TechnologyinEducation

FinalPaper3DPrintinginEducation
JeremyCooper
December1,2013

3DPrintershavebecomeaviableandvaluableresourcethateveryclassroom
shouldhaveaccesstoandwillrevolutionizethewayinwhichteachersreachalloftheir
students.3Dprintersareatechnologicaldevicethatusesprintablematerial,suchas
plastic,tocreateobjectsbydepositinglayersofthatmaterialinsuccession.Ifyouhave
neverseenonebefore,thinkofitliketakingatubeoffrostingforacakeandmovingthe
tubebackandforthwhiledepositingthefrosting.Naturallythefrostinglayersbuild
uponeachotherandyouendupwithsomekindofadesign.Atitscore,thisisthe
primaryideabehindhow3Dprintersfunction.Mostnewer3Dprintersusethis
extrusionprocessinordertocreateobjects,andthisnewtechnologyisthereasonthat
priceshavebeguntocomedownsignificantly.Thisresearchpaperisgoingtofocuson
thequestionofhow3Dprinterswillrevolutionizeallclassrooms,andhowthe3D
printerscanbefunded,obtained,andusedinseveraldifferentwayswithinthe
classroom.Iwillreferenceseveraldifferentpeerreviewedresourcesthroughoutthe
paperandalsolinkeverythingattheend.
Thefirstdistinctionthatmustbemadeisthat3Dprintingtechnologyhasbeen
aroundinsomefashionforseveraldecades.Thebigmovementnowwithinthe3D
printingindustryisthatitisbecomingeasierfortheaverageusertounderstandandthe
costof3Dprintershassignificantlydeclined.Theaverage3Dprinter,evenfiveyears
agowasaround$12,000.Nowitspossibletopurchasea3Dprinterforasingleuseror

classroomforaround$1,200.Therehavealsobeenseveralmovementswithinthe3D
printingcommunitytocreatesoftwareandprinterdesignsthatarefreetothepublic,an
examplebeingtheRepRapmovement.InDesignandProduction3DPrintingfollows
ShaneWilliams,amemberoftheRemapcommunity(Spurling,2013).Remapisan
organizationandcharitythatfocusesonprovidingindependencetopeoplethathave
physicaldisabilities.WilliamsusesfreeprogramssuchasBlenderandotherfreeCAD
softwarestodesignpartsandproductsusinga3DPrinter.3DPrintingtechnologyhas
loweredfrombeingseveralthousandsofdollarstodo,tojustoverathousanddollars
foracapableprinter.Thecostisstillsomewhathigh,butthecapabilitiesandbenefitsof
a3Dprintermayoutweightheoverallcost.Thebigdifferenceinthe3Dprintersthat
Williamsuses,isthattheprimaryprintingmaterialisvinylasopposetoPLAorMLA
plastic.Williamsusesthe3Dprintertocreatepartsandinnovationsonexisting
products,suchashiswheelchair,togiveiteitheraddedimprovementsoragreater
lifespan.
Asdescribedearlier,3Dprintershavebeenusedinindustryforthelastseveral
decades,howevertherehavebeenlargeinnovationsthathaveimprovedtheabilityfor
teacherstogetthemintheirclassrooms.However,thereisstillsomesignificant
instruction,maintenance,andplanningthatmustbeconsideredwhenputtinga3D
printerintoyourtechnologylineup.Therearesoftwareandhardwareskillsthatyour
studentswillneedtounderstandpriortosettingthemlooseonany3Dprintingmachine.
Makeittofakeit,byKrisSanganiisanarticlethatdetailstheissuesandhurdles
involvedwith3DPrintingandimplementingprogramsinschools(Sangani,2013).First

