On Tuesday 13th June some people from Ultimaker and CREATE Education in Manchester came to teach us about 3D printers.  As well as making our own things we saw some other creations: a castle; a shark; a boat; and even an artificial hand.  

All of us really enjoyed having the people come in and help us.  They even taught us how to use  a new software called Beetle Blocks, which we used to made mandalas. It was quite tricky to get all the right coding, but after a bit of time all of us achieved a beautiful mandala each one was one of a kind. Some people made extraordinary designs.

Here are some quotes about the day:

• I enjoyed the fun activities which tested our knowledge of the sites for 3 dimensional printing and the easy way how they taught us how to use the different programmes.
• I am more confident with the basic skills of 3 dimensional printing and have learnt how to upload multiple objects into one project.
• We have learnt to print and make things on Beetle Blocks.
• We enjoyed learning about 3D printers and how they work.

Even the teachers learnt something; Miss Shelmerdine found out how to print more than one thing at a time.  So all in all we had a very good day.

As usual the Ultimaker 2 printed flawlessly.

I have been pushing the capabilities of our new Ultimaker 3, how it is industry standard and very ‘current’ , right up there. How it produces great work, how the students love it and are queuing to use it etc.

It captivates parents and students alike on open evenings and employers also raise an eyebrow, it is impressive and impresses all.

In a word… awesome! Since we took ownership of or Ultimaker 2 (3 years ago), the 3D printer at Sacred Heart has grabbed the interest of lots of students, we display it in a central part of school and we regularly have a group of students huddled around it discussing what it may be printing next or handling previous prints – amazed at the intricacy of the designs and what they could design when they next have the chance to use it. Our Ultimaker 2, 3D printer has made its mark mainly in design technology lessons, but has been integrated into computing, English and even RE!

We chose the Ultimaker brand of 3D printers, as they stood out as the most user friendly and reliable brands available, having tested others previously. The software that comes bundled with the printer – Cura – is easy to use and once downloaded to the computer you can be only a few clicks away from printing your design.  3D print designing is also easy, using free to download Tinkercad software, which our Year 6 pupils mastered in a couple of sessions, again not forgetting the Cura software which allows you to create 3D printable files from black and white images – we even want to get Reception involved in printing their own designs using this.

We have a lot of Primary school staff visit our school, and they are amazed that we have a 3D printer, but I tell them I am amazed that they don’t have one as the benefits to students of designing a model and then watching that design be built in front of their eyes using the 3D printer have a profound effect on the students. Pupils are able to produce prototypes and then revaluate these designs appropriately – producing an iterative design that is truly high quality and one they are extremely proud of.

The 3D Printer has been a very positive addition to our school. As a small setting, we were able to make sure every pupil had a chance to print their designs and really put their name to something they had created. Other benefits included incentives, where pupils who had won star of the week were able to print their own extra-curricular designs as rewards.

It is heartwarming to hear stories of how technology suppliers and local industry partners are helping young children in school get access to game changing technologies such as 3D Printing.  Today an astonishing 40% of jobs within science and engineering remain vacant so it has never been more important to inspire the young people of today to see how these career paths are real options for each and every one of them. 

Alison Hutchings, Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths Ambassador at RS Components presented the Ultimaker 2 3D Printer to Woodnewton – A Learning Community in Corby last month in a bid to get children involved with STEM.  RS Components as a business are passionate about promoting the uptake of engineering from an early age and demonstrated how our CREATE Education Project can help the school with support and FREE resources for the classroom.  Alison told us how they have until now  only ever worked collaboratively with education at University level so are excited to be able to now embark on working with children at primary school level.  The donation of the hardware to this local school along with the open source access to resources provided by our CREATE Education Project is just one of the many ways we can demonstrate how innovation is changing the world and will surely drive further innovation seeded by the imagination of these young minds.

Ellen Wallace, Executive Principal of Woodnewton said “It is a truly wonderful gift which will really enhance the curriculum.  The opportunities that this piece of equipment will provide will inspire children from a young age to investigate, design and experiment across many different subjects.”

