Feel free to use the information below to convince your district that a 3D printer is a fantastic idea for your classroom!
3D printing also known as additive manufacturing has been around for 30 years. It was invented in 1984 by Charlie Hull. At the time he was working for a company designing coatings for table tops and had the idea. After working evenings and weekends in a lab the company set up for him, he had a break through. The method he created is known as Stereolithography. (Glass, 2014) It is referred to as additive manufacturing because the material is built up or grown from plastic filament or liquid as opposed to being machined from a solid block of material. (Ryan, 2015) There are basically two types of 3D printers, extrusion printing also known as fused deposition modeling (FDM) and what is referred to as stereolithography printers. (Form- labs) Stereolithography is a 3D printing process that works by photopolymerizatoin of liquid resins. (S.A. Skoog and R.J. Narayan, 2014) This process uses a laser to cure the liquid plastic instantly turning it into a solid state.
Printers have drastically declined in consumer price. Not only are they getting cheaper but more efficient and now not only printing plastic materials but metals like titanium, aluminum and sil- ver. (Khaou, 2014) 3D printers that used to cost $30,000 or more are now down to around the $1000 price range. (Cinch, 2014) The prices have been driven down by improved technology and the ability to create desk top 3D printers. This technology which was now out of reach for many people is finding its way into homes, Maker spaces, and classrooms across the world. Crowd funding has attributed to the start up of some 3D printing companies. Kickstarted has some of the “most funded” ideas being 3D printers. (Cinch, 2014)
3D printing is largely used for creating prototypes, about 30% of the demand goes to in- dustry for that purpose, has opened up manufacturing abilities in other industries to create more complex and unique parts and artifacts. (Cesak, 2014) 3D printing is used to create many con- sumer products like jewelry, toys, fashion clothes and electronics. Its also used in the automotive and aerospace industries. in 2013 GE started using 3D printers to create fuel nozzles for the next generation jet engine. They are designed in a way that can only be created using 3D printing. (Freedonia, 2014)
The world demand for 3D printed supplies, software and machines is expected to rise 21% per year from now until 2017. The United States will make up 42% of the global sales in that time period. (Freedonia, 2014) 3D printing is found in Libraries, Maker Spaces, Classrooms,
and homes all across the country. The reason that this technology is so critical to today’s educa- tion is because it gets students thinking about design, and their future. (Moorefield-Lang, 2014) It teaches the students problem solving and allows them to physically see something being creat- ed that they thought of and designed. There have been several speculations about the rate and amount that 3D printing will grow, only time will tell how true these predictions are. If I were to make a guess, judging by watching students look at and interact with a 3D printer, I would say its here to stay. Having a 3D printer simply in the classroom can entice students to pursue STEM careers. There are several ways that they are being used in the classroom today. One way, seems to be the obvious, students are finding models of uniquly created items on websites like Thingi- verse and TinkerCAD, or they are creating those models themselves with programs free to schools like Autodesk Inventor or Google Sketch-up. The other way students are getting a piece of the 3D printing action is by having tangible artifacts traditionally not used in the classroom before. They are able to print things like world war artifacts for history, manipulative for Math, and hands on parts to learn physics of different objects for Science. 3D printing is not only fun and exciting for students, they actually are able to learn better with it too. (Bowden, 2014)
3D printing can be a great solution for many types of classrooms at virtually all age lev- els. Students can be mesmerized by watching a 3D printer in a classroom. (Moorefield, 2014) I have witnessed this in my own classroom at times. The buzzing of the 3D printer has a way of drawing students to it to see what its creating. The act of creating something tangible is intrigu- ing to students. It really doesn’t matter what it is they are making anything from a paper airplane to a Robot that walks. Students like to create functional objects. (Thompson, 2014) An article reads quote “When kids and teachers are given an opportunity to make, to create,” Moran said, “all of a sudden you see people becoming passionate about who they are as learners.” (Thomp- son, 2014) 3D printing is emerging into classrooms across America. Even though it is a technol- ogy that is over two decades old 3D printing is still emerging in the Education sector. Teachers are actively using 3D printing technology in several content areas, not just Engineering. The ad- vantages to an Engineering classroom are obvious, students can design and create things without having a lot of money and time involved. They can build complex prototypes in a matter of hours instead of days or weeks. There are advantages in almost every type of classroom that can be found in a school system. Science classes can 3D print complex molecules to study, History classes can print models of artifacts for a hands on experience previously not possible in a histo-
ry class, Biology students can study cross sections of organs that they may not have been able to see before the introduction of 3D printing in their classroom. (Nicholls, 2015)
3D printing fits perfectly into an Engineering classroom. Students will go through all the steps that real life Engineers go through every day. Many classrooms use an Engineering design process. This process includes Defining a problem, generating concepts, which can be done by using a 3D modeling program. Then, students will develop their solution, this is there the Rapid prototyping machine comes in to play, then once the printer has created the model they are able to evaluate their solution using real life applications. (Murray, 2013) Because the printing process can take as little as a few hours students are able to get almost real time feedback on their designs. They are able to think of a solution, design it, and create a prototype in less than one school day.
