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3D Printing is having a profound effect on many industries and every student deserves to have access to this wonderful technology. Spark students your creativity in design thinking and making and how they collaborate with others in solving problems with 3D printing.
As a inspiring starting point, why not try the easy introduction lesson to 3D Printing for students or staff below.
Once the Ultimaker is set up (watch our setting up video here) and Cura is downloaded (download here) simply load the Ultibot file.
Once the model has loaded you can preview it or simply save to the SD card. Then put the SD card into the printer, select the file and press print.
Whilst the file is printing you can show pupils a time-lapse video of a print in action, so that they can see the entire printing process, then in small groups pupils can take it in turns to visit the printer to see it in action.
Participants in the lesson will be amazed at how quick the process is and once people’s initial reaction has calmed an opportunity to have an interactive Q&A arrives.
From our experience this will be very enthusiastic with people who are sometimes reluctant to get involved leading the discussion.
The facilitator then can lead the discussion down relevant subject route, whether it’s design ideas for D&T, DNA helix / bones for science, or algebraic functions expressed in 3D models for maths the possibilities are truly endless! Imagine it >>>make it!
In The Classroom
Follow this lesson plan to introduce pupils to the process of 3D Printing or as an inset resource for staff new to 3D Printing. It is useful to print a few objects such as the Ultibot as a physical resource to pass around the class so they can touch and feel a 3D Printed object as well as experience the printing process. You will need an Ultimaker in the classroom, set up ready to print and an example print such as the Ultibot.