We are looking forward to working more closely with RS Components in 2017 to inspire innovation in many more classrooms across the country and look forward to bringing you further updates from Woodnewton of their experiences.

At UTC Leeds we specialise in advanced manufacturing and engineering. Both these areas are and will continue to be influenced heavily by 3D printing. Being part of the CREATE Education project enables myself and students at UTC Leeds to promote this form of manufacture to other schools who may not be able to afford such equipment. This helps not only UTC Leeds itself by showcasing how we embrace new technologies, but enables our student experts to become role models and mentors to younger members within our local education area. We use the Ultimakers in every area possible from Product Design at both GCSE and A level to Engineering at Level 2 and Level 3. They are easy to set up and use giving high quality prints on a regular basis in a time frame that is fairly quick. The range of colours and material options available from various sources enable a range of objects to be printed giving different outcomes that’s students enjoy. The CREATE Education project has been an inspiration due to the range of projects showcased on the site, this motivates myself to push the boundaries with our students in terms of their designing and use of 3D printing to realise their visions.

I am Michael the Innovation Lab Technician in charge of supplying technical training and help to members of Serious Impact.

The Ultimaker is in fact one of the only pieces of equipment that I have used for demonstrations prior to our launch. Being able to demonstrate it straight out of the box was so handy as the 3D object files are already on the SD card slotted into the front of the machine. 

A group of young adults have been over to see how technology labs can help them make their ideas real and the Ultimaker kept them inspired for quite some time. I was able to demonstrate live just how additive manufacturing works and how it is changing industry today.

I have been both a fan and collaborator of Create Education since I came across them in 2014. What impresses me is their selfless dedication to objective of incorporating their technology into education. Working with educationalist, teachers and students of all ages they have both input and output ideas on how 3D printing can be used. Through their interaction they have developed free software to support the student that fits the curriculum and works alongside a full range of disciplines.

The Create Education team have been and are instrumental in making 3D printing accessible to schools and students. They have not just gone into the market with a flashy brochure. They have gone into schools and rolled up their sleeves, learned at the chalk face and given back in terms of their education interface, product and software development. Create Education provide much more than just an Ultimaker 3D printer. From the printer itself to the software and the Create Education Community it is an interactive emersion.

The raw productive power of 3D printing has proven to be a powerful key to unlock the immense creativity and potential of young people, of all abilities and expand their awareness of what is possible, in terms of careers and their futures

The Create Education Project is a powerhouse of knowledge, expertise, resources and connections that we have and will continue to draw upon to innovate and grow our ideas – they make the impossible, possible. Without the Create Education Project our ProtoGP Schools Kart Challenge would never have gotten off the ground!

Academic year 2014-2015 92% of students achieved A+ and A* with all work including a 3D Printed element using the Ultimaker printers” Our course numbers have shot up with the addition of the Ultimakers, we now have 45 year 10 students and 2 AS groups for the coming year

Dens Road Nursery have been thrilled with the impact using the Ultimaker 3D printer has had on our pupils’ digital awareness and understanding. The range of higher order thinking skills which they have been using has ensured a clear depth and breadth of knowledge whilst the software has given them the personalisation and choice which is so key to Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland.

Using the Ultimaker 2 has allowed our learners to develop their knowledge and understanding and 2D shapes and 3D objects which is giving them a strong start in numeracy for their transition to Primary One.

The extension of their vocabulary has also been invaluable. Pupils of a preschool age using and understanding a wide range of vocabulary linked to technologies and enhancing their knowledge of the wider world of learning, life and work.

This project has allowed us to expand and extend our learners’ understanding of the every changing digital world around them through the creation of their 3D printed playground.

We are now looking to continue this learning process as we extend our work with town planning students from Dundee University in a bid to ready our pupils for their future world of word.

Jenni Mackay, Education Support Officer for Digital Learning, Dundee City Council

Rian Davies, Nursery Teacher and Lynzie Penman, Early Years Educator – Dens Road Nursery School, Dundee.