Students in the Novomoskovsk district of Moscow can look forward to a state-of-the-art new school opening this year, with construction to be completed by August. The A101 Group of Companies—one of the largest housing development builders in Russia—is constructing the school in an area known as the Spanish Quarters.
The Logika school will offer space for 1,300 children, while the White Rabbit kindergarten has capacity for 350 youngsters. A large, progressive laboratory area will be provided with equipment available for 3D printing, the study of robotics, and virtual reality. This is a unique feature built into all A101 Group of Companies schools, with the lab also expected to be available for a range of scientific experiments.
A101 is on the right track with the emphasis of STEM learning within the school—and especially with access for younger students. As the need continues worldwide for designers, engineers, and other professionals within applications centered around 3D printing and robotics, many colleges and universities are offering more advanced programs and majors in STEM.
As men continue to dominate areas like engineering, however, there is also a continued movement to begin STEM learning earlier and engage all students. This means concentrating efforts in encouraging a greater love for math, science, and coding, as well as moving forward to learn more about technology like digital fabrication—often accompanied by robotics and both virtual and augmented realities. Leaders in the manufacturing of 3D printers, accompanying software and materials, have been quite active over the last five years especially in supplying equipment to schools worldwide—with a variety of inspiring programs offered through resources like GE and Makerbot.
Overall, the “Logic” area will be made up of three wings, with the first—conveniently adjacent to the playground—housing the elementary school. Teachers will instruct the Russian students in universal classrooms, espousing a concept of learning meant to consider all children and their educational needs. Primary school students will have exclusive use of an amphitheater on the second and third levels, while the left wing of the building will be designated for all other classes.
In the center of the facility, two amphitheaters will be available for school events and class preparation areas for teachers. There will also be a regular library and a video library, along with an assembly hall which is now in the process of being built. The roof is being installed with materials made of modified bituminous components—a style meant to offer better resilience and strength, along with protection against climate. It is also designed for high-performance acoustics, and accessibility for “theatrical light.”
The school will be espousing numerous progressive new teaching ideals, from universal design to combining both play and sleeping areas in the classroom—streamlined with modular furniture—allowing for an exponential number of play/teaching areas. There are even plans for a swimming pool.
We’re taking care of business first in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and then moving on to education. Optomec has announced two new additions to its LENS series, and CRP Technology is introducing a new commercial strategy for its Windform composite materials. HP India is building a new Center of Excellence for 3D Printing, while the South Korean government continues its investment in the technology. The GE Additive Education Program is now accepting applications for 2019-2020, and a Philadelphia-based university and health system has integrated Ultimaker 3D printers into its teaching curriculum. Speaking of health, Sweden is looking into 3D printing food for the elderly.
Optomec’s New LENS Systems
This week, production-grade metal 3D printer supplier Optomec announced that it was releasing two new Directed Energy Deposition (DED) 3D printers in its Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) Classic System Series: the CS 600 and the CS 800 Controlled Atmosphere (CA) DED Systems. Both of the systems are configurable, and are designed to maximize the process build envelope, while at the same time lowering the system footprint and chamber volume. They have CA chambers that make it possible to process both non-reactive and reactive metals, and are both compatible with the company’s latest generation LENS deposition head.
“These new systems come packed with next-generation DED components all born from signature Optomec know-how and built to provide affordable, high-quality metal additive manufacturing capabilities for industry’s most demanding requirements. The LENS CS 600 and CS 800 systems represent the latest in DED processing from precision deposition to cladding applications and extend our product portfolio to continue to provide high-value metal additive manufacturing solutions,” said Tom Cobbs, Optomec’s LENS product manager.
The first customer shipments of the CS 600 and the CS 800 CA systems have already begun this year.
New Commercial Strategy for Windform Materials
CRP Technology has for years made components and also sold its Windform composite materials. Now the company has decided to revise its commercial strategy for the materials: from now on, they will no longer be sold to service bureaus for the toll-manufacturing of 3D printing components. However, the materials will continue to be sold to companies that produce their own components, while CRP Technology and CRP USA will continue to offer support for service and assistance in producing Windform parts.
“The change in the strategy of CRP Technology is because we believe we can ensure the highest quality in the manufacture of 3D printed components; indeed the increase in production capacity -both in Europe and in the United States- will guarantee the volumes necessary to satisfy any request from our customers based all over the world, in compliance with the high standards of service and quality that has always been a distinctive element of CRP Technology and CRP USA’s activities,” CRP Technology told 3DPrint.com in an email.