ofall,inordertoeffectivelyuse3DPrinters,theusermusthaveagoodunderstanding
ofCADsystemsandhowtoeditandmanipulate3Dobjectsusingsoftware.CAD
softwareiseasilyavailable,howevernoteveryoneisgoingtoinherentlyunderstand
howtouseit.3DPrintersdopresentissuesinregardstohowtheprocessworksand
thematerialsinvolvedaswell.Manydifferentusersof3DPrintershaveexperienced
variousissues,suchastheprintersnotworkingeverysingletime,havingtospendlarge
amountsoftimefixingtheirprinters,andbeinglimitedonthetypesofmaterialsthatthey
canusetocreate.Manyusershavealsodescribedmanyissueswiththeproduct
supportaftertheyhavepurchasedtheirprinters,asmanycompaniesarenotdoing
everythingtheycantohelptheiruserbase.Theaverageuserisalsonotgoingtoknow
which3Dprinterisnecessarilythecorrectoneforthemandalsohowtosafeguard
againstfutureproofing.Aswithanystateofthearttechnology,atwhatpointisthe
productgoingtobecomeobsolete.Doesitmakessensefortheaveragepersonto
becomeinvolvedwith3Dprintingnow,orshouldtheywaituntiltheproductsbecome
moremainstreamandtheissuesareworkedout?Anotherlargeissueisintheideaof
beingabletocreateproductsforfree.Intheworldof3DPrintingand3Dscanning,
thereisgoingtobealargeamountofproductreplicationandbreakingofpatentlaws,
muchlikethedownloadingofmusicintheearly2000s.
Teachers,administrators,andparentsneedtounderstandtheneedfor3D
printerswithintheirstudentsclassrooms.Moreandmore,theresearchispointingto
thefactthatmanufacturingasanindustryisgoingtogothroughalargechange.
Historically,thegoalofallmanufacturingwastocreatelargebatchquantitiesofitemsat

verylowcosts.Theshiftappearstobethatpeoplearegoingtostartgoingawayfrom
massproducedproductsinlieuofsmallbatch,highlycustomizedobjects.3DPrinting
ThenextIndustrialRevolutionbyBarryBermandescribestheprosandconsof3D
Printinginrelationtoothermanufacturingmethods,aswellas,howitwillbegintomake
theaveragepersontheirownmanufacturer.Traditionalmanufacturingmethodshave
beenexpensive,overcomplicatedfortheaverageuser,andcompletedinthirdworld
countries(Berman,2012).3DPrintinghastheadvantageinthatitallowstheuserto
makesmallbatchesofproductseasilyorcreateprototypeswithouthavingtoorderlarge
quantities.Massmanufacturingisanindustrywhereifyouarenotproducingmillionsof
aproduct,youarenotmakingmoney.3DPrintingtakesouttheunnecessarycosts
associationwithsmallbatchmanufacturingandputsthecontrolintothehandsofthe
user.Itisnoweasyfortheaveragepersontobecometheirownmanufacturerof
certaintypesofproducts,madefromvariousmaterials.

Thewholeideabehindintroducing3Dprinterstotheclassroom,issothatteachers

canreachtheirstudentsinnewandrefreshingways.Believeitornot,humansdonotall
learnintheexactsamewaysandthewayinwhichmanytraditionalclassroomsarecurrently
setup,certaintypesoflearningstylesareverydrasticallyunderutilized.3DPrintingoffersand
avenueinwhichteacherscanbeginreachingstudentsvisual,spatial,andcreativetalentsin
ordertodrawthemintoaparticularunitofinstruction.Thegreatthingabout3Dprinting,is
thatifyoucandesignitusingcomputersoftware,youcanalmostalwayscreateit.This
allowsteacherstodesigntheirunitsinnewwaysinwhichtheycanthinkoutsidethebox.

