T
y
l e
r S
c h
o
o
l o
f A
r t , T
e m
p
l e U
n
i v
e
r s i t y
T
o
o
l s f o
r
f h
e P
o
s l i n
d
u
s t r i a l
W
o
r l d
A u n iv e r s i t y le v e l c r a f t p r o g r a m w h e r e t h e
c o m p u t e r c la im s a p r o m in e n t p o s it io n is th e
M c t a ls / J e w e lr y / C A D - C A M d e p a r t m e n t
a t T y l e r S c h o o l o f A r t —in d e e d , C o m p u t e r -
A id e d D e s ig n a n d C o m p u t e r - A id e d M a n u -
fa c t u r in g is p a r t o f its t it le . S t a n le y L e c h t z i n ,
a p r o f e s s o r in t h e d e p a r t m e n t s in c e 1 9 6 2 ,
h a s b e e n it s g u id in g s p i r i t , le a d in g t h e s t u -
d e n t s a n d o t h e r d e p a r t m e n t f a c u l t y in t o
t h e d ig it a l w o r ld . L e c h t z i n w a s fir s t in t r o -
d u c e d t o t h e c o m p u t e r in 1 9 6 2 d u r in g a v i s i t
t o t h e B u r r o u g h s C o r p o r a t io n m a in fr a m e
f a c i l i t y in D e t r o i t . In t h e m id - t o - la t e 1 9 7 0 s ,
w h e n p e r s o n a l c o m p u t e r s b e g a n t o s h o w
u p o n t h e s h e lv e s o f e le c t r o n ic s t o r e s , L e c h -
t z i n b o u g h t a R a d io S h a c k t r s 8 0 -M o d e l 1.
E x c i t e d b y t h e p o t e n t ia l a p p lic a t io n
o f t h is e m e r g in g t e c h n o l o g y t o t h e m e t a ls /
j e w e l r y d is c ip li n e , L e c h t z i n r e c e i v e d
a g r a n t t o in s t a ll 2 0 A p p l e H e c o m p u t e r s in
a c o m p u t e r la b o n c a m p u s . “ I s t a r t e d u s in g
a d v a n c e d t e c h n o lo g ie s a t T y l e r in 1 9 8 4 a n d
I w a s t h e fir s t t o b r in g c o m p u t e r s in t o th e
s t u d i o ,” r e c a lls L e c h t z i n . “ I e n c o u r a g e d
s t u d e n t s t o u s e t h e c o m p u t e r f o r d e s ig n in g
j e w e l r y f o r b e n c h w o r k a n d t o m a k e p r e -
s e n t a t io n d r a w in g s a n d r e n d e r in g s o f
d e s ig n s f o r c li e n t s .”
T h e c u r r e n t m c t a l s / j e w c l r y c u r r ic u lu m
a t T y l e r e m p h a s iz e s d ig it a l 3 -D m o d e lin g
p r o g r a m s a n d c o m p u t e r a p p lic a t io n s u s e d
052 american craft apr/mavio
Left to right: Student
in the tool room;
Associate Professor
Daniella Kerner over-
seeing the casting pro-
cess; Professor Stanley
Lechtzin with student
retrieving resin print
from Objet3-D printer.
Opposite: Majors studio.
in t h e p r o d u c t io n o f 3 -D o b je c t s . S t u d e n t s
b e g in j e w e l r y c la s s e s a s s o p h o m o r e s , a n d
a s m c t a ls / je w e lr y m a jo r s t h e y a r c r e q u ir e d
t o t a k e t w o c o m p u t e r c o u r s e s in t h e ir ju n io r
a n d s e n io r y e a r . L e c h t z i n h a s fo u n d t h a t
“ b y a n d l a r g e , s t u d e n t s a r e a v e r s e t o c o m -
p u t e r s . B u t t h e y s o o n g e t o v e r t h e h u r d le
a n d a c c e le r a t e t h e ir le a r n in g c u r v e .”
O n c e t h e y ’v e m a s t e r e d t h e d ig it a l la n -
g u a g e , t h e s t u d e n t s h a v e a c c e s s t o t h e
s t u d i o ’s t w o 3 -D p r in t e r s ( o n e t h a t p r in t s
in p la s t e r o r s t a r c h , a n d t h e o t h e r a n O b j c t
p r in t e r t h a t c a n p r in t in 13 d i f f e r e n t r e s in s )
a n d c a n u s e t h e C N C m a c h in e ( c o m p u t e r
n u m e r ic a l m illin g m a c h in e ) , la s e r c u t t e r s
a n d a la s e r w e ld e r . L e c h t z i n b e lie v e s th a t
“ c a d -c a m / r p ( R a p id P r o to ty p in g ) is
a n e w a n d o r ig in a l m e d iu m f o r e x p lo r a t io n :
I t o f f e r s s t u d e n t s t h e o p p o r t u n it y t o o p e r a t e
in a p o s tin d u s t r ia l, h ig h - t e c h d ig it a l w o r l d .”
B u t d o n ’ t m a k e t h e m is t a k e o f a s k in g L e c h -
t z in i f t h e c o m p u t e r is t h e n e w e s t t o o l in
h is p r o f e s s io n a l t o o l b o x ; h e b r is t le s a t t h is
a s s e s s m e n t a n d a s s e r t s : “ c a d - c a m / r p
a r c n o t j u s t t o o ls ; t h e y a r e m o r e th a n t o o ls .
T h e y c o m p r is e a
medium,
b e c a u s e t h e c o m -
p u t e r a n d t h e 3 -D p r in t e r p r o v id e t h e m a t e -
r ia ls
and
th e t o o ls t o m a n ip u la te m a t e r ia ls .”
T h e r e ’s a p la c e f o r h a n d t o o l s a s w e ll
in t h e c u r r ic u lu m a n d t h e s t u d io . T y l e r h a s
a r o o m f u l l y s t o c k e d w i t h t h e t r a d it io n a l
Shop photos courtesy of Stanley Lechtzin and Daniella Kerner.
