Tinkerers, builders, innovators and spectators of all ages will descend on the Washington DC area this weekend to participate in the Second Annual National Maker Faire held at the University of the District of Columbia, and The Advanced Manufacturing Office plans to join in on the fun. Kicking off the Week of Making (June 17-23), National Maker Faire  is a free, family friendly event that brings together companies, foundations, agencies, schools, and non-profits to expand the resources available for young entrepreneurs, celebrate and showcase innovation and STEM advancements, and foster the development of advanced manufacturing.

The Advanced Manufacturing Office will be showcasing a section of the 3D printed wind turbine blade mold that applies additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, to the manufacture of wind turbine blade molds. This project has been created in conjunction with DOE’s Wind Program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and corporate partner, TPI Composites. The initial focus is on simplifying the manufacture of molds for turbine blades. Currently, a “plug” must be manufactured and then used to form a mold, out of which fiberglass blades can subsequently be manufactured. Eliminating the plug, by applying 3D printing directly to the mold process, will reduce the costs and amount of time required for blade manufacture.

The inaugural National Maker Faire took place in 2014 as a result of the President’s Nation of Makers initiative, which issued a call to action that “every company, every college, every community, every citizen joins us as we lift up makers and builders and doers across the country.” The Maker Faire has expanded both domestically and internationally with Faires being organized in San Francisco and New York, as well as 119 independently-produced Mini and 14 Featured Maker Faires around the world in places including Tokyo, Rome, Detroit, Oslo and Shenzhen.

To learn more about the 3D printed wind turbine blade mold project, read our in-depth story here.

Join us at the National Maker Fair this weekend, June 18-19 from 11:00 am-6:00 pm, at Booth 57679. Reserve your free tickets, here