Into the Driver's Seat

"If you’re new to the wonderful world of 3D printing, then may we be the first to offer you a warm welcome. You’re going to have lots of fun.

The immediate challenge newcomers face with 3D printing technology is distinguishing between the different processes and materials available.

What’s the difference between types of 3D printing like FDM and SLS, for example? Or SLS and DLP? Or EBM and DMLS?

It can be pretty confusing. With so many different acronyms, you’d be forgiven for mistaking a type of 3D printing for a genre of dance music.

The first thing to understand is that 3D printing is actually an umbrella term that encompasses a group of 3D printing processes."

"Rich Lehrer knew that 3D printers could do more than spit out keychains and Yoda heads. In 2013, he led a group of eighth graders at the Brookwood School in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts that designed and printed a prosthetic hand for Lehrer’s then 3-year-old son, Max. 

. . . it was a suggestion from a colleague that unleashed the full potential of 3D printing and Making as a way to teach middle school students design thinking skills—as well as empathy and collaboration.

But it was a suggestion from a colleague that unleashed the full potential of 3D printing and Making as a way to teach middle school students design thinking skills—as well as empathy and collaboration.

The idea? Have the students work with senior citizens to identify real world problems that could be addressed by designing and prototyping solutions."