DesignintheAgeof3DPrintingbyHodLipsonisanarticlethatreallyemphasizesthe
ideaofthinkingoutsideofthebox.Intheworldof3Dprinting,youcanbasicallycreate

anythingthatyoucanimagine,aslongasitcanbecreatedorscannedintoa3DCAD
software.CADsystemshavefundamentallyandphilosophicallyremainedthesame,
howevertheuserinterfaceshavebecomemorefriendlyandvideotutorialshave
replacedgiantmanualsofinformation(Lipson,2012).Itiseasierthanevertohave
studentsgainaccesstothesameCADsoftwarethatisusedinindustry,ifnoteasier.
StudentscangainfreeaccesstovariousCADsoftwareandlearnwithoutanymonetary
restrictions.Thisallowsforclassroomstobringincomplexityofdesignwithoutthe
complexityofhowtheyaregoingtoaffordeverything.3Dprintersarenowcheap
enoughthattheaverageclassroomcouldeasilyobtainonewithafewfundraisersor
grantopportunitiesintheirdistrict.3DPrintersarealsoaccurateenoughatthe
consumerleveltoreplicatethecomplexmodelsthat3DCADsoftwareisabletocreate.
Studentsareabletogothroughtheentiredesignprocess.
ToprinttheimpossibleisanarticlethatfocusesoncompaniessuchasBoeing
andGeneralElectricastheyuse3DPrintingtechnologytodevelopbothprototypesand
actualworkingproducts.Thesecompanieshaveaninherentinterestthatstudentshave
experienceworkingwith3Dprinterspriortoworkingfortheircompany.Ifschoolscan
startteachingstudentshowtouse3DPrintersmoreeffectivelyearlyon,theywillnot
havetospendasmuchtimeeducatingtheirworkforceonhowtoproperlyusethe
equipment.BoeingandGeneralElectricarealsonotedinthearticleasseeingthe
limitationsonthecurrentmethodsof3Dprinting.Thisissimilartootherarticlesthat
Ivebeenreadingandhowclassroomshaveexperiencedmanyofthesamehurdles
withregardsto3Dprintingtechnology(Greenemeier,2013).

Aslongastheteacheriscompetentinthebasicsof3Dprinting,thereisno
reasonthatthetechnologyshouldonlybeusedinsecondaryandpostsecondary
learningenvironments.3Disgoingtobemosteffectivewhenyounglearnersarestill
youngandverytactileinhowtheylearn.Also,researchshowsthattheyoungeryou
canintroducestudentstocontentanddifferentsubjectareas,themorelikelytheyareto
pursuethoseinterestslateroninlife.Elementarylevellearnershavesomuchtogain
from3Dprintingwithintheclassroomintermsoftheirabilitytoproblemsolve,create,
andthinkoutsidethebox.3DPrintingforChildren:Whattobuildnext?byMichael
Eisenburgisanarticleabouthow3Dprintingtechnologyhasbecomemoreaffordable,
easiertoaccess,andmoreeasilyunderstoodbychildren(Michael,2012).3DPrinting
hasbeenamajorinterestareaforquitesometime,withexamplesofconsumermodels
datingbacktothe1970s,howeveritisonlyrecentlythat3Dprintinghasgarneredsuch
interestbystudents,teachers,andthemedia.Alotofthisinterestcomesfromthefact
that3DPrintersarenowcheaperandthereareseveralcompanieswhoaremaking
themforconsumers.Thequestionnowis,atwhatageshouldstudentsbeexposedto
theideaof3Dprintingtocreateandwhatshouldthestudentsmake?3DPrintinghas
somanydifferentapplicationsandwaysinwhichitcanhelpstudentslinkcomplexideas
andtopicstoareallifetangiblethingorobject.Itsagreatwaytohelpstudentsmakea
connectionbetweensomethingthatisnormallyintangibleandcreateanobjectthatwill
scaffoldthatinformationinthestudentsmind.3DPrintingisalsoagreatwayfor
childrenandadultstoexpresstheirideasandactuallyturnthemintorealobjects.
Therearemanywaysinwhichteacherscaneitherrequisitionfundingorfind

