TyRex Celebrates STEM Innovation with 3D Printed Trophies
For 30 years, community involvement has been an integral part of who we are at TyRex. We are active in getting to know our fellow Austin community members and are charitable in the ways we support many amazing groups that make a positive impact within the Austin community and beyond. In our experience we’ve learned the best way for us to make a difference is by sharing our knowledge, expertise and resources to lift others – namely the future generations of the manufacturing industry.
The Greater Austin Regional Science and Engineering Fair (GARSEF) has provided inspiration, guidance and support to build the robust science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) community we all enjoy in the Austin area. As one of Texas’ largest science fairs, GARSEF reaches schools from 14 counties in Central Texas, impacting 1,400 elementary students, 320 middle school students and 250 high school students. The GARSEF encourages and rewards innovative student research and provides scientists, engineers and other professionals a chance to volunteer in the community. With nearly 2,000 students chasing an introductory passion for STEM-related projects, there’s an impressive opportunity for businesses to show off the potential of having a career in the STEM field.
In years past, we’ve consistently been program sponsors, guest judges and presenters. This year, we got to add ‘Trophy Supplier‘ to our list of involvement. In the spirit of innovation, our additive manufacturing and 3D design teams produced nearly 80 3D printed trophies to award the contest winners during the 2024 GARSEF award ceremony. The trophies were fully designed and then printed using a dual-head filament 3D printer that produced trophies in gold, silver and bronze with respective numbering for award rank.
“We’ve learned one of the coolest ways to motivate and inspire future generations of manufacturers is to get involved and participate at their level. Handing aspiring STEM students a tangible item and showing them what’s possible with manufacturing is something I think they find extremely impactful.”
-Andrew Cooper, CEO and Partner, TyRex Group
Community events like the GARSEF are perfect opportunities for businesses to get involved and rethink their philanthropic activities. For our part, we have always viewed ourselves as permanent residents of Austin and bind ourselves to the creative uniqueness that makes up this community. This means we’ve made our great share of friends and partners, but it also means we must help solve shared community problems and work towards growing Austin’s bright future through giving back to the community the best way we know: manufacturing expertise.
