3D Printing
3D printing is the process of creating an object using a machine that putting down material layer by layer until the desired object is formed. Such printers use specifications generated by computer modeling applications or by3D scans of existing objects. This process of creating 3D models is much faster than many traditional methods of creating prototypes or replicas of existing objects, facilitating an innovative culture of learning in which students can quickly move from imagination to the production of a solid model. 3D printers also allow users anywhere to “build” their own versions of rare or delicate artifacts, expanding access to items that can enable learners in many fields.
Opportunity Statement
3D Printing is affordable enough to be in most schools. The opportunity for teachers and learners to design and fabricate almost anything they wish is a breakthrough dimension of learning equivalent to that of the original (2D) desktop publishing.
Prediction Source(s)
Posted in: Emerging Markets Poll
kstackhouse 6:00 pm on September 6, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
This is a very interesting process. A teacher at my school has been looking into this as an option to be used in several courses. Very exiting and I think this has great potential. How affordable is affordable?
Ken
teacherben 11:13 pm on September 6, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I am running a 3D Design unit at the moment as a test-bed. I will outsource the actual printing part this semester and hopefully, if all goes well, I will get the money in my budget to buy a machine.
I bought shares in 2 3D printing companies (3D Systems and Stratysis) less than two months ago and have earned over 35% on my money from each! That’s pretty good evidence of a market expanding.
I joined the local hackerspace here in HK and there was a group of folks who spent months trying to construct a 3D printer (an open source model called the RepRap) last year and got very frustrated with it. It was fragile, often failed and even when it worked, the models were sometimes warped and so on. So a couple of them decided to design and build their own and try to get it on the market. It’s called the MakiBox (http://makibox.com/ and http://www.makible.com/) and they hope to be able to sell it for $350 USD. Current ones start at a little over a thousand bucks, so that’s pretty amazing. They just had an open-house at their brand-new factory in Hong Kong last week. I think this will be an interesting one to follow.
Kent Jamieson 10:48 am on September 7, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I’ve heard about 3D printing but have never seen it in action…would love to. Your investments seem to be paying off on this technology, but i’m not 100percent that it will be monumental in my own personal practice.
teacherben 5:24 pm on September 8, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
3D printing will be a lot bigger than you can imagine. You may find yourself eating food that came out of a 3D printer. Like this:
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/business-brains/3d-printing-soon-a-food-printer-in-every-kitchen/18614
or this:
http://www.gizmag.com/burritobot-burrito-printer/23026/
You may know someone who needs a transplant and their new body part comes out of a 3D printer, like this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9066721/3D-printer-builds-new-jaw-bone-for-transplant.html
They used an open-source 3D printer designs (RepRap) to make new blood vessels. There’s a short video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VHFlwJQIkE
They made a 3D robotic exoskeleton for disabled children using a 3D printer here:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/5/3219685/wrex-robotic-exoskeleton-arm-3d-printing
In the future, it is likely most of us will have a 3D printer sittin on our desks at home. When we need a small, plastic widget, we won’t go to the store and buy it, we will download a pattern and print it. There will be big money in selling the 3D designs that we print. There are a couple of excellent primers about the new industry in the Economist from a few months back:
http://www.economist.com/node/21552903
and
http://www.economist.com/node/21552892
There is no question that these devices will be a part of our future and our students’ futures.
Kent Jamieson 8:27 pm on September 10, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
You are the man teacherben. Thx for the resources. I’m showing my 4th graders all this great stuff. Nice pitch!!
Jonathan 12:22 am on September 8, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks Ben for the links. In a world where a lot of our tools are going digital, I think being able to produce our digital creations into real world physical objects is really important for us to understand and see what they’ll look like. Not just in the realm of the screen but to hold.
I remember reading the Steve Jobs Biography and going through a section where the Engineers built several moulded models of what their products would “look” and “feel” like in the hand. This can be of big help to our students.
supatel 10:45 am on September 10, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I voted for 3D printing because I have had the opportunity to use one to make a piece for my daughter’s drawer and it is absolutely amazing. Students can create a design using Autocad and ‘print’ a final product. With Alberta Education mandating that students complete 75 hours of Career and Technology Foundations courses, this tool makes for a great integrated math/sci/design studies project.
teacherben 6:00 pm on September 10, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Since I am currently trying to incorporate 3D printing into my teaching program, this is an area of personal interest to me.