ACTE Trophy

My name is Joshua Lucas and I’m a junior in high school and take advanced manufacturing at STC. I like to design and 3D print models of different things, such as chess pieces or something for a friend. Before i was in advanced manufacturing, I was in a computer class, but it never caught my attention the way this does. Ive always been interested in working with different tools and creating things, and this was the perfect opportunity to put my imagination into reality. I really enjoy working both with my hands, and digitally with programs like solidworks. My favorite types of projects are the ones where I get to create the design by scratch and it’s left to me to decide what to do with it because it really puts my imagination to the test and sometimes I surprise myself with the things I come up with. Creativity is one of my strong suits and that’s why being in advanced manufacturing really comes into play because I can brainstorm and create almost anything I want to. Another part of the design process I like to do is post processing, like sanding and spray painting. 3D printing or welding only gets you so far, but when you sand or grind or spray paint something, that’s what makes It unique to your design.