localcompaniesthatwouldbewillingtohelpfunda3Dprinterfortheclassroom.One
ofthelargestdeterrentsinthepastfor3Dprinterswasthecosttopurchaseone.Now
that3Dprintersarearound$1,200forabasicclassroomsetup,itismorethanpossible
formostclassroomstolocatefundingwithintheirbuildingordistrict.Manylocal
industriesarealsogoingtorequirethatgraduatingstudentsunderstandhowtouse3D
printersfortheircompaniesandmanywouldbemorethanwillingtohelppitchinfunds
inordertoget3Dprintersintomoreclassrooms.Fundingfor3DPrintManufacturing
Programisashortarticleabouthowyoucanpartnerwithlocalandlargescale
businessesthathaveaninterestinstudentslearningaboutadditivemanufacturing
methods.IntheexampleoftheUniversityofDaytonResearchInstitute,theypartnered
withlargescalecompaniesthatuse3DPrintersintheirmanufacturingmethods,oralso
usethemtocreateprototypesofproducts(Funding,2012).Thesecompanieshavean
inherentinterestthatstudentshaveexperienceworkingwith3Dprinterspriortoworking
fortheircompany.Theywillnothavetospendasmuchtimeeducatingtheirworkforce
onhowtoproperlyusetheequipment.Thisadviceonfundingfor3DPrinterprograms
willbeessentialinorderforallschoolstobeabletohaveaccesstothistechnology.It
alsomakesitmoremeaningfulforthestudents,astheycanseethedirecttieto
industry.
IsPrintingDead?Notin3DwhichwasanarticleproducedbyMechanical
Engineeringtalksabouthowthemarketfor3Dprintershasspikedoverthelastseveral
years.Betweentheyear2010and2012,thenumberofpersonal3Dprinterssoldhas
gonefromabout6,000to25,000.3Dprintersareshowingthattheyarenextbigfrontier

whenitcomestoprintertechnologyandtheprintersalesmarket.People,bothchildren
andadults,nowunderstand3Dprintingtechnologybetterthaneverandthetechnology
isevolvinginsuchawaythateveryoneisgoingtowantaccess.3DPrintersaregoing
tousedifferenttypesofmaterialsandthetechnologywillevolvepastjustbeingableto
createthingsoutofplastic.Thecostofprintershasalsocomedownenoughthat
schoolsanduniversitiescanaffordmultiple3Dprinters,notjustone(Mechanical
Engineering,2012).
Earlierinmyresearch,Italkedabouttheimportanceingettingparents,
administrators,andteacherstounderstandhowmanufacturingisgoingtochangeand
thatourstudentsaregoingtoneedtobeprepared.Anotherreasontoalsotalkabout
3Dprintersisthechangeinwhichthehealthofpeopleisgoingtoprocuredand
prescribed.Anewandemergingindustrywithinthe3DPrintingworld,istheabilityto
usethetechnologyinthemedicalfield.Thisarticleprimarilyrevolvesaroundtheidea
ofusinga3Dprinter,withbiomaterialtorecreateadentalplastercast(Kasparova,
2012).Thisisaveryrevolutionaryidea,whereapersonordoctorcouldprintabio
engineeredproductusinga3Dprinterthatcouldbeasuitablereplacementfora
missinglimborcorrectabirthdefectthatwouldhaveotherwiserequiredextensive
surgeryorbeenlostaltogether.As3Dprintertechnologycontinuestoevolve,the
medicalindustryisgoingtobeaprimarybenefactorastheabilitytodoctorstorecreate
newbodypartsthroughthetechnologywillberevolutionary.
ThearticleHowisInternetofthe3DPrintedProductsGoingtoAffectOur
Lives?isabouthowvarioustechnologiesandculturalphenomenonsrevolvingaround

