3D Printing and Education

Educational advances in 3D printing

Educational technology is a rapidly growing field that will continue to benefit from new innovations in mobile devices, lap tops and advances in computer-aided software design.  Therefore, the excitement surrounding 3D printing and education is definitely not surprising and it will certainly take educational technology to brand new heights.  While it may take quite some time to fine tune this innovation for successful implementation into schools, there are a many exciting prospects that lie ahead.

Before 3D printing hits more schools on a grand global scale, there are a handful of current institutions that are trying their hand at this new technology for research purposes.  One of these institutions is a noted Architectural design school in Wellington, New Zealand.  The popular Victoria University decided to hold an experimental workshop that explored the technology and opportunities of 3D printing for design models.  The university’s impressive workshop allowed students full access to both metal and woodworking 3D printing machinery.  There, students learned the process of 3D printing and how it’s used for the design fabrication that’s absolutely necessary for their future careers.

Another noted university getting in on a 3D printing action is the nationally recognized Purdue University.  Working in collaboration with the team at Adobe’s Advantage Technology Labs, Purdue faculty helped develop new, innovative software that could enable even more options for 3D printing, which also included the possibilities of printing stronger, more durable objects.  As well, the newly developed program will have the troubleshooting ability to locate bugs, glitches and any other issues that could hinder the printing of more complex 3D objects.

One of the most simple and convenient innovations for 3D printing is being developed by faculty at renowned Harvard University.  Referencing the simple “print” button that’s available for every word processing program, the computer science department is developing a similar concept for their graphic design courses.  Currently in development are plans to initiate a “3D print” button option to easily create objects drafted using computer animation software. This will allow students and faculty to print extremely detailed 3D objects of those they have rendered with their program.