Universities have unique resources at their direct disposal that most organizations do not: academic departments with specialty personnel and equipment. U of A Facilities Management employee Jon Andrews recently used those resources to his advantage in a routine laboratory repair. 

Andrews has worked in Facilities Management at the U of A for 36 years, starting as an hourly employee in FAMA's Paint Shop. He completed his apprenticeship at the university's heating plant in 1995 and has held multiple positions since then, most recently being promoted to the campus HVAC maintenance coordinator in May 2023.

Andrews is a seasoned problem-solver who finds solutions to obstacles that arise within day-to-day campus operations. The problem on this particular day: broken handles on fume hoods in campus labs.

To make matters worse, replacement handles are no longer manufactured to be sold separately. The only way to obtain them would be to purchase an entire service valve and replace it.

Of course, the rest of the service valves apart from the handles were in perfectly good condition, so replacing all of them seemed unnecessary (and expensive!).

That's when Andrews considered another option. Enter the U of A Mechanical Engineering Department.

A 3D printer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

One day, while completing a service request in the Mechanical Engineering Building, Andrews was able to explore the university's Mechanical Engineering Department, including its 3D printers. The equipment the department had brought in for its students and faculty members was impressive, enough for Andrews to make a mental note of its sophistication. He even drew inspiration from his visit to purchase his own 3D printers for home use, mainly using them to produce spare parts for household items and other "fun stuff" for friends and family.

Now, as he considered options for replacing this elusive part, he remembered that day in Mechanical Engineering.

"I thought, 'I'll bet this is something that someone in Mechanical Engineering could design and reproduce at a much-reduced cost and without having to do a wholesale swap out,'" Andrews said.

Soon after, Andrews reached out to Mike Kyle, master scientific research tech with Mechanical Engineering, explaining his situation and the potential for some cross-campus collaboration. Kyle passed the request on to Paul Archer, a mechanical engineering student at the U of A who is familiar with the department's 3D printers.

"Our department is well-equipped to tackle a challenge like this, and I knew Paul would be able to get Jon what he needed in a short amount of time while also ensuring it would function properly," Kyle said.

Archer designed a replacement handle by referencing a commercial prototype and modifying it to fit the fume hoods on campus. He was able to design and print the new handle in one day.

"In comparison to some other designs I've made for my classes, this was an easy task, and I was happy to contribute to an innovative solution that fit campus' needs," Archer said.

Two handles for fume hoods created via a 3D printing machine.

The 3D-printed handles were installed and functioned perfectly on the fume hoods. A few extra handles were made in case any others break in the future.

It cost approximately $4 to make each handle with the 3D printer. Andrews estimates a new service valve could have cost up to $400.

"I'm grateful to Paul and Mike with Mechanical Engineering for their willingness to help us out," Andrews said. "Their assistance turned a tricky problem into an easy fix, and I'm glad we were able to work together, fostering an environment of cooperation between what are normally two disparate groups on campus."