It is clear that the act of making things is sparking a big interest in schools today. Sure the 3D printer is fun and exciting but the actually act of printing is the easy part. How do those 3D parts get on the printer anyway? Who creates what is made by the 3D printer?
Once the 3D printer is in the classroom, or even before in some cases, the teacher must then de- cide how the models will be created. For non Engineering classes there are great resources to simply download models that other people have created and print them. There are a few different websites good for this but one that stands out is thingiverse.com. The website is owned by Makerbot and has thousands of 3D print ready models for anyone to download for free. Depending on the age of the students choosing the most appropriate modeling program can be a challenge. (Murray, 2013) There are several programs out there to use. One program that can be used with lower school aged students is TinkerCAD. Its a free program with easy to use tutorials for creating simple models. Another program available to Teachers and students for free is AutoDesk Inventor. This is an Industry standard program used all over the world. The program is largely implemented in PLTW course which teach students Engineering and design principals. Any program with a .STL exporting option is a valid solution to creating the models students will 3D print. Google Sketch-up, is another free program that can be downloaded by anyone and used to create 3D printable models with the .STL plugin option. Using 3D printing in Design and Engineering classes gives students a tangible item to hold in their hand, it teaches them about clearance, fit, and mechanical func- tion. These are sometimes hard to learn but just looking at a model on the computer screen. (Murray, 2013)
Downloading models is one option. 3D printing is a great technology to get real tangible models of projects in students hands. One issue is the time it takes to actually create those mod- els on a 3D modeling program. If its an Engineering based class then thats sort of the point, but
in a lot of classes the implementation of the technology and actually getting things in the hands of students they normally wouldn't have. Take history for example. Students are about to fall asleep listening to the instructor go on about Thomas Jefferson. Start out that same lesson with the students one week earlier watching a 3D print a statue of Thomas Jefferson like the one in the photo to the right and you bring a higher level of
interaction to the classroom. You bring hype,
students are intrigued first by the buzzing of the
3D printer but then see its the statue of a person
and begin to ask questions. Downloading files
off of websites is a great place to start shouldn’t
be where the road ends. (Thornburg, 2014)
What if students started out their discussion of the great Benjamin Franklin with a downloaded 3D model of him. Then, as they learned about all is accomplishments they were able to give pre- sentations on artifacts that he created. But instead of presenting a 2D printed piece of paper or showing a power point with photos of Bifocals, they passed around a 3D printed model of bifo- cals that they not only 3D printed but used a free, easy to use 3D modeling program to create themselves. That would be a presentation they wouldn’t soon forget. Also, students in the class- room may remember the artifacts better because not only did they hear about them, they got to hold a replica model of a pair he may have designed. It doesn’t end with History class. 3D print- ing can be implemented into math classes and match Common Core State Standards by using them to complete topics such as: reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, look for and express regularity in repeat- ed reasoning. (Thornburg, 2014)
Creating projects that are tangible are not only beneficial because it literally brings the lesson to life, the objects designed by the students can also be taken home. (Thornburg, 2014) 3D printing objects are pretty inexpensive. The upfront costs are the most significant but now you can get reasonably priced 3D printers and computers. (Thompson, 2014)
