3D Printing & CAD
About our 3D printing class
What is 3D printing?
3D printing is an additive manufacturing process that involves melting down a material, such as plastic, and reforming it into a new shape. This process happens layer by layer to eventually form a completed product. It is less wasteful than the standard subtractive manufacturing process.
About our class
New class! This 3D Printing camp take students through the 3D printing process from start to finish. In this camp, students will design 3D objects and use the 3D slicing program Cura to bring their creations to life.
From industrial design and manufacturing to software and hardware engineering, the 3D printing industry is booming. This course serves as an excellent introduction to 3D printing and is ideal for students who like to draw, design, imagine, and see their creations come to life.
Continued learning
After the class
In this course, students were introduced to the concept of 3D and were shown how a 3D printer works. They also did quite a bit of work in tinkercad, a website that anyone can use for free to practice 3D designing. They can go to tinkercad.com to continue practicing what they learned.
Parent activity suggestions:
- Create an account on tinkercad for your student and give them challenges for what they can design. A boat, a train, create a 3D rendering of their favorite animal. Get creative and have fun with it!
- Help your student 3D print their projects, there are many libraries with free access to 3D printers, including Park Grove, Maplewood and Roseville libraries. At some you might have to pay for filament
- If you can’t find a local library to print at, look online for some website that will print things off and send them to you!
- Really passionate about 3D printing? Here is the model of printer that we used in class and a link to a pack of filament to get you started –
Printer: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=21711
Filament: https://www.amazon.com/Gizmo-Dorks-Filament-Printers-1-75mm/dp/B074W1XFRX?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_8