Thinking Outside the Box

by Beverly Sorrells

When a small piece on the ballot printers at the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Office began breaking, the solution wasn’t ordering costly replacements.

Rather, the fix came in the form of Ethan Sigal, a sophomore at Lake Mary High School with a keen interest in 3D printing.

The piece in question is a small paper guide that keeps printer paper aligned in the tray. With constant ballot printing, the part can loosen, causing misaligned ballots, paper jams, and bottlenecks at voting booths. The piece can also fall out when printers are transported to and from election precincts.

In less than an hour, Ethan designed a 3D-printable replica of the troublesome piece, ultimately saving Seminole County taxpayers an estimated $17,000.

Ethan is enrolled in Lake Mary High School’s Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Academy, a program focused on technical design, robotics, and hands-on manufacturing. While the STEM-based program often centers on classroom projects, Ethan’s assignment carried real-world stakes: helping elections run smoothly.

Trial Without Error

At the suggestion of team member Rich Wagers, Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock reached out to local school officials for help. 

Amy contacted Dr. Mickey Reynolds, principal of Lake Mary High School, who tapped teacher Christopher Endress to take the lead.

“I was going to have my upper-level juniors and seniors work on the project,” says Christopher, the school’s technical design teacher. “But then I asked Ethan, ‘Want to take a stab at this?’” 

Ethan had recently started working with Autodesk Inventor, a 3D version of CAD (computer-aided design) software, and he made quick work of the task. Within an hour, he measured the broken piece and drafted a replacement model, which was then batch printed to test how it fit. Ethan was skeptical at first about whether his approach would work, but he shouldn’t have doubted himself.

“It fit perfectly,” he says. “I was really surprised.”

Added Christopher: “I was impressed. He got it in one shot.”

The practical impact of Ethan’s work was significant. Each ballot printer tray costs around $125, and Seminole County has roughly 150 printers. Since the manufacturer does not sell the paper guides individually, each tray must be replaced if the piece breaks. Ethan’s solution offered a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative.

Living in the Real World

The project also gave Ethan an inside peek into how the election process works.

“Hopefully he gets excited and wants to get involved in elections at some point,” says Amy. 

Ethan’s parents, Rachel Bland and Alex Sigal, are proud of their son and the work he did to solve the printer problem.

“Curiosity starts at home,” says Alex. “He had his first 3D printer when he was 10. This kind of project gives him a real-world view on all those things he did as a kid.”

For Ethan, the printer assignment dovetails nicely with his interests in aerospace engineering and architecture. With his certifications in multiple 3D design programs and a robust hands-on curriculum at Lake Mary High School, Ethan is already applying his skills in ways that could shape his future and help the community.

Ethan’s story is a reminder that curiosity, creativity, and a little technical know-how can lead to big results – and sometimes, even support democracy in unexpected ways.