Technical/Model Shop Tours

We're pleased to bring you a variety of tours to local model shops of distinction, recognized educational institutions and beneficial attractions.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 
Special  Event - Pecha Kucha Boston at Mantra Restaurant in Boston

See the newest presentation phenomenon up-close by attending the fast-paced event where "creative people talk about creative things."  Pecha Kucha Night was devised in Tokyo in 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

To learn more: http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/boston/

Event takes place at Mantra, 52 Temple Pl, Boston (near Park St T) Doors open at 6 pm for drinks and chit chat. Talks start at 7 pm. The event is free and open to the public. Cash bar. Information for public transportation will be provided, but if there is sufficient interest, organized transport can be available for a fee.

Friday, March 26, 2010
Tour A - DEKA Research & Development Corporation and Manchester’s SEE Science Center

Inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen is perhaps best known for the electric-powered Segway personal transport vehicle. But Kamen and the team at DEKA Research & Development Corporation have also pioneered technologies as diverse as prosthetic limbs, clean electricity generation, and water purification. Take a tour through DEKA and visit some of the various labs and areas employed to use prototyping as an integral part of the design and engineering process. You will learn a little about DEKA’s history and its founder, Dean Kamen, and visit their Development lab, polyurethane casting lab, RP machine lab (Objet, SLS, FDM), and the multi-axis machine shop.  During the tour, you will learn about some of DEKA’s past products, getting a unique view of the extraordinary innovations that set DEKA apart as an R&D company. 

Enjoy lunch at Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant where you’ll feast on a sumptuous beef or chicken taco bar, soda and dessert. (Vegetarian option is available – please contact info@modelmakers.org to request.) 

Then we’ll head to the nearby SEE Science Center for a behind-the-scenes look at an interactive learning center. Established in 1986 to promote the enjoyment and achievements of science, technology, engineering and math, the SEE currently has more than 75 hands-on exhibits which focus on many different topics.  SEE is also the home of the LEGO® Millyard Project.  This project is the largest permanent LEGO® installation at mini-figure scale in the world as certified by the LEGO® Company.  It represents the historic millyard in Manchester, NH where the SEE Science Center is located.  During your visit, you will not only be able to explore these exhibits on your own, but will have a behind the scenes tour of the facility and how we create our exhibits.  Each of our hands-on exhibits is a model of a scientific phenomenon that is created so that the public can connect with science. You will also get a behind the scenes look at how the LEGO® Millyard Project was created. The tour will include ample opportunity for questions. 

This full day tour departs the Hyatt Regency Hotel by 9 am on Friday and returns to the hotel around 5 pm. $60. 

Friday, March 26, 2010
Tour B - Hasbro World Headquarters & Development Center and Rhode Island School of Design 

Model makers know that play is a serious thing! Recently, the venerable Rhode Island School of Design’s ID education department partnered with toy design innovator Hasbro to employ the multifaceted board game Cranium to develop a “critical making and thinking” course for RISD students. 

Get ready to explore Hasbro’s World Headquarters & Development Center where you’ll learn the history of one of the largest toy makers in the world. Take a tour of their toy model development department, showcasing their RP, traditional model making and hand painting departments. The tour will also include the development and prototype sampling of some of their animatronics products as well as a look at their RP facility and the technologies that support it. They will demonstrate their hand painting techniques and procedures for creating traditional action figures. We’ll tour their in-house Cake Mix Studios where TV commercials, sizzle videos and other media are produced. Finally, a look at the quality assurance processes that showcase their testing labs. Due to proprietary processes and projects, no photography will be allowed. Competitor restrictions will apply.* 

Then, off to a relaxing lunch at Hasbro’s onsite Café to enjoy a sumptuous sandwich buffet, complete with chips, drink and dessert. Your lunch is provided compliments of the Hasbro team! (Vegetarian option is available – please contact info@modelmakers.org to request.) 

Our second tour stop will be the Rhode Island School of Design. Founded in 1877, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is a vibrant community of artists and designers that includes 2,200 students from around the world and approximately 350 faculty and curators. RISD offers 16 undergraduate majors and three concentrations for a wealth of programs in art and design. We will visit the school’s Architecture, Furniture Design and Industrial Design departments to discover what the industry’s up-and-coming professionals are learning, through touring their facilities and speaking directly with faculty and students. 

