This year was billed by the government and environmentally friendly. You thread the as the ‘Year of Engineering’ – a year-long wires of PLA through a tube and into the campaign to increase awareness and heating device, where it is heated understanding of what engineers to the required temperature. Once do among young people, You choose your design t he mac parents and teachers. It forms from the USB stick and h gets wo ine part of the government’s then select ‘build’. Industrial Strategy, Prompts on the the see rking, which is committed to machine are clear and chambe -through driving-up engineering tell you next steps. r a to watc llows you skills across the UK. Once the machine h So how can schools gets working, the take sh the design ape boost their engineering see-through chamber is extre , which provision, and get students allows you to watch m and teachers excited the design take shape. fascina ely ting about STEM subjects? It is fascinating and One fun and practical way is mesmerising watching through 3D Printing, which is a tool the machine busy itself used in many industries, from engineering to layering the PLA to build the 3D object. healthcare. Introducing it to the classroom We ‘printed’ a vast range of objects, can therefore give pupils the skills they’ll including frogs, coffee cups, dinosaur key need for the workplace of the future. rings and Christmas tree decorations. To access pre-created 3D designs, I used Designed with schools in mind Makerbot’s Thinguniverse which have designs The offices at Education Business received shared by people on an upon platform. the Dremel DigiLab 3D printer to review. You prepare the image for ‘slicing’ – which It is especially designed for the school again is easy to do – and then save the environment, in that it is easy to use, file to the machine’s memory stick. affordable, safe and comes with software The objects that created the most created with students in mind. amazement from colleagues were Firstly, it must be said that 3D printing is ‘articulated’ ones. These allow for highly addictive and it is immensely satisfying some movement by having connectors to see an object built from scratch. and joints built into the design. To operate the printer, you put a reel of The printer’s integrated camera means filament into the machine. We were using students and teachers can monitor and PLA (polylactic acid), which is plant-based control multiple printers from anywhere.
Written by Angela Pisanu, editor, Education Business
There is a lot of focus this year on STEM in schools, with the ‘Year of Engineering’ drawing to a close. So what better time to give 3D printing a go at our Education Business office? We reviewed the Dremel DigiLab, and here’s what we thought
3D Printing
Education Business trials 3D printing
Designing from scratch Using CAD software, you can design a 3D object from scratch. Tinkercad was recommended to use, which is free to download. It allows you to create basic designs using shapes, letters, numbers and a variety of other tools. The software has easy-to-follow lessons in the basics, such as making holes in objects, resizing, and so on. To find out how 3D printing is being used in schools, I spoke to Paul Woodward, head of creative arts at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate in York, who has a Dremel Digilab. The school is using the 3D printer to realise design iterations as part of the new GCSE and A Level syllabus for Design and Technology. They are also using it to experiment with thermoforming techniques as an element of the BTEC 3D Art Crafts, where students are using the process to produce elements for art pieces or for items to sell in a gift shop. Paul said: “Rapid prototyping allows the students to hold in their hand an object they see in their minds. Within hours they can have a physical outcome to test and to inform their next design iteration or prototype. “The Dremel printer has been 100 per cent reliable so far and the remote camera feature allows students to see the process from other rooms and for the technician to monitor progress.” Technology of the future The Dremel DigiLab 3D printer can use four different types of filament that work for beginners through to more advanced users. More experienced users can use the heat-resistant Eco-ABS and advanced users can also use nylon. Going back to its ease-of-use, the Digilab automatically recognises filament and adjusts printer settings, making it straightforward to use different types of filament. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time with the Dremel DigiLab 3D printer. It opened our eyes as to how far technology has come. We all agreed that bringing 3D printing into the classroom is a great way to bring lessons to life, spark children’s imaginations, and enable them to gain the practical skills for a technology that will no doubt play a big part in our futures. L
FURTHER INFORMATION www.digilab.dremel.com
Volume 23.8 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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