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3d Printing & Design

What is this 3d printing trickery?!

3d printing is the process of using a machine to print out 3 dimensional objects.  It is an additive process where different types of materials can be laid down layer by layer until the object is completed.  It usually involves melting different materials to create the object.  Imagine a regular printer but instead of printing a 2d picture on a piece of paper, we are printing a 3d object.

What is CAD?

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In order to have a 3d printer make something, we have to first design it!  A CAD(computer aided design) program helps us do this.  From toys to phones to homes, somebody was using a CAD program to create it before it became a physical object.  We use TinkerCad, which is a free online program that is great for introducing students to CAD!

Is that plastic?!

Recycling Bottles

There are many different materials and different plastics that are used.  We use 2 different types of plastics.  Wait!  More plastic in our environment!!  Hold on there, we use some special materials:

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  • PLA – PLA(Polylactic Acid) is biodegradable, NOT petroleum based, and is made from plants which includes corn starch, tapioca root, and sugars and it is Non-Toxic

  • rPET – rPET(Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate) is what water and soda bottles are made out of.  We get this product from a company that up-cycles plastic bottles by cleaning them, grinding them down, and then melting it down to a plastic filament that can be reused in the 3d printing process.

Benefits of CAD and 3d Printing

  • Strengthening spatial recognition

  • Strengthening applicable math skills

  • Getting students to design in 3 dimensions

  • Problem solving

  • Increasing creativity and design skills

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  • Planning out step by step ideas

  • Learning foundational basics in CAD software

  • Turning conceptual ideas into a physical object

  • Having fun and being excited about learning!

Check out our project led custom creations!

Students create and learn through project led classes.  We provide the structure for students to be successful and lots of room for them to be creative and customize their projects!

Ready to join our class?

Check out our schedule below and sign up for classes starting June 15th!  Since this is a virtual class, you can take it from anywhere.  Lets start creating something amazing!

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