This full day tour departs the Hyatt Regency Hotel by 9 am on Friday and returns to the hotel around 5 pm. $40.  This tour is partially sponsored by Hasbro! 

NOTE: If your company might be considered a competitor, please contact Samanthi Martinez at 315-750-0803 or email info@modelmakers.org to inquire before selecting this tour.

Friday, March 26, 2010
Tour C - Continuum and Bose Corporation 

What better way to remember our visit to Boston than to see two local powerhouses of design and innovation! 

This tour takes you first to Continuum, where “models are integral to the design development process and give us the critical feedback we need to make game-changing, innovative products.” The folks at Continuum have designed a space, philosophy and a collaborative environment in which their people thrive, have fun, and make a meaningful impact on their business. We’ll visit their ultra-versatile workspace, wander through their lavish library of materials, gizmos and gadgets, and see their beautiful collection of tools and all of the resources they believe to be indispensable to the art of model making. 

Then take a break for a savory feast from Blue Ribbon BBQ at Continuum’s nearby “gigantic, top secret” Experience Lab, complete with homemade desserts, sweet tea and lemonade. Your lunch is provided compliments of the Continuum team! (Vegetarian option is available – please contact info@modelmakers.org to request.) 

On to the model shop at Bose Corporation, where “decades of discovery and innovative thinking” go into each of their products! We’ll be welcomed by Mike Laude, director of industrial design, then view a short film on “True to Life Multi-Media demonstration.” Finally, we’ll tour the Bose Prototyping Facilities. We’ll conclude the day with a coffee reception hosted by Bose at their Corporate Center Cafeteria. 

This full day tour departs the Hyatt Regency Hotel by 9 am on Friday and returns to the hotel around 5 pm. $40.  This tour is partially sponsored by Continuum!

Monday, March 29, 2010
Tour D - Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Scale Model of City of Boston and MIT Museum 

Tour the Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Fabrication Lab, where their mission is “to teach the latest in modeling and fabrication technologies while also instilling a sense of craftsmanship.” The lab features the most current CNC and rapid prototyping equipment where craftsmanship is emphasized at every stage in the fabrication process, from digital modeling to hand finishing. Stephen Hickey, the lab’s CAD/CAM Coordinator will lead the tour of the physical facility, which includes a fully equipped woodworking shop, a machine shop, laser cutters, a 3D printing lab, robotic arms, a water jet cutter, and a CNC gantry mill router. “Being model-makers and craftsmen ourselves, we are very familiar with issues such as the technology and craftsmanship challenges faced by architectural students.” Find out what graduate students in architecture at one of the country’s most respected universities are learning in a theoretically-based architectural program.

Break for lunch at the place where "everybody knows your name", TV's famous Cheers Boston "The Replica Bar" at Faneuil Hall to enjoy a scrumptious lunch with your choice of the "Cheers Burger" and side of French Fries, or their Pasta Primavera, both come with a fountain soda but other beverages will be available for your own purchase.

Then we'll take a stroll across to the Boston City Hall to view the basswood Scale Model of the City of Boston’s Downtown Area, which was created in the 1980s and is still in use. For decades all proposals for new buildings within the Model’s range have required a model (at a 1" = 40' scale) that could be placed in the model room and be reviewed as part of the process for city planning approval. We will be guided by David Carlson, Senior Architect at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) as we walk around the gigantic model which is constantly updated to reflect significant changes in the skyline as well as at ground level. 

Our final stop is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Museum, where we’ll explore one of the hallmarks of innovation, with ongoing exhibits on robotics, holography, and Gestural Engineering: the Sculpture of Arthur Ganson. Ganson, whose work is often described as “Rube Goldberg meets Jean-Paul Sartre,” will be present for a Gallery Talk on the exhibit! We'll also see a special exhibition called Sampling MIT with seven distinct and broad topics that connect the present to the future. 

This full day tour departs the Hyatt Regency Hotel by 9 am on Friday and returns to the hotel around 5 pm. $30.  This tour is sponsored by Objet Geometries!

Contact us at info@modelmakers.org if you have questions about our Boston event!