Maybe 3D printing by design is not as feasible of an option. Maybe the classroom has no time to learn software and draw the shapes themselves. Could also be a case where the 3D model is too complex to create in a timely fashion with a computer. For example, broken or irreplace-
able objects. Family heirlooms, tools, and manipulative that cannot be purchased anymore. These obsolete or irreplaceable objects can be scanned in a matter of minutes and 3D printed. There are a couple options for 3D scanners, but all basically work the same way. They use a camera to read the reflection of a laster beam off of the object to create complex equations that are turned into reference points for the object. (Hoffman, 2015)
3D printing is not always all fun and games and enhanced learning. Sure, in a traditional Industrial Technology class its not the most dangerous piece of equipment, but move the printer into a classroom of 2nd or 3rd graders and it can be dangerous if the right precautions are not taken. The heat nozzle on most printers is exposed and can heat up to about 260 Degrees Celsius. (Thornburg, 2014) That is a danger while the printer is running, after its finished the
printed model must still be removed from the printer. Doing this can cause injury, once its re- moved from the print bed most printers will print structure to help support the model while its cooling. This structure needs to be removed by hand. The plastic can be sharp when removed and injury students if proper care is not taken. One of the biggest downfalls to 3D printing in a class- room is the simple fact of cost. 3D printers are expensive. (Thornburg, 2014) Getting a printer into the classroom can sometimes be the more challenging part. Funding can be an issue depend- ing on the district and what content area the class is for. Some classrooms have found success using www.donorschoose.org. The website allows classrooms to put their needs on the website for free, then donors are able to go online and contribute to the projects that classrooms may have. Makerbot encourages the use of this website and has had many 3D printers purchased with this method. (Moorefield-Lang, 2014) Teachers may also obtain 3D printers through methods like STEM grants. (Murray, 2013)
In my opinion designing can be implemented into any classroom on a number of different lessons. Start with the project, and chose the method that best fits it. (Thornburg, 2014) I believe that by implementing 3D printing into classrooms with contents like History, Math, and Art can make the lessons come a live and allow students to physically get involved with their learning. Taking History lessons and allowing students to spin their own creativity into it can create lessons and classroom environments that will not soon be forgotten. In my own classroom each time I have the 3D printer running it has a way of attracting students to it.
References:
Moorefield-Lang, Heather. Knowledge Quest; Sep/Oct2014, Vol. 43 Issue 1, p70-72, 3p, 2
Printing in Your Libraries and Classrooms. September 1, 2014.
Thompson, Greg. Education Digest. The Maker Movement Connects to the Classroom.
Nov2014, Vol. 80 Issue 3, p34-37. 4p.
Thornburg, David. 2014 Teacher Librarian. Moving Education from Nouns to Verbs. Dec2014, Vol. 42 Issue 2, p38-41. 4p.
Hoffman, Tony 2015. PC Magazine. A Simple Way to Scan Objects for 3D Printing. Mar2015, p74-78. 5p.
Photo source: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:208579
Murray, Steve. 2013.Tech Directions. Turning Students into Engineers with 3D Printing. Aug2013, Vol. 73 Issue 1, p12-14.
Nicholls, Dale. 2015 Why have 3D printers in the Classroom. www.3dprintingsystems.com http://3dprintingsystems.com/why-have-3d-printers-in-the-classroom/
Cesak, Paul American Printer. What is 3D Printing? And More Importantly, How can We Make Money With It? Summer 2014, Vol. 131 Issue 2, p22-23. 2p.
Glass, Nick. Ponsford, Mathew. The Night I Invented 3D printing. CNN. February 14, 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/13/tech/innovation/the-night-i-invented-3d-printing-chuck-hall/
Freedonia. Ceramic Industry. Additive Manufacturing on the Rise. May2014, Vol. 164 Issue 5, p13-14. 2p
Khaou, Samson. Manufacturer’s Monthly. CAD, 3D printing and dreams of the future. Sep2014, p16-17. 2p.
Bowden, Nicholas Martin L., Roboter, and Merrill, Chris 2014.
