Adventures in Additive – Kazakhstan teacher reflects on his PrintCity internship.

My name is Asset Rakishev, and I’m from Kazakhstan. I am a teacher at Karagandy Technical University, which is also the same university where I graduated, in the field of Mechanical Engineering. My research and educational background was based on subtractive manufacturing and design.

(Blog updated 19th August – click here to see)

3D Printing

Rapid prototyping and 3D printing are fast-growing fields along with information technology. My acquaintance with MMU and PrintCity began with the visit of Dr. Sashikumar of Karaganda University. Within the walls of the lab, I was able to master many design and printer tools that I could utilize in my work. With the help of Peter Gough (my adviser), I learned CAD programs that make it easier to design and create 3D objects. The idea that you can create a physical object from a digital design so fast changes the world view of modern production. Also, by accelerating the design, development, and manufacturing of a design part, AM can speed up research and development work. Here, I was able to get acquainted with different types of equipment used in 3D printing, and with the help and assistance of the PrintCity team, I developed new digital skills to work with various printing technologies and printers.

Manchester and beyond

During my stay in Manchester, I was fortunate enough to get to know a lot of people both inside and outside the walls of the university. Manchester is such a wonderfully diverse place that I was able to get acquainted with the different nationalities and cultures. This, in turn, allowed me to experience the taste of foods from far and wide. Manchester is one of the first modern industrial cities with a rich history. As a result, the city has vibrant and unique architecture. In addition to Manchester, I also visited other places such as Liverpool, York, London, Leeds, and Lake District, which are also beautiful in their way with attractive environments. Another exciting moment I had here was different activities, some of which were new to me, like squash or marathon. In May, I participated in the 10k run with the MMU team, and it was a little challenging and a lot of fun for me.

PrintCity

In general, my internship in the laboratory helped me acquire a lot of new knowledge and skills in the field of CAD and 3D printing, get closer to virtual reality and work with various scanning techniques. I am delighted to have had the pleasure and opportunity to work alongside the PrintCity team. In the future, I would take great satisfaction in being able to develop the acquired skills to share and collaborations at my university.

Update: 19th August 2022 – Farewell Asset

Colleagues arranged a small farewell celebration with Asset at PrintCity on Friday, 19th August. Asset returns home in early September after eight months away from home. We will miss him as he has been an active and valued member of our team. He will leave with new knowledge and experience to take back to Karaganda Technical University in Kazakhstan with the plan to set up a version of PrintCity there.

Asset adopted Manchester United as his team and was presented with a 2022-23 home shirt with his name on the back and the year he spent with us. Here are a few photos taken on the day…..