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Robo to Integrate 3DPrinterOS Software So Educators Can Easily Adopt 3D Printing in the Classroom

This summer, 3D printer manufacturer Robo announced that it had acquired Atlanta-based company MyStemKits, which provides the largest online library of STEM curriculum in the world, in order to help students of all ages learn about 3D printing in an easy, hands-on way. Robo also makes education a priority, and has partnered with other companies in the past in an effort to further access to, and implementation of, 3D printing education.

Four years ago, MyStemKits, which also provides 3D printable models for K-12 schools, partnered with 3D printing software provider 3DPrinterOS, and now Robo has also announced a partnership with the company. Robo will be integrating the 3DPrinterOS software across all of its 3D printer models, so that educators and schools can benefit from it.

Braydon Moreno, the Co-Founder of Robo 3D, said, “3DPrinterOS is the closest thing to an interoperability standard for 3d printing which makes it easy for our business to expand to all educational institutions, printer manufacturers, and continue to build innovative applications.”

Now that Robo has acquired MyStemKits, this move to 3DPrinterOS will be able to quickly increase the access to MyStemKits’ curriculum, and its 3D printable educational models, across a wide range of over 75 different desktop 3D printers.

3DPrinterOS also has an interest in education – after all, the MyStemKits platform was actually built on its software. The platform provides easy, one-click 3D printable models that were developed specifically for students in K-12 schools. By switching its software platform to 3DPrinterOS, Robo is standardizing its approach to 3D printing education and making it available to use over even more kinds of 3D printers.

“What we have seen is that with 3D printing and MyStemKits, student engagement increases because you are teaching students math, science, and STEM subjects in a unique and exciting way. This natural introduction to the technology inspires students to want to design in 3D and create 3D printed things on their own,” said Moreno.

As the curriculum included in MyStemKits meets both Common Core State Standards (CCS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), it’s very easy for teachers to adopt 3D printing in the classroom with the platform, along with making models, which are readily available through MyStemKits, that can be used as visual learning aids.

“It’s exciting to see applications built on 3DPrinterOS, be successful, get acquired, and expand globally. Solving interoperability for the 3d printing community is in our company DNA, and we are looking forward to reaching more educators with the Robo 3D Partnership,” said 3DPrinterOS CEO John Dogru.

Regardless of whether schools own a Dremel, Robo, Ultimaker, or nearly any other kind of desktop 3D printer, the vast library of 3D printable STEM models offered by MyStemKits is available instantly if the system is built on top of the cloud streaming software by 3DPrinterOS.

In addition, by adopting the 3DPrinterOS software across legacy Robo 3D printers, as well as any future systems developed by the manufacturer, Robo owners will be able to enjoy access to SSO compatibility, filament tracking, data analytics, and cloud 3D printer management – all of which are part and parcel of the software’s educational license.

If you are an educator and are interested in using MyStemKits to introduce 3D printing in your classroom, you can register here for a free, two week trial that will allow you to view all of the available MyStemKits lessons. You can also download and 3D print up to two of those lessons for free.

What do you think? Discuss this news and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

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10 Ways 3D Printing Played a Part in Education in 2018

3D printing is often used in education these days, whether it’s being taught as a subject or used to enhance another one. As we’re moving ever closer to the start of a new year, we decided to save you some time and gather the ten best education stories from 2018 in one article.

Siemens STEM DAY

The Siemens Foundation focuses on philanthropic efforts in order to continue the advancement of STEM-related education and workforce development, and has invested millions of dollars for this cause in the US. In early 2018, the Siemens Foundation worked with Discovery Education to re-brand its annual Siemens Science Day into a program for more modern educational opportunities: Siemens STEM Day, which is an opportunity for US schools to promote STEM activities for both students and teachers. The program, which doesn’t actually happen on one specific day but is a promotion of STEM lessons and hands-on activities, is meant to be used by students in grades K-12, and offers multiple tools and resources to help reboot STEM curriculum.

New 3D Printing Educational Initiatives

[Image: 3D PARS]

In February, we provided a round-up of some of the many educational initiatives that were looking to provide adults with a deeper understanding of 3D printing. Included in this round-up was a new online course for professionals by MIT, new 3D printing courses from the Sharebot Academy program, and a joint two-day training course in additive manufacturing from German consulting firm Ampower and full service prototyping and 3D printing provider H & H. Additional educational initiatives shared in the round-up were 3DPrint.com’s own Additive Manufacturing with Metals Course.

learnbylayers Partnered with Kodak

In 2017, educator Philip Cotton launched an online 3D printing resource for teachers called learnbylayers that offers lesson plans, project ideas, assessments and more that were designed by teachers for teachers. The site grew quickly, and in February Cotton announced that it had reached a distribution agreement with Kodak. The learnbylayers educational curriculum was added to the Kodak 3D Printing Ecosystem, as the company began offering the internationally-taught curriculum along with its Portrait 3D printer’s launch.

