The Basics of 3D Printing

In this informative lesson, individuals will be taken through a crash course of 10 aspects related to 3D printing. These include: 3D Printing Technologies, Fused Filament Fabrication, the 3D Printing Process, The Supply Chain, Rapid Prototyping, Complex Geometry, Customized Solutions, Ease of Access, 3D Printing Accuracy, and 3D Scanning Technologies.

* This is a lesson that is part of The PrintLab Classroom lesson portal. To view details of the full portal, click  here. *

Overview

This lesson plan combines all the key fundamentals of 3D printing into a single 60 minute workshop. The aim is to provide students with a complete overview of 3D printing technologies and the opportunities and limitations that come with them. The format of the workshop is based on 10 workstations, each consisting of an information poster, 3D printed demonstration models and challenges that encourage creative thinking. Students will work in teams of 2-3 and spend 6 minutes at each station. By the end of the lesson, students will have created 10 brainstorming sheets, showing their understanding and opinions on various aspects of the 3D printing industry.

Equipment List

• 10 x information posters (PDF's included in lesson materials)
• 3D printed demonstration models (STL's included in lesson materials)
• 10 x blank sheets of paper for each team (teams consist of 2-3 students)
• 1 x set of measuring calipers
• 10 x laptops/computers (optional)