HP Building Center of Excellence for 3D Printing in India
HP introduced its Jet Fusion 4200 3D Printing solutions to India last year, and is now planning to build a Center of Excellence (CoE) for 3D Printing in Andhra Pradesh, which is the country’s seventh-largest state. This week, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh government to build the CoE, which will give small and medium businesses (SMBs) and startups in the state the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of adopting 3D printing. HP India will be the main knowledge provider for the CoE, while the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) will enable accreditations and certifications and provide infrastructure support, and the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) will encourage and drive public sector enterprises and government departments to use the CoE.
“Manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh has great potential as a lot of demand is slated to come from domestic consumption,” said J. Krishna Kishore, the CEO of APEDB. “Andhra Pradesh’s impetus in automotive, electronics and aerospace makes technologies like 3D printing market-ready.”
South Korea Continues to Invest in 3D Printing
For the last couple of years, the government of South Korea has been investing in 3D printing, and 2019 is no different. The country’s Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it would be spending 59.3 billion won (US $52.7 million) this year – up nearly 17% from its 2018 investment – in order to continue developing 3D printing expertise to help nurture the industry. According to government officials, 27.73 billion of this will be allocated to further development of 3D printing materials technology, and some of the budget will go towards helping the military make 3D printed components, in addition to helping the medical sector make 3D printed rehab devices.
“3D printing is a core sector that can create innovation in manufacturing and new markets. The ministry will support development by working with other related ministries and strengthen the basis of the industry,” said Yong Hong-taek, an ICT ministry official.
GE Additive Education Program Accepting Applications
In 2017, GE Additive announced that it would be investing $10 million in the GE Additive Education Program (AEP), an educational initiative designed to foster and develop students’ skills in additive manufacturing. To date, the global program has donated over 1,400 polymer 3D printers to 1,000 schools in 30 different countries, and announced this week that it is now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 cycle from primary and secondary schools. While in previous years the AEP also awarded metal 3D printers to universities, that’s not the case this time around.
“This year’s education program will focus only on primary and secondary schools,” said Jason Oliver, President & CEO of GE Additive. “The original purpose of our program is to accelerate awareness and education of 3D printing among students – building a pipeline of talent that understands 3D design and printing when they enter the workplace. We already enjoy some wonderful working relationships with universities and colleges, so this year we have decided to focus our efforts on younger students.”
The deadline for online AEP applications is Monday, April 1st, 2019. Packages include a Polar Cloud premium account, a Polar Cloud enabled 3D printer from either Dremel, Flashforge, or Monoprice, rolls of filament, and – new this round – learning and Tinkercad software resources from Autodesk. Check out the video below to learn about GE Additive’s ‘Anything Factory’ brand campaign, the heart of which was formed by a young student who had just discovered 3D printing and what it’s capable of creating…this is, of course, the purpose behind AEP.
Ultimaker 3D Printers Integrated into Medical Teaching Curriculum
Dr. Robert Pugliese and Dr. Bon Ku of Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health wanted to better prepare their students for real-world hospital challenges, and so decided to integrate Ultimaker 3D printers into the system’s Health Design Lab. The Lab is used for multiple medical and educational applications, from ultrasound training and cardiology to ENT surgery and high-risk obstetrics, and students are able to work with radiologists on real patient cases by helping to produce accurate anatomic models. The Lab houses a total of 14 Ultimaker 3D printers, including the Ultimaker 2+ Extended, the Ultimaker 3, and the Ultimaker S5, and the models 3D printed there help enhance patient care and improve surgical planning, as well as teach students how to segment critical features and interpret medical scan data.
“When we introduce these models to the patients their eyes get big and they ask a lot of questions, it helps them to understand what the complexity of their case really is. It’s just so much better to have the patient on the same page and these models really help bring that reality to them,” said Dr. Amy Mackey, Vice Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Jefferson’s Abington Hospital.
3D Printing Food for the Elderly in Sweden
Swedish care homes hope to make pureéd chicken indistinguishable from a drumstick [Image: EYEEM]
If you’ve attended a meal at a nursing home, or care home, then you know the food that’s served is not overly appetizing. This is because elderly people can also just have a more difficult time eating regular food. Roughly 8% of adults in Sweden have trouble chewing or swallowing their food, which can easily cause them to become malnourished. That’s why the Halmstad municipality on the country’s west coast wants to use 3D printing to stimulate these residents’ appetites, which will be accomplished by reconstituting soft, puréed food like chicken and broccoli to make it look more realistic.
Richard Asplund, a former head chef at the luxury Falkenbergs Strandbad hotel who’s now the head of Halmstad’s catering department, said, “When you find it hard to chew and swallow, the food that exists today doesn’t look very appetising.
