How 3D-Printing is Impacting Colleges and Universities

Introduction

Education 4.0 is ushering in an era where educational technologists and academics collaborate to find innovative ways to engage, attract, and retain students. Integrating technology into education is the path forward.

The global 3D printing (3DP) market, including its industrial counterpart, additive manufacturing (AM), is witnessing remarkable growth. Projections indicate that the market will reach 15.3 million 3D printers shipped by 2028. This burgeoning demand is largely driven by prototyping needs across industries like healthcare, automotive, aerospace, and defense.

To meet these future demands, 3D printing must become a pivotal element in academic and professional research, preparing students for a workforce that prizes critical thinking and collaboration. In the United States alone, 3D printing technologies could generate three to five million jobs in the next decade.

While 3D printing has yet to become a standard in higher education, certain colleges and universities are making significant strides on a global scale.

Utilizing 3D printing, educators can design immersive learning experiences that bring theoretical concepts to life, moving learning from screens to the hands of students. Medical students can print organs, chemistry students study 3D-printed molecules in detail, and history students can reproduce historical artifacts. This technology empowers students across disciplines.

Colleges and universities can collaborate with 3D printing platforms to create prototypes for simulation classes, enhancing modeling and training.

Ways 3D Printing is Used in Higher Education

According to Formlabs, a 3D-printing platform for educators, researchers, and lab managers, there are seven ways institutions can leverage 3D printing to create hands-on learning environments, foster creativity, prepare students for the workforce, and develop soft skills:

1. Create a Hands-On Learning Environment: 3D printing makes learning active and engages students in critical thinking. It caters to tactile and visual learners, enhancing comprehension.
2. Empower Creativity and Innovation: Designing and optimizing 3D-printed models boost creativity and innovation. When combined with Virtual Reality (VR), it opens new innovation avenues.
3. Facilitate Real-World Understanding: 3D printing helps students visualize and touch real models, bridging the gap between academia and professional work.
4. Prepare for Post-Graduate Plans: The adoption of 3D printers drives demand for 3D design skills, particularly in areas like R&D, consumer product design, biology, architecture, and construction modeling.
5. Bolster Digital Engagement: Beyond CAD design and post-processing, students can learn digital photogrammetry workflows, crucial in generating 3D models from photos.
6. Improve Problem Solving Skills: 3D printing encourages students to tackle real-world problems, exemplified during the Covid-19 pandemic when it addressed the PPE shortage.
7. Leverage Design Thinking: Collaboration is key in design thinking. 3D printing fosters peer collaboration, diverse perspectives, and iterative design improvements.

Incorporating 3D printing in higher education equips students with invaluable skills, preparing them for an ever-evolving job market and fostering innovation that transcends classroom boundaries.

https://3dx.ae/blogs/2023/08/3d-printing-in-schools-and-learning/