Renishaw Deepened Its Commitment to 3D Printing Education

This spring, Renishaw announced that it would be deepening its commitment to 3D printing education. The company established a new Fabrication Development Centre (FDC) at its Miskin facility in South Wales, with the goal of inspiring young people to pursue STEM careers. The FDC has two classrooms, staffed by qualified teachers and Renishaw’s STEM ambassadors, that can be used for free by schools or groups of young people for lessons or workshops. The FDC was actually in use by Radyr Comprehensive School students long before it was officially launched by Andy Green, a driver for Bloodhound SSC, a 3D printing user and Renishaw partner which also devotes many resources to education about the technology.

Ultimaker Launched New 3D Printing Core Lessons for STEAM Education

Lesson 1: Coin Traps

In April, Ultimaker launched its new Ultimaker Core Lessons: STEAM Set for educators. Eight free lessons, published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, are included in the set, which can help teachers in informal, K12, or Higher Ed classrooms incorporate 3D printing into their educational practices and STEAM curriculum. Some of the beginner lessons include 3D printing a coin trap, flashlight, and penny whistle, and can teach young students important skills like how to align objects, using symbols to communicate ideas, and how to effectively work together on creative projects.

PrintLab Teamed Up with CREATE Education Team

UK-based global 3D printing distributor and curriculum provider PrintLab partnered with UK 3D printing company CREATE Education, a collaborative platform that provides educators with free resources and support, in order to support schools all across the UK with 3D printing. Each company’s educational 3D printing offerings will be combined in this partnership so that UK schools can enjoy unlimited access to full 3D printing solutions for the classroom, which will be locally supported for life by CREATE. Multiple initiatives came out of this partnership to support teachers, like  3D printer loan schemes, funding advice and resources, special training and curriculum workshops, and new educational 3D printing bundles.

3Doodler Introduced New Educational Kits

3Doodler has long supported education, and often releases new STEM-centered educational packages, including its latest classroom product line: the 3Doodler Create+ EDU Learning Pack and 3Doodler Start EDU Learning Pack. Each pack, designed for and with teachers, was designed specially for classrooms from kindergarten to 12th grade and includes 6 or 12 3Doodler pens (Create or Start, depending on the package) and 600 or 1,200 strands of plastic, as well as other tech accessories, lesson plans, and classroom materials. Additionally, the company released its 3Doodler Create+ EDU Teacher Experience Kit and 3Doodler EDU Start Teacher Experience Kit, which are designed to be trial packs for teachers who are thinking about introducing the 3Doodler into their classrooms.

Robo Acquired MyStemKits

3D printer manufacturer Robo announced this summer that it had acquired Atlanta company MyStemKits, which provides the largest online library of STEM curriculum in the world. Thanks to this acquisition, Robo is now offering educational bundles that include its classroom-friendly 3D printers, a supply of filament, one-year subscriptions to MyStemKits, and additional professional development and online learning.

GE Additive’s Education Program Provided Five Universities with Metal 3D Printers

GE’s Additive Education Program (AEP) – a five-year, $10 million, two-part initiative to provide 3D printers to as many schools as possible – chose five universities this summer to receive an Mlab 200R from the program. 500 proposals were submitted for this round of the program, and GE Additive chose German’s Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Ireland’s University of Limerick, the Calhoun Community College in Alabama, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and West Virginia University as the lucky winners.

3D Printing In Fashion Education

In a recently published paper, titled “Integration of 3 Dimensional Modeling and Printing into Fashion Design Curriculum: Opportunities and Challenges,” Nicole Eckerson and Li Zhao from the University of Missouri discussed whether 3D printing should be integrated into fashion design curriculum. The researchers noted that while 3D printing has been recognized as a major influence in the work of designers and engineers, educators in the fashion industry are facing a lack of time, resources, and knowledge to teach the technology to students. The two conducted semi-structured interviews with eight 3D printing industry  experts and academic professionals for their research, and came up with three distinct themes from their data about why 3D printing should be adopted, and taught, in fashion.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.