“So the idea is to make something more aesthetic to look at, to make it look good to eat by recreating the original form of the food.”
The state innovation body Rise is coordinating the project, which is currently in the pre-study phase and plans to serve the first 3D printed meals in Halmstad and Helsingborg by the end of this year.
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In a paper entitled “Visualizing the Invisible: A Guide to Designing, Printing and Incorporating Dynamic 3D Molecular Models to Teach Structure-Function Relationships,” a group of researchers from the University of Nebraska discusses the importance of using three-dimensional models to help students understand critical biology and chemistry concepts. Teachers, the researchers point out, often rely on two-dimensional images to teach complex three-dimensional concepts, such as the structure of molecules, but students cannot fully grasp the concepts using only 2D images. Kits with 3D models exist for teaching purposes, but they “cannot handle the size and details of macromolecules.”
3D printing, however, allows instructors to create detailed custom models of molecules of any size.
“For example, protein models can be designed to relate enzyme active site structures to kinetic activity,” the researchers state. “Furthermore, instructors can use diverse printing materials and accessories to demonstrate molecular properties, dynamics, and interactions.”
In the paper, the researchers describe the creation of a 3D model-based lesson on DNA supercoiling for an undergraduate biology classroom. They selected this particular model so that students could “feel DNA relaxation and witness contortions resulting from twists in DNA.” They designed and 3D printed flexible plastic models with magnetic ends to mimic DNA supercoiling.
“We developed a Qualtrics-based interactive activity to help students use the models to classify supercoiled DNA, predict the effects of DNA wrapping around nucleosomes, and differentiate between topoisomerase activities,” the researchers explain.
An upper-level undergraduate biochemistry class was divided into small groups of two to three students to foster peer learning, and each group was provided with one model set. The models were also made available at a library resource center. Interactive questions required the students to measure and explore physical aspects of the models. It took the students about 50 minutes to complete the activity, which was interspersed with lecture and demonstration via a digital overhead.
In interviews following the activity, the students reported that the models helped them learn because “physically seeing it makes something abstract very real.” In a survey, 60 to 70 percent of students stated that the physical models made it easier to learn the material being taught.
The researchers go on to provide step by step instructions for creating 3D printed models for use in the classroom. They designed the models around student misconceptions, they explain, and the models were shown to be effective in clearing up those misconceptions. This study reaffirms what many researchers and educational professionals have learned – that 3D printed models are an excellent way to teach students of any age group. From preschoolers learning shapes and textures to college students learning about DNA supercoiling, having hands-on models helps to make concepts real and accessible. 3D printing is a cost-effective way to create those models, and it is capable of presenting detail in a way that other fabrication methods are not.
“Three-dimensional printing represents an emerging technology with significant potential to advance life-science education by allowing students to physically explore macromolecular structure-function relationships and observe molecular dynamics and interactions,” the researchers conclude. “As this technology develops, the cost, resolution, strength, material options, and convenience of 3DP will improve, making 3D models an even more accessible teaching tool.”
Authors of the paper include Michelle E. Howell, Karin van Dijk, Christine S. Booth, Tomáš Helikar, Brian A. Couch and Rebecca L. Roston.
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We’ve got business and education news galore in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. First, Voodoo Manufacturing has launched its new Shopify app, and BeAM Machines is partnering with Empa, while Sculpteo is working with a property developer to provide 3D printed apartment models. VSHAPER has signed an agreement with educational publisher Grupa MAC, and the United Arab Emirates is introducing 3D printing into over 200 of its primary schools. The US Navy will be testing the first 3D printed ship component, and Lufthansa Technik has established a new Additive Manufacturing Center. Finally, maker Thomas Sanladerer shared on YouTube about his recent visit to the Prusa headquarters.
Voodoo Manufacturing Launches Shopify App
This spring, high-volume 3D printing factory Voodoo Manufacturing began its full-stack manufacturing and fulfillment service for 3D printing entrepreneurs, which allows users to outsource work like quality control and assembly for their products through its easy shopfront integrations with online marketplaces like Shopify. Now, the company has launched its own Shopify app, which will allow online sellers to create and customize 3D printed products and sell them on their own Shopify stores. Once the app is installed, users can make their first product in less than 5 minutes, which is then automatically added to their store, ready for purchase.
“We wanted to make it ridiculously easy for ecommerce stores to diversify their product offering with 3D printed products. By applying 3D printing to the print-on-demand business model, we are opening up an infinite range of product categories for Shopify merchants,” said Max Friefeld, the Founder and CEO of Voodoo Manufacturing. “The Voodoo app provides a new source of high quality, customizable, on-demand products, that don’t require any 3D design experience.”