Technology & Engineering Teacher. 3D Printing. May/Jun2014, Vol. 73 Issue 8,
p30-35, 6p
3D printing also known as additive manufacturing has been around for 30 years. It was invented in 1984 by Charlie Hull. At the time he was working for a company designing coatings for table tops and had the idea. After working evenings and weekends in a lab the company set up for him, he had a break through. The method he created is known as Stereolithography. (Glass, 2014) It is referred to as additive manufacturing because the material is built up or grown from plastic filament or liquid as opposed to being machined from a solid block of material. (Ryan, 2015) There are basically two types of 3D printers, extrusion printing also known as fused deposition modeling (FDM) and what is referred to as stereolithography printers. (Form- labs) Stereolithography is a 3D printing process that works by photopolymerizatoin of liquid resins. (S.A. Skoog and R.J. Narayan, 2014) This process uses a laser to cure the liquid plastic instantly turning it into a solid state.
Printers have drastically declined in consumer price. Not only are they getting cheaper but more efficient and now not only printing plastic materials but metals like titanium, aluminum and sil- ver. (Khaou, 2014) 3D printers that used to cost $30,000 or more are now down to around the $1000 price range. (Cinch, 2014) The prices have been driven down by improved technology and the ability to create desk top 3D printers. This technology which was now out of reach for many people is finding its way into homes, Maker spaces, and classrooms across the world. Crowd funding has attributed to the start up of some 3D printing companies. Kickstarted has some of the “most funded” ideas being 3D printers. (Cinch, 2014)
3D printing is largely used for creating prototypes, about 30% of the demand goes to in- dustry for that purpose, has opened up manufacturing abilities in other industries to create more complex and unique parts and artifacts. (Cesak, 2014) 3D printing is used to create many con- sumer products like jewelry, toys, fashion clothes and electronics. Its also used in the automotive and aerospace industries. in 2013 GE started using 3D printers to create fuel nozzles for the next generation jet engine. They are designed in a way that can only be created using 3D printing. (Freedonia, 2014)
The world demand for 3D printed supplies, software and machines is expected to rise 21% per year from now until 2017. The United States will make up 42% of the global sales in that time period. (Freedonia, 2014) 3D printing is found in Libraries, Maker Spaces, Classrooms,
and homes all across the country. The reason that this technology is so critical to today’s educa- tion is because it gets students thinking about design, and their future. (Moorefield-Lang, 2014) It teaches the students problem solving and allows them to physically see something being creat- ed that they thought of and designed. There have been several speculations about the rate and amount that 3D printing will grow, only time will tell how true these predictions are. If I were to make a guess, judging by watching students look at and interact with a 3D printer, I would say its here to stay. Having a 3D printer simply in the classroom can entice students to pursue STEM careers. There are several ways that they are being used in the classroom today. One way, seems to be the obvious, students are finding models of uniquly created items on websites like Thingi- verse and TinkerCAD, or they are creating those models themselves with programs free to schools like Autodesk Inventor or Google Sketch-up. The other way students are getting a piece of the 3D printing action is by having tangible artifacts traditionally not used in the classroom before. They are able to print things like world war artifacts for history, manipulative for Math, and hands on parts to learn physics of different objects for Science. 3D printing is not only fun and exciting for students, they actually are able to learn better with it too. (Bowden, 2014)
3D printing can be a great solution for many types of classrooms at virtually all age lev- els. Students can be mesmerized by watching a 3D printer in a classroom. (Moorefield, 2014) I have witnessed this in my own classroom at times. The buzzing of the 3D printer has a way of drawing students to it to see what its creating. The act of creating something tangible is intrigu- ing to students. It really doesn’t matter what it is they are making anything from a paper airplane to a Robot that walks. Students like to create functional objects. (Thompson, 2014) An article reads quote “When kids and teachers are given an opportunity to make, to create,” Moran said, “all of a sudden you see people becoming passionate about who they are as learners.” (Thomp- son, 2014) 3D printing is emerging into classrooms across America. Even though it is a technol- ogy that is over two decades old 3D printing is still emerging in the Education sector. Teachers are actively using 3D printing technology in several content areas, not just Engineering. The ad- vantages to an Engineering classroom are obvious, students can design and create things without having a lot of money and time involved. They can build complex prototypes in a matter of hours instead of days or weeks. There are advantages in almost every type of classroom that can be found in a school system. Science classes can 3D print complex molecules to study, History classes can print models of artifacts for a hands on experience previously not possible in a histo-
ry class, Biology students can study cross sections of organs that they may not have been able to see before the introduction of 3D printing in their classroom. (Nicholls, 2015)
3D printing fits perfectly into an Engineering classroom. Students will go through all the steps that real life Engineers go through every day. Many classrooms use an Engineering design process. This process includes Defining a problem, generating concepts, which can be done by using a 3D modeling program. Then, students will develop their solution, this is there the Rapid prototyping machine comes in to play, then once the printer has created the model they are able to evaluate their solution using real life applications. (Murray, 2013) Because the printing process can take as little as a few hours students are able to get almost real time feedback on their designs. They are able to think of a solution, design it, and create a prototype in less than one school day.