theinternethavechangedourlives.Varioussocialnetworkingtoolsthatutilizetheway
inwhichpeoplecommunicateviatheinternet.Themusicandmovieindustrieshave
completelyshiftedtheirbusinessmodelstoincludesalesovertheinternet,whichis
growingeachyear.3Dprintingisalreadyshowingthattheavailabilitytoprintmodels
using3DCADsoftwareisgoingtobesimilartowhatthemusicindustryexperiencedin
theearly2000s(Kaur,2012).Peoplearealreadyabletoeasilyproduceandshare
modelsusingvariousCADexchangewebsites.Asthetechnologybecomesmore
readilyavailableandeasytouse,itseemsthattheremaybeissuesofproductpatent
infringementandcopyofreallifeproductsviatheinternet.Itraisesalotofgoodissues
onwhetherornotthisissomethingthatisgoingtobeaddressedintheproduct
evolutionof3DPrintersandthewayinwhichpeoplearetrainedtousethem.
3Dprintingisamethodinwhichlayersofmaterialaredepositedinsuccessionto
createanobjectorproduct.Thisresearchpaperhasdescribedthehistorybehind3D
printinginindustry,howmanufacturingasawholeischangingtobemoreindividualized
andpersonalthroughtheuseof3Dprinters,howandwhyteachersshouldbegin
seekingaccessto3Dprintersfortheirclassroom,andhowtheworldof3Dprintersis
changingtomeettheneedsofallpeopleinthemedicalfield.3Dprinters,likeour
classroomsarecontinuouslyevolving,andwhiletheyarenotamagicalboxinwhichour
classroomswillallbechanged,theycertainlyoffertheabilitytoreachstudentsin
differentwaysandbeginmakingthemthinkoutsidetheboxintermsofhowthingscan
bemade.3Dprintersareawayforteacherstoreachthevisual,spatial,andcreative
learningstylesthatsooftenarepassover,andcreateamethodinwhichstudentscan

exploreinanew,funway.

References
BarryBerman,3Dprinting:Thenewindustrialrevolution,BusinessHorizons,
Volume55,Issue2,MarchApril2012,Pages155162.
Fundingfor3Dprintmanufacturingprogram.(ProcessTechnology)(Briefarticle).
(2012).AdvancedMaterials&Processes,(9),10.
Greenemeier,L.(2013).Toprinttheimpossible.(useof3Dprintingtechnologyin
themanufacturingsector)(HowtoMaketheNextBigThing).ScientificAmerican,
(5),44.
IsPrintDead?Notin3D.(2012).MechanicalEngineering,134(9),12.
Kasparova,M.,Grafova,L.,Dvorak,P.,Dostalova,T.,Prochazka,A.,Eliasova,
H.,&...Kakawand,S.(n.d).Possibilityofreconstructionofdentalplastercast
from3Ddigitalstudymodels.BiomedicalEngineeringOnline,12.
Kaur,S.(2012).Howis"Internetofthe3DPrintedProducts"GoingtoAffectOur
Lives?.IETETechnicalReview,29(5),360364.doi:10.4103/02564602.103164.
LIPSON,H.(2012).Designintheageof3Dprinting.MechanicalEngineering,
134(10),30.
Michael,E.(n.d).3Dprintingforchildren:Whattobuildnext?.International
JournalOfChildComputerInteraction,1713.doi:10.1016/j.ijcci.2012.08.004.
Sangani,K.(2013).Makeittofakeit.Engineering&Technology(17509637),
8(9),3841.
Spurling,A.(2013).DESIGN&PRODUCTION3DPRINTING.Engineering&
Technology(17509637),8(7),3840.

LinkstoReferences
DESIGN&PRODUCTION3DPRINTING.
Designintheageof3Dprinting.
3DPrintingThenextIndustrialRevolution
Fundingfor3Dprintmanufacturingprogram.
3Dprintingforchildren:Whattobuildnext?
Makeittofakeit.
Possibilityofreconstructionofdentalplastercastfrom3Ddigitalstudy
models
Toprinttheimpossible.(useof3Dprintingtechnologyinthemanufacturing
sector)(HowtoMaketheNextBigThing)
Howis"Internetofthe3DPrintedProducts"GoingtoAffectOurLives?
IsPrintDead?Notin3D.


LinktoResearchPresentation
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