PSU Crew. While my major primarily keeps me working in-doors, I have a great passion for the outdoors and the wilderness areas surrounding State College. I have gone on backpacking and camping trips in much of Pennsylvania and have also fished most, if not all major rivers in the state. I am also an avid kayaker and paddle the spring floods in the Schuykill River, and surrounding lakes in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

3D Printing and Me

When starting the EDSGN 497J (3D Printing) class at Penn State, I had little prior knowledge of 3D printing. While I didn't completely understand how they functioned, I did have a general idea of its possible applications. Being an outdoorsman, I see 3D printing as a quick and affordable way to create, customize, and redesign outdoor hunting, fishing, backpacking and kayaking equipment. While most outdoor equipment comes in a standard set of sizes and is meant for a standard application, many outdoorsmen do not follow conventional purposes, or fit the standard size for equipment. Hunters that have unique shooting styles, fishermen with different casting or jigging techniques, and paddlers working in harsh and sometimes bizarre conditions frequently must modify their equipment by hand to suite their needs. With the ability to 3D print specialized equipment, outdoorsmen can rely on their own knowledge of what they need and not be limited by equipment that comes standard off the shelf. In the future, I hope to be able to create my own equipment as needed and be able to use 3D printing as a way to make all of my gear perfectly suited for me and even create equipment for friends and family.