It is clear that the act of making things is sparking a big interest in schools today. Sure the 3D printer is fun and exciting but the actually act of printing is the easy part. How do those 3D parts get on the printer anyway? Who creates what is made by the 3D printer?
Once the 3D printer is in the classroom, or even before in some cases, the teacher must then de- cide how the models will be created. For non Engineering classes there are great resources to simply download models that other people have created and print them. There are a few different websites good for this but one that stands out is thingiverse.com. The website is owned by Makerbot and has thousands of 3D print ready models for anyone to download for free. Depending on the age of the students choosing the most appropriate modeling program can be a challenge. (Murray, 2013) There are several programs out there to use. One program that can be used with lower school aged students is TinkerCAD. Its a free program with easy to use tutorials for creating simple models. Another program available to Teachers and students for free is AutoDesk Inventor. This is an Industry standard program used all over the world. The program is largely implemented in PLTW course which teach students Engineering and design principals. Any program with a .STL exporting option is a valid solution to creating the models students will 3D print. Google Sketch-up, is another free program that can be downloaded by anyone and used to create 3D printable models with the .STL plugin option. Using 3D printing in Design and Engineering classes gives students a tangible item to hold in their hand, it teaches them about clearance, fit, and mechanical func- tion. These are sometimes hard to learn but just looking at a model on the computer screen. (Murray, 2013)
Downloading models is one option. 3D printing is a great technology to get real tangible models of projects in students hands. One issue is the time it takes to actually create those mod- els on a 3D modeling program. If its an Engineering based class then thats sort of the point, but
in a lot of classes the implementation of the technology and actually getting things in the hands of students they normally wouldn't have. Take history for example. Students are about to fall asleep listening to the instructor go on about Thomas Jefferson. Start out that same lesson with the students one week earlier watching a 3D print a statue of Thomas Jefferson like the one in the photo to the right and you bring a higher level of
interaction to the classroom. You bring hype,
students are intrigued first by the buzzing of the
3D printer but then see its the statue of a person
and begin to ask questions. Downloading files
off of websites is a great place to start shouldn’t
be where the road ends. (Thornburg, 2014)
What if students started out their discussion of the great Benjamin Franklin with a downloaded 3D model of him. Then, as they learned about all is accomplishments they were able to give pre- sentations on artifacts that he created. But instead of presenting a 2D printed piece of paper or showing a power point with photos of Bifocals, they passed around a 3D printed model of bifo- cals that they not only 3D printed but used a free, easy to use 3D modeling program to create themselves. That would be a presentation they wouldn’t soon forget. Also, students in the class- room may remember the artifacts better because not only did they hear about them, they got to hold a replica model of a pair he may have designed. It doesn’t end with History class. 3D print- ing can be implemented into math classes and match Common Core State Standards by using them to complete topics such as: reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, look for and express regularity in repeat- ed reasoning. (Thornburg, 2014)
Creating projects that are tangible are not only beneficial because it literally brings the lesson to life, the objects designed by the students can also be taken home. (Thornburg, 2014) 3D printing objects are pretty inexpensive. The upfront costs are the most significant but now you can get reasonably priced 3D printers and computers. (Thompson, 2014)
