Students at the Allen County Career and Technical Center will soon have the opportunity to see Three- Dimensional Technology being utilized in the classroom as well as serving as a connection to the community. A new 3-D printer will soon be operational in the CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) classroom at the Tech Center---thus giving students a way to see computer-generated 3-D objects come to life and the students a chance to experience a hands-on connection with local business and industry.
The new 3-D printer is a state-of-the-art unit—virtually identical to a 3-D printer in use in the engineering department at Western Kentucky University. The printer will be able to print models up to 10”x10”x12.”
“The printer uses an additive manufacturing process where successive layers of material are added to create the shape,” explained Technical Center CAD educator Dolorse Rice. “The printer use ABS plastic for the model, technically a thermoplastic polymer called acrylonitrile butadience styrene. It is basically a liquid plastic that is a threadlike filament that hardens to make the object that is being printed. The printer has a soluble support base system which means that the area to be broken away, after the model is completed, is dissolved in a liquid. This allows you to print models with much finer detail without the risk of damaging the model when it is finished.”
The printer can be used in a variety of different ways by and for the students at the Technical Center---starting with CAD students who will soon be able to physically touch a product created on their computers.
“Our drafting classes can print real-life models of the designs the students create,” Rice noted. “Other drafting teachers that I have spoken with have remarked that for students to have a tangible item to see and touch after they have drawn an image, adds a new real world aspect to their drawing. Now they can have more than a virtual image on a computer screen. In addition, the students can print architectural details to models, things like molding, columns, doors, plumbing fixtures, and more. I have seen miniature model homes designed by students which include miniature room-size furniture which was printed on the 3-D printer. Our students can now do this.”
However, drafting students will not be the only students who will benefit from the 3-D printer. Other disciplines will be able to use the technology of the 3-D printer.
“In Industrial Maintenance, we can now print a model of any machine part that can be drawn in CAD or even something intended to be made on their CNC machine,” Rice added. “In Automotive Technology, the 3D printer can be used for making a model of any type of car part that needs to be used as a sample instead of needing the actual machine part. We can print gears or even a model of a discontinued part for antique or collectible cars. The 3D printer could be used in those classrooms to make trainer parts for students instead of having to actually have a machine part that would be more expensive. For the science department, we could assist the Science Olympiad students by printing mock ups of student’s designs thus taking out much of the guess work out of their experiments by giving the students scaled models.
The printer could be used in Health Sciences by providing small images of medical devices or even plastic body parks or internal organ reproductions.”
The possibilities go on. Rice notes that the art department could also use the printer to re-create art work in three dimensional plastic. Other applications for 3-D printing involve the fields of construction, civil and aerospace engineering, dental and medical industries, fashion, geographic information systems and even food-related industries.
Another component of having the new 3-D printer is a connection to local business and industry. With the new printer, local industry officials could submit a CAD drawing to the Tech students and ask them to print a small model. Such request would be a win-win for both the students and the industry. Students would be given the opportunity to apply their learned skills for a business while the industry officials would receive a small-scale 3-D model of their product or projected product---which, in tern, could be shown to prospective clients.
“The models would be for demonstration purposes,” Rice said. “We could print a model for an industry to use for a demonstration. Our kids would be linked to the real world. This will give the kids a real-world connection and that’s something our kids need. It will happen them to understand technology in manufacturing and see how its used. Our goal is to make this a tool for the community so that our kids can work for them.”
Rice is also examining options on how the new 3-D printer can be used in collaboration with other high schools and technical centers as well.
“I think where the kids will like it is that the kids can now see their handiwork,” Rice added. “They can draw a 3-D model and now they can print it. They will see a connection between a real world use and the material as opposed to a 2-D image on a flat screen.”
The 3-D printer purchase was funded by a donation from The Halton Company.
“I would like to thank Rick Bagwell and The Halton Company for working with the schools and funding this project and all the possibilities it opens up to our students and community,” noted Brian Carter, Allen County Schools Director of District Operations.
The printer was delivered this week.