Before the official launch this week, Voodoo piloted the service with a group of beta users, including It’s The Island Life by graphic designer and Guam native Lucy Hutcheson. She is already successfully selling six different products made with the help of the new Voodoo app.
BeAM Machines Partnering with Empa
BeAM, recently acquired by AddUp, has signed a research and development agreement with Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. Together, the two will develop novel applications for BeAM’s powder-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED) technology, which uses focused thermal energy to fuse materials by melting them while they’re deposited. This makes parts manufacturing much faster. The partnership has come on the heels of Empa’s acquisition of a BeAM DED 3D printer, which is located at its Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing in Thun and is used to integrate and test out innovative components.
Patrik Hoffmann, who leads the laboratory, said, “We are very excited to collaborate with BeAM’s engineers to push the boundaries of this innovative additive manufacturing technology and to develop a whole new range of applications for Swiss industries and beyond.”
Sculpteo 3D Printing Apartment Models
Together with Sculpteo, French property developer Valoptim is working to improve customer experience by providing clients with miniaturized 3D printed models of their future apartments when they sign their contracts, so they can better visualize and prepare for moving into their new home. These small, exact replicas give new owners an immersive experience, which is a definite value add. In addition, production of the 3D printed models is local, and can be done fast.
“Sculpteo uses the best machines and 3D printing processes on the market today. At first, we had the ambition to test the feasibility of 3D printing in the real estate sector. This innovative process has proven to be extremely interesting: the realistic rendering, with high-end finishes, allowed our clients to discover a miniaturized version of their future apartment enabling them to realistically imagine themselves living in it,” said Edouard Pellerin, CEO of Valoptim. “This innovation contributes to our business dynamic: constantly improving the customer experience.”
VSHAPER and Grupa Mac Sign Agreement
Polish 3D printer manufacturer Verashape has signed an agreement with Grupa MAC, the country’s top educational publisher, in front of Poland’s education curators at the recent Future of Education Congress. Per the agreement, Grupa MAC will use a network of educational consultants to distribute the VSHAPER GO 3D printers to kindergartens and other schools in the country. Grupa MAC recognizes that 3D printers are a good way to quickly present the effects of students’ learning, and the VSHAPER GO is the perfect choice, as it is easy to use and comes with an intuitive interface of SOFTSHAPER software.
“Classes with students are a perfect environment for the use of 3D Printing. Creating a pyramid model for history lessons, the structure of a flower or a human body for biology lessons are just a few examples, and their list is limited only by the imagination of students and teachers,” said Patryk Tomczyk, a member of the Grupa MAC Management Board. “We are happy that thanks to our cooperation with VERASHAPE, 3D Printers have a chance to reach schools through our network of educational consultants.”
3D Printing to be Introduced in UAE Primary Schools
Speaking of 3D printing in education, the Ministry of Education (MoE) for the UAE has announced that in early 2019, a country-wide introduction of 3D printing into over 200 primary schools will commence. As part of this new technology roll out, Dubai education consultancy company Ibtikar is partnering with Makers Empire, an Australian education technology company, to deliver a program that implements 3D printing and design. Makers Empire will supply 3D software, curriculum, teacher resources, training, and support to Ibtikar, which will in turn train MoE teachers to deliver the program.
“Through this rollout of 3D technology, our students will learn to reframe needs as actionable statements and to create solutions to real-world problems,” said HE Eng. Abdul Rahman of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education. “In doing so, our students will develop an important growth mindset, the skills they need to make their world better and the essential ability to persist when encountering setbacks.”
US Navy Approves Test of First 3D Printed Shipboard Part
USS Harry S. Truman
The US military has long explored the use of 3D printing to lower costs and increase the availability of spare parts. Huntington Ingalls Industries, the largest military shipbuilder in the US, has also been piloting new technologies, like 3D printing, as part of its digital transformation. In collaboration with the US Navy, the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division has worked to speed the adoption of 3D printed metal components for nuclear-powered warships. This has led to an exciting announcement by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA): a metal drain strainer orifice (DSO) prototype has officially been approved as the first 3D printed metal part to be installed on a US Navy ship. The assembly is a component for the steam system, which allows for drainage and removal of water from a steam line while in use. The 3D printed DSO prototype will be installed on the USS Harry S. Truman in 2019 for evaluation and tests. After one year, the assembly will be removed for inspection and analysis.
