Meet the Maker: Sean Charlesworth

As our resident expert on 3D printing, it was a given that we'd approach Sean Charlesworth to be a Project Egress contributor. It was equally a given that Sean would not only make a part, he would make a FUNCTIONAL part.

Tested fans know Sean Charlesworth well. Beginning with the Inventern competition in 2013 (which he won), Sean has made regular and frequent appearances on Tested: everything from shop tips to 3D-printing instructions to Show and Tells. As our resident expert on 3D printing, it was a given that Sean would be one of the first people we approached as a contributor to Project Egress. It was equally a given that Sean would not only make a part, he would make a FUNCTIONAL part.

Read on for more about Sean and his thoughts about the project.

Bio: I am a designer, fabricator and fixer – often using 3D printing. For the last six years I have worked online with Adam Savage’s Tested doing builds, shop tips and equipment reviews. I have also done design work for Tippett Studio, Formlabs and Dremel. Prior to my current work I was the Repair Technician for the NYU Film & TV program for many years – rebuilding motion picture cameras and production equipment.

Artist Statement: “I was honored to be selected as a participant in Project Egress, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Replicating the hatch was particularly exciting for me — I had obsessed over it during a previous trip to the National Air and Space Museum and taken many photos of all the intricate engineering.

Since my ‘medium’ is often 3D printing and we were supplied with the necessary 3D files I knew that I needed to concentrate on the fit and finish to make my latch stand out. I made some modifications to the 3D files so all the parts would fit properly coming off a 3D printer. I chose to finish the latch with a ‘blueprint’ look in honor of both the NASA engineers who designed the parts but also Adam’s MythBusters days and his love of the design process.

While the finished parts were not required to work, how could I NOT make it work? Using lubrication in key spots and some real hardware, the latch actuated well. This was not my first foray into building space equipment as I had previously modeled a detailed replica of the Mercury capsule, escape tower assembly and portions of the Atlas rocket for the short film “T-Minus,” which used all practical effects. I hope to return to more space replicas – maybe I’ll have to do the whole hatch for myself!”

Follow Sean : Website | Youtube | Instagram | Twitter