Maybe 3D printing by design is not as feasible of an option. Maybe the classroom has no time to learn software and draw the shapes themselves. Could also be a case where the 3D model is too complex to create in a timely fashion with a computer. For example, broken or irreplace-
able objects. Family heirlooms, tools, and manipulative that cannot be purchased anymore. These obsolete or irreplaceable objects can be scanned in a matter of minutes and 3D printed. There are a couple options for 3D scanners, but all basically work the same way. They use a camera to read the reflection of a laster beam off of the object to create complex equations that are turned into reference points for the object. (Hoffman, 2015)
3D printing is not always all fun and games and enhanced learning. Sure, in a traditional Industrial Technology class its not the most dangerous piece of equipment, but move the printer into a classroom of 2nd or 3rd graders and it can be dangerous if the right precautions are not taken. The heat nozzle on most printers is exposed and can heat up to about 260 Degrees Celsius. (Thornburg, 2014) That is a danger while the printer is running, after its finished the
printed model must still be removed from the printer. Doing this can cause injury, once its re- moved from the print bed most printers will print structure to help support the model while its cooling. This structure needs to be removed by hand. The plastic can be sharp when removed and injury students if proper care is not taken. One of the biggest downfalls to 3D printing in a class- room is the simple fact of cost. 3D printers are expensive. (Thornburg, 2014) Getting a printer into the classroom can sometimes be the more challenging part. Funding can be an issue depend- ing on the district and what content area the class is for. Some classrooms have found success using www.donorschoose.org. The website allows classrooms to put their needs on the website for free, then donors are able to go online and contribute to the projects that classrooms may have. Makerbot encourages the use of this website and has had many 3D printers purchased with this method. (Moorefield-Lang, 2014) Teachers may also obtain 3D printers through methods like STEM grants. (Murray, 2013)
In my opinion designing can be implemented into any classroom on a number of different lessons. Start with the project, and chose the method that best fits it. (Thornburg, 2014) I believe that by implementing 3D printing into classrooms with contents like History, Math, and Art can make the lessons come a live and allow students to physically get involved with their learning. Taking History lessons and allowing students to spin their own creativity into it can create lessons and classroom environments that will not soon be forgotten. In my own classroom each time I have the 3D printer running it has a way of attracting students to it.
References:
Moorefield-Lang, Heather. Knowledge Quest; Sep/Oct2014, Vol. 43 Issue 1, p70-72, 3p, 2
Printing in Your Libraries and Classrooms. September 1, 2014.
Thompson, Greg. Education Digest. The Maker Movement Connects to the Classroom.
Nov2014, Vol. 80 Issue 3, p34-37. 4p.
Thornburg, David. 2014 Teacher Librarian. Moving Education from Nouns to Verbs. Dec2014, Vol. 42 Issue 2, p38-41. 4p.
Hoffman, Tony 2015. PC Magazine. A Simple Way to Scan Objects for 3D Printing. Mar2015, p74-78. 5p.
Photo source: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:208579
Murray, Steve. 2013.Tech Directions. Turning Students into Engineers with 3D Printing. Aug2013, Vol. 73 Issue 1, p12-14.
Nicholls, Dale. 2015 Why have 3D printers in the Classroom. www.3dprintingsystems.com http://3dprintingsystems.com/why-have-3d-printers-in-the-classroom/
Cesak, Paul American Printer. What is 3D Printing? And More Importantly, How can We Make Money With It? Summer 2014, Vol. 131 Issue 2, p22-23. 2p.
Glass, Nick. Ponsford, Mathew. The Night I Invented 3D printing. CNN. February 14, 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/13/tech/innovation/the-night-i-invented-3d-printing-chuck-hall/
Freedonia. Ceramic Industry. Additive Manufacturing on the Rise. May2014, Vol. 164 Issue 5, p13-14. 2p
Khaou, Samson. Manufacturer’s Monthly. CAD, 3D printing and dreams of the future. Sep2014, p16-17. 2p.
Bowden, Nicholas Martin L., Roboter, and Merrill, Chris 2014.
Technology & Engineering Teacher. 3D Printing. May/Jun2014, Vol. 73 Issue 8,
p30-35, 6p