3D Printing in Schools: How and Why?

“Don't ask kids what they want to be when they grow up but what problems do they want to solve. This changes the conversation from who do I want to work for, to what do I need to learn to be able to do that.”  

― Jaime Casap, Google Education Evangelist

Where does 3D Printing fit in STEM?

A useful guide to selecting a 3D printer and helping your students create designs for your STEM program.     

In December 2015 the Australian Education Council released the National STEM School Education Strategy with two clearly defined goals.

·      Ensure all students finish school with strong foundational knowledge in STEM and related skills.

·      Ensure that students are inspired to take on more challenging STEM subjects.

These objectives are at the core of the national science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) school education strategy in Australia.

Where does 3D Printing fit in STEM?

3D Printing is a technology at the forefront of growth and innovation in industry that captures the imagination and inspires students to explore exciting new areas. It allows and is dependent on an integrated STEM approach to learning. 3D Printing is one of the few technologies in the education sector that seamlessly integrates Mathematics, Science and Technology, and also can be used to enhance creative thinking and problem-solving.

3D Printing in schools doesn’t exist to encourage the production of trinkets but to inspire students to explore and innovate.

Many projects can be run with students by using a 3D Printer to enhance STEM learning such as:

·      Tangrams – Mathematics, Design and Creative Thinking

·      Fan powered vehicle – Mathematics, Physics, Design and Problem Solving

·      Pentagonal Tiles – Mathematics, Art and Creative Thinking

·      Robotic Prosthetic Hand – Coding, Design, Engineering and Creative Thinking

·      Molecules – Design and Chemistry

These ideas are a simple list of projects showing how 3D Printing acts as an integrator with STEM Education and can in a fun and engaging way introduce students to STEM and enhance their learning outcomes.

How to select a 3D Printer for schools?  

When first setting out to choose a 3D Printer you may ask “Which is the best 3D Printer for my needs?” When faced with many available options for 3D Printers for education, it becomes a daunting task to make a selection.

The key criteria at schools are:

·      Ease of Use – this turns a 3D Printer from a technology device into purely a tool that all teachers will feel comfortable using.

·      Reliable – making sure that teachers can spend time teaching and not maintaining the device.

·      Accurate and strong parts – ensuring that students achieve the expected results ensuring ongoing engagement

·      Specifications

As part of any evaluation of machinery, once an understanding of the part or performance requirements is established it becomes important to start comparing specifications. This is an area that causes a lot of concern, with no approved standards allowing you to accurately evaluate manufacturer’s claims as to the performance of their device.

The key specifications that most people consider are:

·      Layer height or Resolution

·      Speed

·      Build Area/Build Size

Layer height/Resolution 

This refers to the height of the bead laid down by the 3D Printer. This can be a deceptive specification as claimed minimum height is often a theoretical figure dependent on material quality, melt temperature and print speed. Layer height, although sounding important is not the most important criteria as this does not tell you the key factors of accuracy, repeatability, build strength and reliability. In most cases, very few users of 3D Printers ever use the finest resolution on their printers.       

 Speed

You need to consider that an increase in speed on smaller machines can often relate to a decrease in print quality. This is caused by stretching of the bead as it’s laid down and also can lead to “skipping” where bead integrity is compromised.

Build Area

Naturally a big build area makes it easier to build larger models. You do need to evaluate whether a part built on the centre of the build area versus the edge of the build area has the same strength and performance characteristics. Especially on printers without heated build envelopes as the temperature of the build tray (if heated) can vary across the build area impacting strength, size and accuracy. It’s not hard to split a model and to build it in parts and it may be worthwhile compromising on build area if it gains you better part strength and accuracy.

Personal/Hobbyist 3D Printer

The limitations that we’ve seen first-hand and expressed by our customers when using Personal/Hobbyist 3D Printers are:

·      Poor mechanical performance of parts

·      Warping of parts when printing in ABS

·      Inconsistency of material

·      Tinkering needed to set 3D Printer up

·      Lack of reliability

·      Lack of Soluble Support

·      Lack of Service and Technical support

·      Need to calibrate machine regularly

·      Need to level build tray

·      Difference in part accuracy/performance from the centre of the build envelope towards the edges.

Professional/Commercial 3D Printer      

One of the key differences you’d notice when moving to a Professional 3D Printer is ease of use. These printers are designed to be tools of the trade and are designed to work out of the box. Once installed a professional printer will start printing immediately. The printer is configured to work with the correct material, and the user does not need to be concerned with issues like melt temperature of the material, preparing the build tray etc. What sets these machines apart are:

1.     Reliability

2.     Part Mechanical Performance

3.     Part consistency

4.     Out of the box performance

6.     Soluble Support – allowing complex geometries and minimal manual intervention

7.     Tailored software for the printer

8.     Production use 24/7

9.     Local Spares/Service/Support

How do Students Create Designs?

3D Designs can come from many sources and there are numerous sources of designs created and uploaded to the internet at sites like www.thingiverse.com or www.youmagine.com. However only encouraging your students to download files already designed, misses the value of encouraging 3D Printing as a STEM tool.

We should be encouraging ALL students to do some level of 3D design at school, as it’s through design thinking, and problem-solving that we enhance the learning experience and increase student engagement.

The most engaging yet the most intimidating is designing from scratch and starting off with a blank page. Although this may seem complex, it will not take too long to learn and there are many age and skill appropriate software solutions available.

Students can 3D scan their designs. 

3D Scanning is another process for obtaining printable files, and this does not require the investment in complex scanning equipment as this can easily be achieved by using a number of apps available for mobile devices.

Listed below is a series of software tools to assist in teaching of 3D printing.  

Commercial CAD Solutions – which are aimed at the more proficient student or teacher

Free CAD Solutions – excellent learning tools prior to investing in a commercial CAD solution

·      FreeCAD – entry level CAD software

·      OpenSCAD – mathematically based 3D Modelling

·      Tinkercad – excellent cloud-based solution with easy to understand tutorials

·      3DSlash – Minecraft style interface for younger students

Various Software Solutions

·      Terrain2stl – allows the obtaining of 3D printable terrain from Google Earth

·      Cookiecaster – the simple creation of 3D printable cookie cutters

There are a vast array of tools available for enhancing student engagement.

Managing the workflow?

One of the questions we’re often asked is how to manage the Workflow as there’s a concern the process will be time-consuming for any teacher. Every class or year level should have a 3D Champion which can be the teacher or a nominated class representative. Once this is in place the process becomes very simple. There are a number of ways in which the workflow can be managed and I suggest one process below.

Workflow Process

1.     Student prepares build file in the printer software – the reason for leaving this step with the student is to remove the load from the 3D Champion and provide a learning experience in file preparation

2.     Build file is then loaded into a class shared folder.

3.     3D Champion then batches as many files together into a single build.

4.     Print is set to run:-

• Overnight
• During School time
• Over weekends

5.     3D Champion removes the parts from the printer and loads them into the support removal bath.

6.     Nominated teacher removes the parts from the bath and distributes to students.

An alternate workflow concept has recently been enabled with the release of GrabCAD Print, which makes the batching of files and the processing of multiple files much easier.

Regardless of the device chosen and the process used the key learning experience is gained by encouraging your students to explore and just give it a go.