Alan Crawford of North Carolina didn't start out to become a model
maker. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do," he says. "I took a lot
of computer-aided development and started working in architecture. That led
to design work, which led to this," he says.
"It happened [that] I didn't go the traditional school route, but
it might have been easier if I had."
Still, Crawford enjoys the work he does. "You have to have the ability
to see things in a three-dimensional model," he says. "You have to conceive
them in 3D space without ever having seen them."
Crawford says that artistic education is just as important as technological
studies. "A lot of work is done on the computer now. We use CAD [computer-aided
design] programs to design the models or prototypes, and then use the milling
machines to make the models," he says.
"There's also a lot of shop work involved -- cutting, sawing, gluing
and machine work. There's a lot of running back and forth between the
office, where you design the model, and the shop, where you actually make
it."
Crawford does a lot of different types of models, so his days are never
the same. "We do a lot of prototyping of automobile parts, building the temporary
molds that will be tested before the final mold is built." The testing, he
says, ensures there are no flaws in the final mold design.
Still, there are some parts of the job that Crawford finds less than glamorous.
"We work with a lot of dangerous chemicals. And there is always an element
of danger when you're working with machines, but it's worth it."
In the end, it's the feeling of accomplishment and the ability to
actually see a project take shape that makes Crawford happy. "I enjoy the
complicated work and satisfaction of taking electronic data and producing
a solid object that you can touch and feel. It's a great job, because
it's a cross between a technical position and an artistic position."
Elaine Hunt is the director of a rapid prototyping lab in South Carolina.
She didn't come to model making through a direct path. "I was a computer
analyst and I was getting ready to leave my old job. A colleague told me about
a position that was available, and when I heard computers, lasers and new
objects, I was interested," she says.
"I never know from day to day what has to be done. There is nothing that's
not exciting or that I don't enjoy. There is such a broad spectrum of
things to do that it never gets boring."
Working as the director of the rapid prototyping lab has definitely put
plenty of exciting projects in front of Hunt. "We've made mock-ups of
turbines for [a power company]. We've done new product development for
[a car manufacturer]. We've even made a trachea for a two-year-old because
the doctors didn't know what else to do to keep the little boy from dying."
Tracheas are not the only way that model making, especially in the rapid
prototyping industry, is going to be useful to the medical field, says Hunt.
"There are tremendous opportunities -- the medical field is exploding with
applications that rapid prototyping can be used for, but physicians don't
have the expertise to take advantage of that, so there will be a big demand
for people who can in the future."
Hunt says that huge strides in materials and processes have made model
making using rapid prototyping techniques a much better application.
"Ten years ago, we called the models 'five-minute parts' because
the material was so brittle it was sure to be broken. Now, you get really
good models that are far more accurate than they used to be."
Hunt says that model making is an excellent and fun career choice for someone
who is innovative and interested in being involved in product development.
"There will always be a need, and anyone who is looking to make this a career
should look at how you can build your career based on where you want to be
and how you want to advance."