3D printing is a process that uses a digital file to create a physical 3D object. How exactly does that happen? That’s something students at Pine Bush Elementary are learning all about!

 

Recently, Instructional Tech Darcy Kocsis teamed up with PBE Library and Media Specialist Vanessa Storey to do a 3D printing project with students in fifth grade. They will each be making a personalized nameplate that represents them. However, in order to get there, they are starting at the beginning and learning all about 3D printing and how it works. The goal for this particular day was to explain and understand the project.

 

 

The class started out watching a video made by Tisha Foddrill, a teaching assistant at PBE, about 3D printing. It showed that 3D printing drops material layer by layer until the object is complete.

 

In this case, the students will be using Tinkercad, an app, to design their nameplates. Ms. Kocsis explained that the students have to be very precise in designing their nameplate for a successful project.

 

 

 

The class had a special guest on this particular day. Bob Detrick, whose son Ben is in the class, was on hand to help. Mr. Detrick is very experienced in 3D printing and brought many of the objects he and Ben have made at home to show the students. Some were pretty complicated to create, many with moving parts!

 

 

 

Some objects take a few minutes to print, others take a day. It depends on the design, Ms. Kocsis said. The students got to see the 3D printer in action while learning that the filament used gets heated to 220 degrees Celsius in the nozzle (that’s 428 degrees Fahrenheit!). They also learned how to keep the printer clean.

 

 

 

3D printing works by adding layers of material—typically plastic—one on top of another until the entire object is formed.. The technology originated in the 1980s and has since become widely used in industries such as automotive and manufacturing, where it plays a key role in producing tools and components. Other materials, including resins, metals, and composite materials, are also used.

 

 

So the students have the basic knowledge they need. In a couple of weeks, they will be printing their nameplates! Let’s do this!