“This install marks a significant advancement in the Navy’s ability to make parts on demand and combine NAVSEA’s strategic goal of on-time delivery of ships and submarines while maintaining a culture of affordability. By targeting CVN 75 [USS Harry S. Truman], this allows us to get test results faster, so-if successful-we can identify additional uses of additive manufacturing for the fleet,” said Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, NAVSEA Chief Engineer and Deputy Commander for Ship Design, Integration, and Naval Engineering.
Lufthansa Technik Opens New Additive Manufacturing Center
Lufthansa Technik, a leading provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for civil aircraft, has established a new Additive Manufacturing Center. The goal of the new AM Center is to bundle and expand the company’s experience and competence with the technology, which can be used to make individual parts more quickly and with more design freedom. As the world of aircraft is always aware of weight, making more lightweight parts is an excellent benefit of 3D printing.
“The new AM Center will serve as a collaborative hub where the experience and skills that Lufthansa Technik has gained in additive manufacturing can be bundled and further expanded,” said Dr. Aenne Koester, the head of the new AM Center. “The aim is to increase the degree of maturity of the technologies and to develop products that are suitable for production.”
Tom’s 3D Visits Prusa Headquarters
Maker Thomas Sanladerer, who runs his own YouTube channel, recently had the chance to tour the Prusa Research headquarters in Prague. Not only did he get the opportunity to see how the company makes its popular MK3 and and MK2.5, but Sanladerer was also able to see early models of the company’s recently announced SL1 resin 3D printer, as well as the Prusament filament production line.
“I always find factory tours like this super interesting because it’s the only chance you really get of seeing behind the scenes of what might really just be a website, or you know, a marketing video or whatever,” Sanladerer said in his video.
Sanladerer took the tour of the Prusa factory right after Maker Faire Prague, which the company itself organized and sponsored. To see behind the scenes of Prusa for yourself, check out the rest of the video below:
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3D printing is everywhere, impacting industries such as healthcare, aerospace, manufacturing and practically any other area you can think of. However, in the big picture, adoption of the technology is still relatively low. Why is that? In a paper entitled “Understanding the determinants of novel technology adoption among teachers: the case of 3D printing,” a team of researchers argues that one big hurdle to adoption of 3D printing is the lack of sufficient technology education. The paper investigates the behavioral intention of high school teachers to use technologies such as 3D printing in class.
“At the global scale, numerous universities (e.g. MIT) have already integrated 3D printing classes in their curricula,” the researchers state. “In Austria, some universities (e.g. AAU Klagenfurt, TU Graz) run 3D printing labs. Comprehensive 3D printing education at the high school level is crucial to enable the timely development of required skillsets, yet 3D printing is still novel at the high school level.”
In the study, the researchers used the previously developed Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model of investigation as a basic to develop their own research model. UTAUT proposes three direct predictors: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence of an individual’s behavioral intention to use technology. The researchers set up a project called “SmartLab Goes to School,” in which high school were invited to present innovative ideas for using 3D printing technology for the chance to win a 3D printer for classroom use.
A questionnaire was distributed among Austrian teachers, resulting in a sample size of 103 respondents. 84 teachers stated that they had experienced 3D printing technology, while 19 replied that they had no experience with it. Unsurprisingly, teachers who taught technical subjects were found to have stronger inclinations to teach 3D printing technology than teachers of more academic or business education subjects. Interestingly, teachers with no 3D printing experience had stronger inclinations to use 3D printing, suggesting that many teachers who have used the technology have had negative experiences with it in the past.
Several of the researchers’ hypotheses were supported, including:
Teachers with high levels of performance expectancy are more likely to have a stronger intention to use 3D printing technology
Teachers with high levels of anxiety are less likely to have a stronger intention to use 3D printing technology
Teachers with a positive attitude towards using 3D printing technology are more likely to have a stronger intention to use 3D printing technology
Teachers who perceive facilitating conditions positively are more likely to have a stronger intention to use 3D printing technology
“The main goal to contribute to a better understanding of teacher acceptance of novel technology and their intention to use it was thus achieved,” the researchers state. “The findings provide evidence that there is a strong intention among teachers to use novel technology. Further, we demonstrate which personal and environment-related factors affect novel technology adoption.”
[Image: Makerbot]
Anxiety was a significant factor in the hesitancy of some teachers to use 3D printing – anxiety about making uncorrectable mistakes, for example, or apprehension about technology in general. Teachers were positively influenced toward using the technology by knowledge about its benefits, as well as the feeling that they had the proper resources, knowledge and support. Thus, the researchers conclude that the introduction of technology into classrooms is not just a financial or technical issue, but depends on the level of support teachers are provided.
Authors of the paper include Patrick Holzmann, Erich J. Schwarz, and David B. Audretsch.
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