By Kara Reedy —
The Gardner-Harvey Library has held several DIY events in the TEC Lab Makerspace over the years, many of which have included the complex industrial machinery offered at the library. The event held on Wednesday likewise gave participants the opportunity to design their own pet tags using the hardware and software offered by the library, allowing the event to serve as an exhibition of what the Gardner-Harvey Library has to offer to the Miami community.
The pet tag-making event allowed participants to create their tags using two different methods: laser engraving and sublimation. Participants were given a chance to create their own special design using text and symbols available. This allowed them to develop the tags in whatever way they wanted, which was especially amazing since all of this was completely free for the participants. The Gardner-Harvey Library often holds these events for community members to experience using complex machines for creative purposes. Most people will rarely get to experience using laser engraving or sublimation to make a product, thus making the whole event and every other event like it in the TEC space special.
The equipment used during the event was fascinating to watch, especially the laser engraving machine, which is called a Glowforge. Those interested in creating a pet tag with an engraving could select one of the options available and design whatever they wanted to appear on their tag using a software program linked to the Glowforge. They could choose anything from the traditional ‘If lost, please call’ to even just the name of the participant’s pet. Once the design was finalized, the creator could send it over to the machine to begin engraving it into the pet tag. Engraving took only a minute or two, and the result was almost as gratifying as watching the engraving process was; it was truly something to watch the laser go back and forth on the tags as the design slowly emerged.
Sublimation was also offered as an alternative to engraving. Sublimation is another intriguing means of design. Participants wanting to try it out could create a design using Microsoft Word that was printed out and added to one of the pet tags using a hot press that transferred the printed image onto the tag. The process of transferring the image only took about a minute, and the resulting product was clean and seamless. It was quite the experience participating in the TEC event, and it was also a lot of fun seeing the finished products in use. It’s not every day that you get to design something and see it in use.
The Gardner-Harvey Library hosts events like this frequently, and all of them are free for the Miami community, so that as many as possible can experience something they haven’t been able to before. These TEC events showcase the fascinating machinery available to create and serve as mediums meant to inspire creativity and innovation. If you are interested in attending a similar event, then you’ll be happy to hear that the library will be holding another sublimation and engraving event on the 6th of December from 2–4 p.m. You’ll be able to design coasters using the equipment available in the TEC Lab. This event will be great for those of us who are already thinking about holiday gifts.
There will be other events held in November, two of which are promising to be especially interesting. The National Dishes event will be held on November 16th from 4 to 5 p.m. and will showcase the recent publication of Professor Caryn Neumann and Lori Parks’ book Global Dishes: Favorite Meals from Around the World. Dr. Tammie Gerke will be wrapping up the month and her National Parks Talk Series with her presentation on Yellowstone National Park, which will be held on November 28th between 4:30 and 6 p.m. We hope to see you at both!
Contact Information:
- Jennifer Hicks – hicksjl2@miamioh.edu
- Jessie Long – longjh@miamioh.edu
- John Burke – burkejj@miamioh.edu