3D Printing in the Classroom A Guide for Art Educators By: Natasha Neal
Photo by: Natasha Neal
3D Printing and Art By now, most of us have heard about the potential of 3D printing in a classroom. As an art educator, you are thinking about experimenting with this form of technology but you are unsure of where to start. Being an art educator myself, I felt the same way. In fall 2015, I based my capstone project at the University of Florida Masters’ of Art Education program on experimenting and exploring 3D printing in an art classroom. From my observations and experiences, I created this guide for other art educators just like myself, who want to use this form of technology in a classroom. This guide will offer helpful tips and suggestions when it comes to incorporating 3D printing in an art classroom, and give you resources you can use for 3D printing. I hope you’ll find this resource useful and meet your need as a beginning user to 3D printing in an art classroom.
Parts of a Printer First place we need to begin is learning certain parts of the printer. In this guide, I will refer to the MakerBot Replicator 2X printer. This printer has a dual extruder, which means that it can print two colors at the same time. Visit MakerBot website for an overview of all of their printers. Always refer to your printer’s manual as some features may differ.
Photo by: Natasha Neal
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Drawing created in Adobe Illustrator by: Natasha Neal
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1. Filament Tube Filament is pushed through the tube (from the back of the printer) down to the extruder.
2. Fan Guard / Fan Shroud Used to help direct airflow to the printed filament. It’s also used to funnel air away from the print head / extruder so it does not cool too fast and clog with filament.
3. Dual Extruder / Print Head Filament comes through this part of the printer.
4. Build Plate This is where prints are built.
5. SD Card Reader This is where you place your SD card.
6. LCD Screen View this screen for settings and saved files.
7. Control Buttons Used to make selections viewed on the LCD screen.
Filament Installation Now it’s time to learn how to install the ‘ink’ of the printer; the filament. This is what creates the printed object. It is important to refer to your printer’s manual for exact placement. For a MakerBot Replicator 2X printer, the filament goes in the back of the printer and is then fed through the filament tube down to the extruder. Before feeding your filament through the extruder, in the settings option found on the LCD screen, select ‘Change Filament’. This step is important because the printer must heat up to change the filament. Also, the motor (located at the back of the fan guard) must know whether to ‘tug’ on the filament to pull it through the heated extruder, or to release the filament so you can pull it out and change it. If the printer is in a cool state, you cannot remove the filament at all. If you try, you will damage the motor.
Photo by: Natasha Neal
Placement of your printer(s) can have impact on its use as well as its performance. There are things you must consider before placing your printer on any table or countertop.
1. Set up your printer in a stable place that doesn’t have excessive temperature fluctuations throughout the day. Do not place it near an air-conditioning vent and most importantly, do not place it near a sink.
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It’s helpful to have a space near the printer to clean prints off. You’ll also need a place for storing print tools.
3. Store filament in a cool, dry location, preferably in the original packaging, to help guard against humidity.
The following tools are great to have near your printer for print cleanup and post-processing.
1. Thin metal craft spatula for removing prints from the build plate without tearing the tape on the build plate. If you need to order more tape, visit the MakerBot website.
2. Needle-nose pliers are useful for removing support material from your printed object.
3. Small wire-cutting pliers are useful for removing support material and cleaning off excess filament from your printed object.
4. Tweezers are useful for removing support material.
3D Printing in the Art Classroom There are certain things an art teacher must consider before working with a 3D printer in a classroom. After careful observation of my class of 22 students, I compiled a list of tips and suggestions that will help you with incorporating this form of technology in your art classroom.
Photo by: Natasha Neal
Photo by: Natasha Neal
Work in Small Groups. It’s feasible to work with this form of technology with a small group of students. Keep the group size small, even if you have access to more than 1 printer. I suggest no more than 5 students per printer. Instead of working with a class full of students, work with a group of students such as an after school art club. A class of 22 students is simply too many students to work with using a 3D printer; even if you have more than 1 printer in your classroom. In this case, less is more! Three-Dimensional Printing Takes Time. One thing that many overlook while working with 3D printing is how time-consuming it is to print. The actual size of the print, resolution of the file, and what is being printed are all factors that affect print time. An object can take from a few minutes to print to two hours or more to print. I recommend starting off with small files and adjusting the settings to low resolution. You can adjust print quality settings using the printer’s software (use MakerBot Desktop software for MakerBot printers). Refer to your printer’s manuel for your printer’s software information.
Students Need Guidance. Students will struggle with deciding on what to print especially if this is their first time using a 3D printer. At times you will find that you need to guide them through the decision-making process. Have a pre-selected list of prints students will work with. A website I recommend the instructor visiting is Thingiverse.com. This site has a large amount of pre-made files ready to download and or customize for print. Before allowing students use the 3D printer, search for various 3D printed objects to show them what a 3D printer can do. To help my students, I created a Pinterest board titled 3D Printer Art (screenshot of my board is on the page to the right) where students and I ‘pinned’ examples of 3D printed objects. This was a great way to introduce the 3D printer to my students. It’s also a great way to show them objects printed using a 3D printer. Most importantly, it was a great way for students to research 3D printing.
Screenshot of Pinterest Board 3D Printer Art
Students Need to Know the Software. Working with 3D printing requires some digital knowledge. It is important to know how to prepare a digital file for print. A mistake some teachers make is assuming students already know how to use the software. Don’t assume; introduce students to the software gradually in your lessons before introducing 3D printing. There is a vast amount of software you can use however, I use the following software with my students:
1. Adobe Illustrator - Use this software to create digital drawings. 2. Sketchup - Use this software to transform your digital drawings to 3D illustrations.
3. MakerBot Desktop - This is the printer’s software. You can change the type of printer you have access to as well as, adjust print quality and the size of your print.
EXAMPLES OF ARTWORK Students used a broad range of materials to create their mixed media artwork. Materials such as watercolor, acrylic paint, oil pastels, color pencils, magazine clippings, wood stain, lace, and Adobe Illustrator.
It is important to remember that 3D printing takes time. Patience is key, give yourself time, and work with a small group of students on pre-selected items especially if you are new to this form of technology. Visit my blog to view examples of artwork created by my students using the 3D printer. My blog also share my observation notes while working with my students on 3D printing. Visit my website to view a video I created and shared with students on 3D printing. You can also view the video I created on the art making process for one of my students. While on my website, take a look at my capstone project titled Fusing Art and 3D Printing: Creating A Meaningful Learning Experience in Art. You will find detail information about the 3D printing process; such as saving with certain file extensions. You will also find information about various artists who use 3D printing in their artwork. I want to leave you with this, educate yourself on 3D printing before sharing with your students. This is a great tool for a small group of students in an art classroom for the possibilities of creating art is unlimited.
Reference MakerBot. (2015). 3D printing resources and tools. Retrieved from http://www.makerbot.com
Software downloads Adobe Illustrator software - http://www.adobe.com MakerBot Desktop software - http://www.makerbot.com/desktop SketchUp software - http://www.sketchup.com
Resources Thingiverse - http://www.thingiverse.com Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com McArthur Freeman II (3D printer artist) - http://macfreeman.com Jade Crompton (Ceramic/3D printer artist) - http://3dprint.com/38774/3d-printed-slipcast-pieces/
Personal resources Capstone Paper - http://nealn.weebly.com/capstone-project.html 3D Printer Art Pinterest Board - https://www.pinterest.com/nwneal/3d-printed-art/ Art and 3D Printing Blog - http://art3dprinting.blogspot.com Introduction to 3D Printing Video - http://nealn.weebly.com/resources-for-students.html