The three winners of the 3D printing contest met together with our colleague Laurențiu for an informative session regarding the use of these prizes and after three months after receiving their awards, the winners provided us with these brief testimonials about their experience in the competition and their future perspectives on upcoming contests.
Gabriel Drumea, the third-place winner:
“I was motivated by the fact that I could win a 3D printer, and I really wanted to have one to use. From my perspective, I didn’t face major challenges or problems; the course was easy, and I didn’t encounter any issues. With the help of the printer, I created some keychains for the Christmas fair at my school, for my family, and friends. Occasionally, I also make figurines, but most likely, I’ll use it for a school project if I have one. For the theme of the next contest, it would be attractive to involve something related to technology, nature, or a theme of choice for students.”
Bogdan Marian Laibăr, the second-place winner:
“My motivation for the project was a passion for technology and innovation, wanting to explore the potential of 3D printing in the context of my project. Additionally, my interest in economics and accounting fueled my motivation to win the 3D printer and create my own business. The biggest challenge was optimizing the design for 3D printing and resolving technical details to achieve a functional and aesthetic result, as well as crafting the project’s narrative, which indeed played a significant role in my success. With the 3D printer I won, I created objects for my colleagues and personalized items. I aspire to explore more practical applications, such as useful devices for everyday life. Looking ahead, I hope to reopen a website and establish a small business from this. For future contests, an attractive theme could be ‘Innovations for Sustainability,’ encouraging creative ideas related to environmental protection and responsible use of 3D technology.”
Angela Elisabeta, the first-place winner:
“My motivation in creating the project was education. I created a model of the human eye and an affection it can suffer (ocular arthritis). I wanted to emphasize how important it is to take care of your eyes, and at the same time, I suffer from astigmatism and myopia, just like many in my family, so I know what it’s like to have vision problems. The biggest challenge in completing the project for me was the technical aspect. The modeling program was relatively easy to use, but there were moments, especially at the beginning of the project, when I couldn’t connect the pieces as I wanted. But in the end, with a lot of work on the program, I succeeded. With the winning printer, I have created many Christmas decorations and offered many ornaments made using the printer. For an interesting future contest, it would be based on nature, where participants try to model and print something from nature (a monument or a natural habitat) or something that helps nature and animals (birdhouses where seeds can be placed, for example). This way, participants would see how beautiful our planet is and how 3D printing can be used to help it.”
